Ended up in the ER last night

[SadieJack]

I became violently ill just after eating three naked chicken wings. I mean both ends, passed out from dehydration, etc. This is my very first time in the hospital EVER (I am 55). They rehydrated me, put me on some anti-spasm drugs, anti-nausea drugs and pain killers. They suspected gall bladder problem at first, but now thinks it was food poisoning. Really? Chicken?

Anyway...since I am new to this WOE I wonder if there is any correlation between the two?? Like I said, I am normally healthier than a horse!

[Dottie]

Did you buy the wings already cooked or did you cook them?
There was also a spinach recall this week for e-coli. I see you're in Texas, both Kroger and WalMart had some of the spinach on the list.

[Annabel Lee]

I am so sorry that sounds awful.
Correlation between LC and gall bladder or LC and food poisoning?
I had some gall bladder issues in the pasted, related to a low fat, low calorie diet.
Now that I am eating low carb I have had no issues with my gall bladder.
Hope you are feeling better soon!!

[SadieJack]

Originally Posted by Dottie

Did you buy the wings already cooked or did you cook them?
There was also a spinach recall this week for e-coli. I see you're in Texas, both Kroger and WalMart had some of the spinach on the list.

I made the wings myself in my deep fryer. I bought them at Walmart....Tyson brand. Thanks for letting me know about the spinach!!

[SadieJack]

Originally Posted by Annabel Lee

Correlation between LC and gall bladder or LC and food poisoning?

I was thinking LC and gall bladder. They said I was OK there, so decided it was food poisoning. I heard that high fat diet can mess with your GB ...

[nolcjunk]

It sounds like food poisoning and you can get sick from chicken very easily. All it takes is a tiny bit of uncooked meat to make you sick or if you got some of the bacteria on your hands when you were handling the raw meat and then somehow ingested it before washing your hands.

Hope you feel better soon.

[coffeelover]

I have no idea but it does sound more like food poisoning. Could it have been something you ate earlier in the day?

Either way, I hope you feel better soon and whatever it was, never comes back!

[Nimuae]

Oh, I hope you are feeling better soon ~

My money is on the spinach, but chicken is always a gamble, especially from a hot bar......

You can scale back the fat.... this does not have to be a high fat way of eating. Moderate, reasonable amounts of fat are what the programs really call for...

[reddarin]

It is probably best to give chicken a vinegar solution bath before cooking it. Someone on our thread mentioned that they always did that with chicken.

People will pick up stuff, like that, and set it down somewhere across the store and then it might get put back on the cooler shelf instead of being thrown out

[Ntombi]

Actually, Atkins is a high fat, moderate protein, low carb food plan. That's what it is. You severely limit carbs, eat enough protein, but not too much (because it can be converted to glucose), and the rest of your calories come from fat. So that means the majority of your calories come from fat. Remember, though, that each fat gram is 9 calories, versus 4 calories for protein and carb grams, so it's not quite as fatterific as that sounds. But there's no point in pretending that Atkins isn't a high fat diet, unless you're still fat-phobic. I hope that's not the case.

High fat doesn't mess with your gall bladder unless you already have underlying gall bladder issues. Mostly, though, people who have had gall bladder issues when eating low fat, high carb, find that it's not an issue when they switch to high fat, low carb. Think of the gall bladder as a muscle that needs exercise. With low fat, high carb, it doesn't get used enough, so the occasional high fat meal will send it into a tailspin. With a high fat, low carb diet, it's used regularly, and it doesn't spasm or go into hysterics when put in service.

Your symptoms do sound like food poisoning or salmonella to me, though. I hope you feel better, no matter the cause! That sounds like a bad night all around.

[nolcjunk]

Originally Posted by Ntombi

Actually, Atkins is a high fat, moderate protein, low carb food plan. That's what it is. You severely limit carbs, eat enough protein, but not too much (because it can be converted to glucose), and the rest of your calories come from fat. So that means the majority of your calories come from fat. Remember, though, that each fat gram is 9 calories, versus 4 calories for protein and carb grams, so it's not quite as fatterific as that sounds. But there's no point in pretending that Atkins isn't a high fat diet, unless you're still fat-phobic. I hope that's not the case.

I think that's closer to a description of induction, then the Atkins diet plan as a whole where you move up the carb ladder.

I'm in maintenance, and the majority of my calories don't come from fat and I am not fat phobic. I have to watch calories so I focus on getting my protein in and lots of vegetables, and then round it out with fat calories.

[ravenrose]

if you got food poisoning, how could it be connected to your overall way of eating? it's a matter of contamination of a particular item you ate, and that can happen to anyone.

in any case, food poisoning is not instantaneous, as I'm sure they told you at the ER. it was probably caused by something you ate much earlier than that.

