Food poisoning etc

silenthunterstudios

silenthunterstudios

Slipjoint Addict
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Feb 2, 2005
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Back at work after a debilitating attack of food poisoning, I would like to hear what you have prepared for it. Not just food poisoning, but any type of ailment that you will become fatigued and dehydrated from (ballast from both ends). All I did was get a salad from the salad bar I've been going to for the past fifteen years, local grocery store. Glad I had a leftover prescription of heavy duty Immodium, rice, Gatorade etc. I've talked to a couple guys about getting sick on the "trail", and what they did. Luckily, they were able to get some help back home from their companion, or to a doctor. Some just pulled up what reserves they had, and hightailed it out back to their car, and home. Nothing really bad. Other than having some Immodium in your bag, what do you do if you get really sick out there? This may seem comical to some, I'm just curious.

I spared the gory details, please do the same (I still ain't feelin' well :D).
 
Well, it definitely depends based on the degree and time spent in that state. Also assuming you don't have Tums and such...



Waterloss is the first concern. Replacing as much fluid as possible. More importantly, warm fluids... This is better for the inner workings.

As for food and energy consumption, it has to be done in smaller, but frequent doses. Obviously in this condition sinking your teeth into a steak is going to be a bad idea, as it will dehydrate more and be hard on the stomach.

I am a big advocate of stews. Here you will find broth, broken down and soft meats, as well as fluid and veggies. Stews have helped me in the past in this condition....

Knowing a few basic herbs will also be of value. Mints, and Nettles for example. Nettle is easy on the stomach and very filling.

Taking some dried herbs or spice with you in your food kit is also to consider. I carry a piece of raw turmeric with me. Turmeric is an excellent general use spice. Excellent for digestion, as well as a plethora of other things...



For your stomach issues, try this: milk heated in a pan with honey, a couple drops of vanilla, and powdered turmeric. I use a fair amount. Add a couple drops of olive or almond oil to coat and lube the insides if you wish. Heat on low, until it turns a golden nectar color. Enjoy! This one really helps me.... Watch out, it really relaxes you too!:thumbup:
 
I feel your misery ... or rather I've felt your misery.

Many years ago, in a jungle far, far away, I got hit with amoebic dysentery. At first I thought I just had some form of the flu, and tried to tough it out. Well, it wasn't the flu, and after some hours (I think about six or seven hours after I quit trying to play tough guy) my temperature was way up, I was dehydrated (yes, that fast), and finally lost consciousness. My men had to carry me to a place where we could be extracted, and I woke up in the hospital in Da Nang.

Score: tiny little creature 1, tough Marine 0.

I never thought it could happen to me: it did. It can happen to you, too, even if you're careful out there. Don't go out without Immodium (industrial strength if you can get it), and whatever else you can find that will knock down the symtoms, then get yourself to a Doctor. Don't try to tough it out: you're not stronger than the bug that bites you, no matter what you may think.

We all like to play in the bush and, hopefully, we take precautions when we go out. Just be aware of what your body's trying to tell you, and carry simple remedies.
 
Since it was food poisoning, and not a bug, would charcoal tablets help? I have been debating adding some to my PSK, but I am not sure.
 
Out in the bush and have food poisoning ?

All you need is water and charcoal.

Not the bricks you buy in the store , the stuff we usually cover up after our fire.

My Grandpa taught me this when I was a Scout. you can even make your own charcoal at home and put it in gel caps for your BOB or first aid kit , backpack ,etc...

Charcoal has a ridiculously high absorption rate , it will 'surround' the toxins and pass them thru your bowels harmlessly.

Look it up :)

Tostig
 
chewbacca said:
Since it was food poisoning, and not a bug, would charcoal tablets help? I have been debating adding some to my PSK, but I am not sure.
Click to expand...

What we all think of as "food poisoning" is most often attributable to one bug or another. Charcoal probably works best for some forms of poison, but once you have it, it may be too late.

I'm not a doctor, so I'm not up on all the exact causes of "food poisoning," but having the symptoms that he mentioned, I'd say treat the symptoms (before they kill you), then see a doctor.
 
dawsonbob said:
What we all think of as "food poisoning" is most often attributable to one bug or another.
Click to expand...

That was my thoughts too. Surely food poisoning is mostly stuff like Campylobacter, Salmonella or E. Coli.

Obviously the best thing to do is try your best to avoid getting it in the first place. Thoroughly cooking food and avoiding contaminated water would be the most common measures.
 
In terms of food poisoning some of you may remember my thread about my bout with bean poisoning a while back. Beans are a common food of choice for those on the trail, and yet if you aren't careful to bring them to a full boil for several minutes then even five undercooked beans will have you riding the porcelain bus reeeeaaaal fast. Like I found out when I ate half a cup of them! :o

So not all cases of food poisoning are the result of bacteria or viruses. ;)
 
Gadgetaholic said:
That was my thoughts too. Surely food poisoning is mostly stuff like Campylobacter, Salmonella or E. Coli.

Obviously the best thing to do is try your best to avoid getting it in the first place. Thoroughly cooking food and avoiding contaminated water would be the most common measures.
Click to expand...

That's my understanding, too: it's generally a nasty bug. As I said, I'm not a Doctor (although I did play one with various girls when I was younger), so if any medical people want to weigh in, it would be appreciated.

As you said, Gadgetaholic, trying to avoid it in the first place is best. To this day, I have no idea how I contracted dysentery. I tried to be careful, but bugs lurk everywhere, so cook thoroughly.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
In terms of food poisoning some of you may remember my thread about my bout with bean poisoning a while back. Beans are a common food of choice for those on the trail, and yet if you aren't careful to bring them to a full boil for several minutes then even five undercooked beans will have you riding the porcelain bus reeeeaaaal fast. Like I found out when I ate half a cup of them! :o
Click to expand...

