Food Poisoning thread

There are very helpful tidbits about the treatment of food poisoning scattered around on a few threads, but since I've got more than a little experience with the subject I thought a consolidated thread about food poisoning treatment might be useful to somebody in distress.

If you've ever experienced a bad case of food poisoning you understand that distress, and understand how terrible it would be to have in a survival situation. If you haven't, it's a blast! Imagine explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting at the same time, along with cramps, and a headache! Bad enough under the best conditions. With limited clean water, challenging sanitation, restricted living conditions (fallout shelter) and the need to maintain your strength just to survive, food poisoning could kill you, and/or sicken others around you.

I'd recommend trying to avoid food poisoning if possible, and I'm sure not volunteering to test any treatments that are offered here. It's an unfortunate reality that in a survival situation it will be far more common, and advance planning and understanding of treatment options will make a bad situation more bearable.

Treatment: My favorite is to report to sick call. Anti diarrhea pills and electrolyte drinks help a bunch, although there is no instant cure for the mess.

Others I've seen mentioned include:

Cider vinegar
Acidophilus
Electrolyte solutions (Gatorade, Pedialyte)
Activated charcoal
Garlic
Potassium Permanganate
Colostrum

If you're experienced with these treatments and can share additional instructions, precautions, and success stories your input is welcome and appreciated. It's one of those topics that's not pleasant to talk about. We can share stories about how we ended up in trouble with it, and joke about it now, but it's no laughing matter when it's got hold of you.

I got it TWICE in the same restaurant overseas, and would still go back there to eat again if I could. The food was really that good... although I might skip the eggs... and the chicken fried steak. Taco Bell got me once in the States, and most recently there was that can of Spam. It looked and smelled okay, really. It was just out of date by a couple days.

Try to avoid it, but if you can't, Good Luck for a speedy recovery!

 

I say if you suspect food poisoning puke early and consume healthy amounts of hard liquor.

 

Wife and I caught a case of food poisoning recently after stopping at a Wendy's along I-10 in Jennings La.
She got it really bad,I on the other hand chugged a few beers,Mine was pretty mild and the next day I was over it.
She's still pizzed at Wendy's

 

God love Grandma but sanitary food prep was not her strong suit. Cross contamination was pretty popular at her house. I'd get it a couple times a year as a kid. things like chicken cut first then the salad. Yeah, it was fun. most of the time it was about an hour or so after the meal and fire hose out both ends.

good luck trying to keep liquids down when the body says .. We are having a sale here. Everything has got to go.

Only once did I think I was going to die. (12 year old me hadn't experienced playing quarter bounce yet)

best way to treat it is .. don't get it in the first place. Safe food handling practices and when in doubt .. throw it out.

 

NO on the charcoal!!!

If you are not very careful, you could wind up with a intestinal concretion A Lethal condition if professional care is not available.

I suggest lots of fluids Pedilyte is a good choice, home made salts works as well.

I had a run in with bad Chow 2 years ago...I lived tru it. I also lost 17 pounds over single week. No a fun way to drop some weight...

 

Oregano oil is a good one if you have it.. and I (or rather, hubby) can vouch for colostrum.

 

I have experienced "gastric upset", and some degree of diahrea. Never full-blown nuclear "food poisoning" though. When younger, I had the classic "cast iron stomach". As I get older though the cast iron is weakened. I can see certain effects from certain foods.
Such as whole kernal corn and some bean skins not fully digesting. Very oily foods cause soft stools. Chocolate can cause constipation.
Our bodies can tell us what they don't like. It's up to us to heed the warning.
One big rule in long storeage foods, is to eat it early on, find out if it tastes okay, and doesn't cause gastric troubles. Helps prevent suddenly finding that out when you are on a bug out trip!

 

Best advise experience.
If the food is even slightly questionable add apple cider vinegar to it, stir wait, and then consume, and drink about half a shot strait (cap full) ,then wash it down with clean water. diluting it just prolongs the distaste . In the olden days people carried cider vinegar just for this reason . No refrigeration.
If you have eaten something that is giving you a reaction, don't wait, stop the car, or what ever your doing, and regurgitate ASAP , and drink a half shot of apple cider vinegar.
I carry cider vinegar in my EDC bag, and as a matter of fact used it today to deal with a cough due to phlegm in my throat . Just a squirt and let it work on the throat , like magic. I only had to do it twice in an hour and the rest of the day I'm fine.
If I am eating beans or potatoes they can give me gas, but adding some vinegar it solves the problem.
My wife got food poisoning and though she fought me on the vinegar it worked . I cant remember all the times I got food poisoning restaurant or turkey or some other thing and waiting till I got home to deal with it was the wrong thing to do. That's why I carry the vinegar.

