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  1. #1

    Default Possible food poisoning?

    Okay. So I'm pretty scared. I'm 17 & I've been an emetophobe for over 9 years now. In recent years, basically anywhere from 2013-the beginning of this year, the fear's been really moderate. I wasn't scared of going out to eat anymore, I actually ate a whole lot due to my high metabolism, and I loved going out. Only time it really hit was when I felt I was in the situation that I was going to get sick.

    That said, I've been unlucky to be caught in these situations pretty often all year. So let's get to the story.

    Well, this is how everything started. It was the 4th of July and we were going to my aunt's house for a celebration. We were having burgers, hotdogs, chips, cake, brownies,etc. The thing I was looking forward to eating there most, though, was my mom's special salad. It's a salad made with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, relished dill pickles, and Fritos chips.

    Depending on the person, that may sound gross, good, or interesting to you. For me? It's my most favorite kind of salad ever. So anyways, my mom had made it and put it into a giant plastic bowl, which came with a lid and we went over to the party, which started at 6. We decided to leave around late 9 or 10, the salad was out in the bowl, the lid may or may not have been on.

    As we were leaving, we had placed the salads inside two small ziplock bags and put them in a lunchpack, which may or may not have had an ice pack, but it did have drinks that came straight out an ice chest, so it was somewhat refrigerated on the way home.

    After that, when we arrived home, the bags were put into the fridge and that was that. Later, possibly around midnight, I was hungry so I decided to have one of the salads in the bags. I had poured the salad into a bowl, got a fork, and went into my room to eat it. I ate some and something about it just seemed off, the tomatoes taste was either very prominent and I was just paranoid or the tomatoes were bad. So I looked up if it was okay to eat salads that have been left out. I was already one to avoid going near meat that's been left out longer than 2 hours, but I assumed it was only meat and poultry that was perishable, that being said, I didn't really think to look it up sooner. But what I found when I looked it up, scared me bad.


    Cut and washed iceberg lettuce can grow bacteria, particularly E.Coli, when left out. Basically, it was instant panic mode for me.

    Now this was pretty much the very early hours of July 5th. I was had gone on reddit and posted two days later about this on the 7th, I was more relaxed due to the fact I had assumed it was exactly like salmonella and symptoms would come up anywhere between 6-72 hours after becoming infected, which scared me very bad.

    Which put me back into panic mode. What makes me feel a tad bit better is that about 3 or 4 websites, including an entry on this website and a post on Reddit, that talk about this infection state or imply that vomiting is rare/uncommon in E.Coli. So chances are I might not have to worry about throwing up if I end up getting it.

    However, one user on Reddit had stated he had E.Coli food positioning from Taco Bell and threw up a lot, which is what has triggered his emetophobia. Which makes me nervous once again.

    I've been practically begging my mom to take me to the store so I could buy some antiemetics, with my own money, of course, to prevent or have my already low chances of vomiting lower even more, but she won't let me. She keeps getting mad at me for bugging her and telling me I won't get sick. She only gave me a bottle of my aunt's pepto bismol. Which did work for me in the past, I think, but I don't want to use it due to the fact that, while it does prevent vomiting and relieve nausea, it also fights against diaherra, which would do more harm than good as it wouldn't allow me to expel the germs and even possibly worsen my symptoms.

    So she's not helping at all and it's frustrating me as well as prolonging my panic.

    Of course it's not a definite yes or no to the question of if I'm going to get E.Coli so antiemetics may not be necessary as I may not even get sick. However, I want them so I could prepare for the infection, should I get it so I don't have to face the risk of throwing up or so I can lower it even more to where I really don't need to stress or even think about it really.

    And I know I shouldn't be focused on one infection as I could possibly get salmonella or noro from it instead,but at this point, I'm pretty much past the general incubation period of both those sickness so I don't really think I have to be too focused or worry over those. But yeah. Despite my calm demeanor, I am rather nervous at the moment haha.

    It's been about 4 days since I've eaten the salad. Now I was feeling sick but I decided to walk in a circle around the living room in the the middle of the night talking to myself about the history of my fear, I know I sound weird, but it actually calmed me and relieved the sick feeling. Soon, I managed to fall asleep. When I woke up this morning, I was fine, I was about to go back to sleep but I had to pee so I went to go do that first. Afterwards, I got back in bed to get a little bit more shut eye, until I started getting hit with this bad feeling in my stomach.

    Now the feeling itself isn't an unfamiliar, abnormal one to me per say. But it's a feeling similar to when I'd eat salad. Being that I haven't had any lately, this scared me.

    I've also been getting very shaky since then. My side hurts, it's gurgling, I've had some pain in my pelvis so I thought I just had to make a movement. So I did. It started off kinda normal then it was loose. My stomach still hurts and gurgles, I have a lot of congestion in my throat, and I even get kinda gaggy. I'm very afraid right now. I don't know if this is E.Coli or something else. I ate wings last night too and one wing tasted different, not necessarily bad but different. However, I believe it's processed so I don't think I should worry too much on it.

    Sorry if this was in the wrong discussion by the way. I'm just a bit desperate.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    442

    Default Re: Possible food poisoning?

    I'm thinking all these symptoms are from your anxiety. Was the salad left out in the heat? If not, I think it was OK to eat. Sometimes things I eat taste weird, I freak out, then nothing happens. Maybe the tomatoes weren't ripe enough or were too ripe? I dont eat tomatoes so I don't know for sure. But if it's been 4 days already I would think you are OK. How are you now?

  3. #3

    Default Re: Possible food poisoning?

    Well, since yesterday, I have been suffering from mild-sharp pains that basically go all over my body. Lower back, upper back, upper abdomen, lower abdomen, hips, sides, sometimes legs and arms, chest and ribs. I'm not being hit in these areas all at the same time, it moves around. I've been able to get hungry and eat, but I've only had one meal today and yesterday. As far as BMs go, yesterday morning, I had a soft stool followed by loose almost watery ones in the morning. After that, I never made another BM. Today, I made one was soft. And I think I have a UTI as well. As yesterday evening, I started having a burning sensation and could barely urinate. It's the same as today as well. It's also dark and somewhat cloudy. I went to the doctor though and he told me he doesn't think it's food poisoning. My mom told me she ate the salad right before leaving the party and she's fine. But yeah, that's what I'm going through right now.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    442

    Default Re: Possible food poisoning?

    The pains could be psychosomatic. Last year I got sharp pains around my stomach, back, and sides. I definitely think it was anxiety. I am one of the most stressed out people ever (thanks to this phobia).

  5. #5

    Default Re: Possible food poisoning?

    Possibly. My pains usually go away for a bit whenever I'm outside going for a walk. They also went away while I was on my way to and from the doctors. They're still here but they aren't in such large amounts. They're less bothersome than yesterday. That's for sure.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
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    2,028

    Default Re: Possible food poisoning?

    My mom and best friend both had food poisoning and both ended up in the hospital. If you had food poisoning you would know it. You would have more than random on and off pains and some soft BM's. It sounds like you have worked yourself up into thinking you are sick which is why you feel as you do. If the pains go away when you are taking a walk then there is nothing wrong with you. Also you are able to eat and if you had food poisoning that's the last thing you'd want to do.

 

 

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