Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

I woke up at 4am with diarrhea. It's been a miserable day since. I haven't vomited yet and my stool is no longer liquid but my body hurts. It feels like I have just enough of a low grade fever to keep my joints and back muscles aching. I feel very weak but I am essentially OK if I don't move too far or too fast.

I am trying to figure out what did me in. My girlfriend and I have had the same foods for the last two days except for last night, she had some Lotte chocolate and I had a Snickers bar. The day before yesterday we had some raw oysters (supposedly they were fresh).

As far as I know she is fine, at least she didn't have any symptoms when she went to work.

Is it probable that she has some immunity to some bacteria/virus in seafood that I don't?

[tzechuk]

Probably the stomach flu....

[RACETRAITOR]

All you need to know? It's a day off work.

[the_beaver]

My money's on the oysters. I had some 2.5 weeks ago and I'm just getting back into sync now.

[Jarome_Turner]

If you ate the oysters the day before yesterday, I think it might be safe to say it wasn't them. I'm no medical expert, but I think they would have affected you a little sooner.

[the_beaver]

[blynch]

[tzechuk]

OK.. my husband ate some oyster in China, which was a bit stupid because it was summer and it was China.

Anyway, he was food poisoned and he said that he thought he was going to die.

Food poisoning totally drains you... not only do you have diarrhoea, you also vomit, aches all over, you feel like someone is twisting your stomach and it is very painful. Your liver feels like it's about to burn a hole in itself. You are constantly thirsty and chances are, you will also have a low-grade fever.

His symptoms came around 12 hours after he'd eaten them.

I was wise not to have eaten any!!!!!

ETA: I know you said you also have a low-grade fever and you ache all over, but seriously, you sound like you have stomach flu more than food poisoning. Norovirus is kicking around right now and unfortunately my baby's got it, that's how I know it's around..

[Mr. BlackCat]

Food poisoning can have many levels, most people experience it without even recognizing it (stomach ache, etc.). From your description it could be food poisoning or it could be a stomach flu. Either way, you do the same thing (Advil for the fever, wait out the stomach ache).

I had some bad beef a few years back and got pretty f-ing sick. Woke up in the middle of the night thinking I was going to die, delirious and in extreme pain. Phoned momsie and begged for my life, I did! She told me to suck on ice to keep myslef hydrated. I finally made it to my Uni clinic by the next afternoon, or at least was brought there by the kind Ritz-Carlton Hotel Bellboy who found me unconsious in their garden. I asked for euthenesia, whether by pills or by blunt force trauma. They tried to convince me to go to the hospital and sign up for the 'Mad Cow' wing. But I just got my note excusing me from all mid-terms and essays for the week and went home to die in the comfort of my own box built for one. Four days later I stopped throwing up (or at least gagging), regained some lucidity and moved up to popcicles. Two weeks later I ate solid food and had the biggest solid crap one man can ever be expected to produce. I thought about photographing it for Natural Geographic, but decided it would upset the ladies.

Anyway, story over. Good Luck and stay away from beef.

[faster]

Very likely the oysters. Even if they were fresh, it's so easy for one oyster to turn, that you could both have eaten from the same batch and only you got the bad 'un.

It'll go away soon.

[ella]

I had confirmed-by-a-doctor food poisoning once. It does feel like you're going to die. It comes out liquid from both ends (sorry for the mental image) and you can't do a thing to stop it, your stomach feels like it's auditioning for the Cirque du Soleil, and you're so weak you can hardly breathe (I had to call the front desk to get a doctor to my room - I didn't speak the language so that was no easy task but I sure wasn't going anywhere any time soon). I had trouble eating anything for two weeks even after I had recovered. My body just didn't want to take a chance on going through that a second time and it wasn't going to risk it by eating.

If you have some mild form of food poisoning and you aren't sure if it's that or the flu, isn't the prescription the same, rest and hydrate as much as possible?

[Milwaukiedave]

I'd say food poisoning most likely and you should go to a doctor either way. Almost a year and a half ago I had food poisoning as well (although it was a fairly mild case) that was very uncomfortable for about four days.

The doctor was able to give me some medication to help clear it up and suggested only eating bland food for about 4-5 days.

[jmbran11]

It's probably not food poisoning. My husband had the same thing Friday night. He was sure it was the Mexican food. I told him it was the stomach flu, which he'd never had so he didn't believe me. Then, Sunday night, I had the same thing. The first stage is vomiting/diarrhea, the second stage is horrible body/head aches. I can only assume it's "going around."

I was out Monday and Tuesday. You can check it out on www.webmd.com. Symptoms last for about 2 days, so you should be feeling better by now. I'm surprised your girlfriend didn't get sick.

Anyone else had this recently?

[tzechuk]

[kimchi_pizza]

My sympathies to anyone with food poisoning. I've never been so ill so quickly and violently in such a short amount of time in my life. I actually needed friends to literally drag me to the hospital and back home.

Sounds like stomach flu 'cause you WILL know if it's actual food poisoning!

My food poisoning? A Burger King Whopper....I'll never eat anutha! I had barely ate the last bite when it hit me.