 

@arleigh, I need to try that for my cough and add a bottle of cider vinegar to my bag. (I always have some around, since I clean brass in a Mason jar with it.) If I remember correctly, you're not a youngster, and I'm curious about how long you've been a cider vinegar user?

 

@hot diggity Boy-oh-boy, I also got a case overseas and thought sure as hell my number was up. Strange as hell, as I went to bed that night and then started shaking like I was cold, teeth rattling shakes, ended up spending sleeping the night in the bathroom next to the toilet. The then girlfriend (now my wife) was pouring the purple crap down me as fast as I would blast it out. It honestly work. I later found out it was Potassium Permanganate. I am not even sure if you can buy it here stateside but it works. I still don't know what the hell I ate but...that is one way I do not wish to check out.

I need to find out if I can purchase Potassium Permanganate here. Good thread!

 

Had a run with some questionable Kimchi out of the frig a couple weeks ago.. One full night of dreading the abdominal cramps that signaled the race was on again. With clench cheeks and a loud warning for the dog to get out of the way, I would leap from the bed and throw myself into the race for the toilet.

I can tell you that staying well hydrated is critical especially if the diarrhea is accompanied by emisis! Use of four mg of Imodium, loperamide, after the initial onset (or when you decide enough is enough) followed by two mg after each additional bought. Eating cheese always seemed to work for me in slowing things down. That weekend, Imodium became my drug of choice. Only took three doses for things to settle, however I had been well flushed out! And drank a lot of bottled water.

If nausea and vomiting is included in the mix, ginger can work very well in reducing the symptoms. Phenergan oral or suppository are effective or use of zofran sublingual is effective as well. I personally like ginger and or saltines with nausea.

Liberal use of fluids is encourage unless they are known to aggravate the aforementioned conditions. Electrolytes are important and need to be replace, however, for diarrhea or emisis that has just started, it is important to keep replacing fluids with anything that one can keep down.. In some cases the body is trying to get rid of a toxin that has been introduced! Whether through the ingestion of contaminated food or drink.. Let the body do its work initially and you support that work by keeping it hydrated. But, the time comes when enough is enough!

Listen, anything and everything I have said is an opinion! If you are sick, talk to a doctor! People do literally crap themselves to death and diarrhea or vomiting that lasts more than a day, or the unfortunate is unable to stay well hydrated, they are indeed at great risk! GET medical help!

 

Had it once, on a trip.
Wild ride back home, trip was at night and stopped on every outside curve when needed. Left a trail of TP and Feces for several hundred miles.
Once at home I Had to see the Doc and get the required meds for a few days.

Make note to self: Never eat veggies in an area where night soil is used for fertilizer or where public water supply is not safe (best guess as to cause).

Been all over the world and ate from all sources, this my first and only time.

 

Water bad, Wine Good

 

WARNING:

I'd be really really careful with Potassium permanganate. It is a seriously strong oxidizer. and mixed with water you could be making a caustic solution.

serious research would be required to use it safely. It can be used as a disinfectant and for water purification but one needs to find out more on how to use it correctly or the 'cure' could be worse than the original problem.

 

I have never heard this. This was my go to cure if collapse happened and no OTC meds were available. I have seen charcoal listed as a cure many times but I always noticed a dosage was never given.

 

I think I agree with you as spent about an hour reading on PP and it appears that long ago it was indeed used (1935 document) but I have read some documents, some dated as far back as 1960 which state "In recent years the special value of potassium permanganate as an antidote has been doubted" and the amount used is critical - so much so - that there has been suicides with it, though not in diluted form. Frankly, I think it's not worth the risk and will strike it from my list. The wife isn't currently home but I will talk to her about it. I do believe it is a common cure in her old country to this day but surely there must be some safer remedies or even medical drugs that can be procured as substitutes.

@Motomom34 As far as Charcoal being used, I do know many countries sell Charcoal tablets and they are commonly used. In fact, we have some and I have used them on occasions, usually 1 to a maximum of 2 tablets. This is something else I will question the wife about when she returns... I assume you cannot purchase these tablets here?

I do think this thread is an extremely important topic which we need to pay more attention too. Food poisoning is and will be very common in almost all types of SHTF scenario.

 

Think the issue with using charcoal would be if you dident drink enough water when taking it.

 

I posted the cure already.

 

I would say that is good advice. I would add drink at least a quart of before sticking your fingers down your throat to force oneself to vomit. But, the stomach really needs to be washed out with something so was wondering if slamming a couple shots of vodka waiting a few minutes then drinking large amounts of water then vomiting might be a better method or perhaps simply mix the water with vodka?