I guess that further illustrates the need to be aware of safe food handling and preparation to avoid problems like that. Several beans - especially red kidney beans - have a toxin that people should be aware of if they are going to consume them. Boiling for 15 minutes will destroy almost all of that toxin, rendering the beans safe to eat. Under cooking the beans will increase the toxicity five-fold.
 
Since I cook red beans (which really are highly toxic) all the time, I'm pretty well versed in that. It's best to bring them to a boil for two minutes, take them off the heat for at least an hour, then cook them thoroughly. Red beans and rice: yum!
 
I have been cooking red beans for years and never had any idea about possible poisoning until I read your thread. I asked my wife and she hadn't heard about it either. Go figure.


Now back to your regular programming. :D
 
Katdaddy said:
I have been cooking red beans for years and never had any idea about possible poisoning until I read your thread. I asked my wife and she hadn't heard about it either. Go figure.

Now back to your regular programming. :D
Click to expand...

From Wikipedia:

"Toxicity

The toxic compound lectin phytohaemagglutinin is present in many varieties, but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. Although in the case of dry beans the ten minutes at 100 degrees Celsius required to degrade the toxin is much shorter than the hours required to fully cook the beans themselves, outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with the use of slow cookers whose low cooking temperatures may be unable to degrade the toxin. The British public health authority, PHLS, has recommended soaking kidney beans for 5 hours before cooking.[2] Sprouts of pulses high in haemaglutins (such as kidney beans) should not be eaten."

The thing is, you've been cooking them thoroughly. If you hadn't ... well ... you'd know about the toxicity.:D
 
Prevention is best (hand washing, peeling, cooking etc) but it is still easy to get a diarrheal illness.
If you have fever, abdominal pain, or blood in your stool I was always taught not to use imodium or lomotil until the source of infection was controlled.
I have carried and used ciprofloxacin for patients in Africa. That works well on many bacterial causes of infectious diarrhea.
There is something called ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) used in 3d world countries, you can make it yourself.
Pancho Villa is believed to have use beans with Botulinum toxins to kill the troops pursuing him!
http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=8
 
according to my mom, a nurse practitioner, and source of all medical knowledge ever (ok, maybe not quite, but close) the main thing to worry about is the dehydration, so that is the Imodium, maybe some pepto bismol to settle the stomach, or ginger. works wonders. but make sure you have diarrhea first! don't slam the Imodium at first stomach pain, if it was something else, and you block yourself up, well dehydration you can deal with on the trail, burst bowel, not so much. the other option is to flood yourself with water and basically flush the system, although, that ones up for debate as well.
charcoal is good, but its hard to say if it is going to help that much, or if the residual lye in the ash just knocks your stomach acid back a little. honestly activated charcoal is on the way out for lots of poisonings, I guess its hard to prove how well it works, or not.
And as the guys here who have experienced giardia and crypto first hand know, its evac time as quick as you can!
 
The black stuff in the fire pit is the first thing I reach for.
 
generally use charcoal.
a bad end could just wipe all stocks out (pardon the pun).
so, waddya fellas do once you're outta toilet rolls?
humour me please...
so anyone tried the imaginative use of sticks and leaves?
 
This'll twist your brains.
1/2 tspn of cayenne pepper dissolved in a cup of hot water, followed by a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of honey and a tablespoon of cider vinegar. Repeat every couple of hours.
Cup. Not coffee mug.

I ate some chicken that wasn't quite grilled enough and my doctor gave me that " trick" and some Loperamide to slow my system down. He guessed Salmonella,He's an old guy, trained in Argentina back in the 1940's, and always goes "old school" first.
He walks around my property pointing to stuff " that's good for X and thats good for Y".
 
Basically, most cases of diarrhea with or without vomits that are called "food poisoning" are in fact viral gastroenteritis. It can also be caused by bacterias, but the vast majority of intestinal infections are viral in origin. Diarrhea with or without vomits and when not caused by an infection of the intestinal tract would be a "real" case of food poisoning, and this can occur in two ways: because of bad/rotten food or because of food contamination with bacterias that produce toxins (it's not the bacterial infection that causes the symptoms, but the toxins produced by the bacterias).

This distinction is important because it changes how you think about treating "food poisoning". Since, as I said, the vast majority of the cases of gastroenteritis is viral in origin, antibiotics will do more harm then good. Of the non-viral gastroenteritis, most are actual food poisoning, caused by bacterial toxins, so again antibiotics won't help much. For the few cases of actual bacterial infection antibiotics are the standard treatment. Though it's really hard to prove an actual intestinal infection is viral or bacterial with haste and certainty, but I digress.

What can a you do if you have gastroenteritis? Basically drink lots of fluids (water based), avoid milk, sugar and fatty stuff and take some antiemetic drug (I'm partial to bromopride) if it's the case. You can have lean meat, veggies and fruits, as long as it's not something that loosens your bowls, like papaya or orange - banana, apple and pear are good to constipate your bowels. Another thing that helps is to fraction your meals in small snacks, so that the load on the stomach and intestines is smaller. Icy drinks, when you're vomiting or having stomach burns, go down way better then hot drinks. If you are vomiting you HAVE to intake very small amounts of liquid each time. And the most important aspect of all this is to avoid dehydration, so taking lots of liquids should be your primary concern. Besides that it's basically waiting it out, since there isn't much you can do to treat the root of the problem.
 
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