# Food Poison or Tummy Bug? How to tell?



## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

My Husband and middle son suddenly came down sick Tuesday afternoon. Both were fine, then all of a sudden, they had to run for the bathroom. Throw-up and low fever. Throw-up lasted 6 hours for both, then just felt terrible for a day and today...just feeling better but still "slow." There was nothing else to it, no diarehea, no sore throat, no sneezing, etc.... 

Both of them ate at Subway Monday afternoon for late lunch. No one else has gotten sick. But it has raised the issue - how do you know when it is a Tummy Bug or when is it something you ate? 

I thought food poisoning only showed up 4 to 12 hours after you ate something bad but a friend told me it could show up 48 hours later? 

Anyway - just curious - does anyone know how to tell?


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## glazed (Aug 19, 2006)

You may never know which you had unless you shared food with someone else, and they became ill. Either way, though, the treatment is the same:

Bedrest and lots of fluids.

Please don't be tempted to take something to stop the diarrhea and/or vomitting ... it isn't good to hinder eliminating the bad stuff causing your symptoms.


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## glazed (Aug 19, 2006)

Oh, and with food "poisoning" ... it can also take anywhere from 4-72 hours.

Here's a pretty neat source to explain all of the different types:

http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/foodsafety/poisoning.shtml


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Almost for sure a food related illness. Two people, same timing, same place where they ate. 24 hours is common for an incubation period. The illness needs to be reported to the state health department. Sorry.

FWIW, in food safety courses, we learned that "tummy bug" illnesses are rare to non-existent. 99% of the time, it is food related - either a bacteria, a by-product of spoiled food, or more rarely a food sensitivity.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

There are different forms of food poisoning that incubate for different time periods, usually a minimum of 6 hours to a maximum of 72 hours after you eat - but your health can change those numbers a bit.

I vote for food poisoning also.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Food poisoning can show up very fast, and the faster the better. Vometing is the best thing to get it out. If it gets further down, then you'll get more symptoms of Flu. Sweating, diarrhea ect. My Dh had e-coli once, after being sick for a week, he finally told me what happened. When cleaning and dumping a cow water tank, it sloshed and the water went into his mouth,well right on down. Cows do poop in their tanks. So, anyway I Immed. gave him some antibiotics and he got better within a day. I got sick, from eating coleslaw from a restaurant. Being sick is one thing. Being on the back of a Harley traveling cross country to my Brother,s wedding and being that sick is another. Thank goodness it gets out fast is what I say. Dh warned me not to eat the slaw


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

yup, I had food poisoning a few times, I was practically sticking my finger down my throat to hurl faster. I agree, the faster you can get it out the faster you get over it.

give them lots of simple fluids, and just bland food too, like some toast. hope they're on the mend.

One of the things I got sick from was some lunchmeat that came out a year or so ago that was preservative/nitrate free(a national brand). I was careful about exp dates, but it wasn't long before it was yanked, the store said a lot of people got sick.


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

food poisoning....the fever gives it away..either that or flu


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

Thank you - it must have been food poison since, so far, no one else has been sick. My son and husband were at a friend's house for about 6 hours before son got sick and no one at that house has been sick yet either. 

They are both better this morning and ready for food. Yesterday, the 2nd day after it started, they still could not eat and only sipped clear liquids. They did get a few crackers and pretzels nibbled. This morning both of them are in the kitchen making oatmeal and toast - so I think they are going to be better today.

Thanks everyone!

PS Good link Mama Crow - thank you


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## NostalgicGranny (Aug 22, 2007)

Mayo on a sub sandwich could have been a culprit. 

My mom got food poisoning once and had to have an ambulance ride to the emergency room.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

I had food poisoning once. When it hit it was fast..lasted about 8 hours. Those 8 hours were torturous. Shaking, sweaing, could barely crawl. Had to sleep on bathroom floor as it was coming out everywhere. Lord have mercy..hope it is never again.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

oops sweating..not swearing..I was too weak to swear


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## NostalgicGranny (Aug 22, 2007)

That is pretty much what happened to my mom only she wasn't a spring chicken at the time.


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

meanwhile said:


> I thought food poisoning only showed up 4 to 12 hours after you ate something bad but a friend told me it could show up 48 hours later?


The body is very intelligent an can react to tainted or spoiled food instantly. That's why humans vomit or get the runs, within minutes or an hour or two after eating something very nasty.


Teenager DS insists on spending his own money eating at Taco Bell. We won't eat there. The last two times he has gotten "severe gastric distress" from eating there. We tell him he can make his own health food at home.

We do eat at Subway, because it is the healthiest of the fast foods. I have often seen them open a "new" bag of lettuce, which was already so wilted, it looks like it had already sat out for a day or two. I asked them to open another one.

Fast food in general is just scary.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

plowjockey said:


> The body is very intelligent an can react to tainted or spoiled food instantly. That's why humans vomit or get the runs, within minutes or an hour or two after eating something very nasty.
> .


Only if its obviously spoiled food.

Bacteria take time to multiply and grow, often it's hours before someone shows any signs of illness.


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

Hello -- they are both better now but it did take a few days before they could eat again. They sipped ginger ale, water, or sprite for two days....and just a tiny bit of chicken broth. But, both are back now. Since no one else has gotten it, then it just have been the Subway. They do not eat mayo and so it was probably something in the lettuce. 

Thanks everyone and ....yep...we are not eating fast food for a long time!


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