Food Poisoning.

[CaptainTom]

A couple of days ago my refrigerator went on the fritz. Everything in the freezer thawed out. It was still cold, just not cold enough.
I decided to throw a bunch of thawed out pork chops in the slow cooker rather than throw them away. I added what I thought was a packet of spices and left it to cook for ten hours.
Last night I came home late and decided to get a bite of this pork.
This morning I woke up to severe stomach pains and nausea. You know, the kind that requires you to fumigate and sterilize the bathroom.

I've been sick all day. It finally has subsided and I'm drinking water and working on some chicken soup ( being a yankee, this is the only remedy that works for anything ).

I went back and discovered that the pack of spice was in fact a package of Meat Tenderizing marinade. I'm thinking that perhaps my stomach didn't appreciate being tenderized. Needless to say, the fridge will be emptied and everything thrown away until the repairman comes on Tuesday.

A photographer getting sick on Saturday morning is a disaster of epic proportions...

[Wes]

Bummer, dude. You're lucky it didn't hit you worse than it did.

[janikphoto]

I've eaten a lot of stuff I probably shouldn't have, and often the thawing food will be just fine. Every once in a blue moon though... look out!

[Imagebuffet]

My company has a policy that food in the refrig/freezer must be labeled with name and date and is allowed only one week in the machine. The facilities manager told me that anything breaking these rules is fair game for me to eat as I wish. Well, someone left a box of White Castle frozen hamburgers in the freezer without a name or date, so I popped it in the microwave and ate it. I didn't know that the freezer had broken, so everything was cold, but thawed. I got really sick. Fortunately, that lasted only a day. I'm fairly immune to food poisoning, having had several forms of it repeatedly for years.

[newtune3]

Ouch and you with a 7D to shoot as well. I hope you get to feeling better soon.

[janetg]

the rule is..if there are ice crystals still on it - it's ok..if not - depending on how long it was thawed...either toss it or cook it immediately. sorry that happened to you...

[johnastovall]

Better than drinking water is to drink Gatorade. You need to replace electolytes and not just water. Also the potassium in it will help relax the lower bowel.

[CaptainTom]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

Better than drinking water is to drink Gatorade. You need to replace electolytes and not just water. Also the potassium in it will help relax the lower bowel.

That sounds like good advice, so I'm out to the CVS for some Gatorade. I'll let you know how it goes.
I am feeling 100% better, but not 100% OK.

[Patti Edens]

I'm curious. Did your nose itch before your serious symptoms started?

I ask because my Dad, Sister and I are all very allergic to monosodium glutamate and many meat tenderizers contain a bunch of MSG. The symptoms you describe are exactly what we go through with some brutal stomach cramps.

My Dad and my Sis get a warning before the symptoms start. Their noses itch! Really. I don't get the warning.

You might be allergic as well, but it just takes a bit more MSG to trigger the allergic reaction. Read labels and next time you use meat tenderizer or anything with MSG, plan to be home about 2 to 5 hours after you eat it. This episode could have triggered a worse reaction next time.

[Coogie]

Sorry Tom. I've had food poisoning twice and I became satisfied with accepting death each time just to end the misery. Once you can hold down fluids, the battle is almost won though.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Had food poisoning about 20 years ago from suasage and I know your pain (I actually turned a shade of green before it all hit the fan- well that is what someone who saw me and asked if I was alright said). At least it will help you get started on that weight loss program!

Now for some influenza to really throw your system for a loop.

Hope things are better for you on Monday.

[johnastovall]

Having learned to live with food poisoning when living in China, I keep the basic treatments in the house or when traveling, Lomotil, Promethazine and Gatorade powder.

[CaptainTom]

Eighteen hours since my original post and I am now at 100%.
Thanks for the support and the advice. I don't know if the Gatorade helped, but it didn't hurt.

Throwing out everything in the fridge tomorrow whether it look OK or not. Take out food for a couple of days.

[Imagebuffet]

I've found that if I take a Vitamin C tablet when I begin showing signs of food poisoning, it will usually kill off the symptoms.

[Toad]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

Having learned to live with food poisoning when living in China, I keep the basic treatments in the house or when traveling, Lomotil, Promethazine and Gatorade powder.

I have a perpetual prescription for lomotil because of my stomach problems...

To put it into perspective... I take 6... that's right 6... immodium ad's every morning. I've had to pop 3 lomotils in a 2 hour period just to slow myself down.

Funnily enough, the best thing I've ever found (and you'll call me crazy for it) is to eat an entire can of corn... without chewing.
Your body can't digest the corn, and by eating a whole can without chewing, it slows down the process long enough for it to get back on track.

My wife called me crazy for doing it, but when it worked... well... lets just say I've got a couple cans of corn ALWAYS in stock.