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Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Sick

I'm working from home today after a terrible night. I guess it was food poisoning. I ate lunch at work yesterday, then about twenty minutes later I started feeling really strange. I was in a meeting, and I excused myself, and got up and walked around, and walked out onto the deck for a little fresh air. It felt like maybe indigestion or heartburn or something, just extremely uncomfortable.

I went back into the meeting and apologized, and said I was going to have to leave. I grabbed my stuff, shut down the computer, and drove home with the windows open, praying I could make it. I got home, and spent the next twelve hours being violently ill. Bob talked to John, who told him to go get me some Gatorade, which he did, and I sipped that as much as I could. The cats curled up on the bed with me and kept me company.

I guess it must have been food poisoning, but the scary thing is that I ate food I brought from home--a grilled chicken breast and homemade vegetable soup. But both of them had been in the refrigerator for about a week, so I guess it could have been that. Also, I had handled raw chicken that morning--I'd put some in a marinade for Bob to cook later--so even though I washed my hands, I guess I may have touched something . . . Hard to imagine that it's that toxic, but who knows?

This is the third time that I've gotten food poisoning in the last couple of years; I always thought I could eat just about anything, but maybe not anymore. The two other times were after eating in restaurants.

I finally got to sleep around midnight, and woke up at 3:00 a.m. feeling mostly normal--a huge relief. I thought about going in to work, then decided to stay home and work from here, just in case I started feeling bad again, but I haven't. Apart from the sore muscles. So far today I've eaten a Cup-o-Noodles (ramen) and a chicken and noodle cup thing that you add water to . . . I'm afraid to eat anything, really. I've been drinking a lot of Gatorade. What I really feel like I want is some chocolate, but there isn't any in the house . . .

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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:07 PM

    Sounds like "spoilage" rather than food poisoing. Affects of spoilage come on very quickly while food poisoning can take hours or days. (so very cliff claven of me.) Hope you are feeling better soon!

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  2. Anonymous9:47 PM

    Hey Willa,

    So sorry to hear you're sick! I know that food poisoning all too well.

    Some forms can strike quickly (like your 1/2 hour), and some take more like 12 hours. You've got me curious, so I'll do some hunting and let you know if I find anything. My X and I went and ate at a Mexican restaurant once, came home together, and suddenly were hit with violent vomiting at the same time. It hit about 20-30 minutes after eating, too, though it didn't last the 12 hours like yours did.

    It's always so hard to say where it came from, but you might want to clear out whatever's in your fridge. Take care of yourself. Hopefully by tomorrow you'll be feeling better.

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  3. Anonymous7:43 AM

    Sorry to hear you were so sick. Hope you are feeling better soon!

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  4. It is so miserable to be that sick. I'm so glad you are feeling better.

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  5. Anonymous7:16 AM

    I've been told and I've read that a lot of food (especially meats, even if they are cooked, but also things like side dishes) should only be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days if you plan to eat them. After that, bacteria begins to settle in, and it's not recommended to eat it. I used to keep leftovers in the fridge for a while and then take them to work, where I'd get horrible stomach pains and just sick, sick, sick. Now, following the advice I'd read and been given, I have not had food poisoning in years. Thankfully, I've never had food poisoning from eating out! I hope that you'll never experience this terrible illness again!

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