[Ntombi]

Originally Posted by nolcjunk

I think that's closer to a description of induction, then the Atkins diet plan as a whole where you move up the carb ladder.

I'm in maintenance, and the majority of my calories don't come from fat and I am not fat phobic. I have to watch calories so I focus on getting my protein in and lots of vegetables, and then round it out with fat calories.

Yes, I agree that it's more about phases I and II of Atkins than the whole plan. As one increases carbs, the fat must decrease. I should have specified that I was talking more about the weight loss phases, especially since the OP is new to it.

[mom23kids]

I've ended up in the ER due to my gall bladder spazzing out and it was a intense, constant throbbing pain-no throwing up etc. Sounds more like food poisoning

[Strawberry]

Gallbladder problems do not typically cause major diarrhea with vomiting.... that combo sounds much more like food poisoning. I wouldnt blame low carb.

RAPID weight loss, from any diet, can cause gallstones to form... but its not from low carb specifically.

[SadieJack]

Thanks everyone for the input.

I guess it was the fact that I had never before been in the hospital and then I start this WOE and boom. I probably made a logical error by associated the two things.

The doctor thought it might have been GB issues because of the pain in my abdomen...very severe. I dunno. I am glad it is over!

Have a great weekend everyone! Watch those chickens

[marieze]

Can't answer your question, but food poisoning from chicken is considered more severe than food poisoning from most things including seafood! Many people don't realize that!!

Sure hope you're feeling better soon!!!!

[Sharss]

Food poisoning can come from even using the same utensils. ie. If I'm browning hamburger, I wash the spatula after each time I turn the hamburger, otherwise I'm passing on the whatever back to the hamburger. Same for any meat. Also there can be transfer from hands and counter. Could use a wash cloth to clean counter then use it for something else.

I read years ago where a doctor told a patient she could have gotten food poisoning simply from a can opener being used over and over without washing.

____________________________
Keep your eye on YOUR goal and you'll way more easily navigate around the discouraging obstacles.
___________________________

KEEP MOVING FORWARD
Sharon

[Mistizoom]

Glad you are feeling better! Did the doctors give any positive ID on what it was other than guessing? It sounds like norovirus. There is a really bad strain of it going around this year and it is very easy to catch. The chicken could be just an innocent bystander!

[Strawberry]

Food poisoning can come from even using the same utensils. ie. If I'm browning hamburger, I wash the spatula after each time I turn the hamburger, otherwise I'm passing on the whatever back to the hamburger.

DITTO! Last night I was browning a steak in the frying pan, and I used a new fork each time I turned it over, so that I wouldnt put germs from the raw meat that the fork first touched onto the now-cooked meat.

Gallbladder problems are so common, esp in younger to middle aged females, that its not surprising the Doc thought of it first.

[creseis]

This.

Originally Posted by Ntombi

Actually, Atkins is a high fat, moderate protein, low carb food plan. That's what it is. You severely limit carbs, eat enough protein, but not too much (because it can be converted to glucose), and the rest of your calories come from fat. So that means the majority of your calories come from fat. Remember, though, that each fat gram is 9 calories, versus 4 calories for protein and carb grams, so it's not quite as fatterific as that sounds. But there's no point in pretending that Atkins isn't a high fat diet, unless you're still fat-phobic. I hope that's not the case.

High fat doesn't mess with your gall bladder unless you already have underlying gall bladder issues. Mostly, though, people who have had gall bladder issues when eating low fat, high carb, find that it's not an issue when they switch to high fat, low carb. Think of the gall bladder as a muscle that needs exercise. With low fat, high carb, it doesn't get used enough, so the occasional high fat meal will send it into a tailspin. With a high fat, low carb diet, it's used regularly, and it doesn't spasm or go into hysterics when put in service.

Your symptoms do sound like food poisoning or salmonella to me, though. I hope you feel better, no matter the cause! That sounds like a bad night all around.

[~PaperMoon~]

Originally Posted by SadieJack

I made the wings myself in my deep fryer. I bought them at Walmart....Tyson brand. Thanks for letting me know about the spinach!!

Sounds like food poisoning to me and it sounds like you had an awful experience. Yeah I don't eat chicken that much anymore but yes you can definitely get food poisoning from it especially since you have no other health issues. If you have anymore of it left throw it away.

[LiterateGriffin]

After 15 years in food service, with constant training about food-borne illness, I can tell you this: Chicken is one of THE MOST COMMON vectors for food-poisoning, and that poisoning is often severe.

Salmonella is what you expect with chicken.

From WebMD, on salmonella:

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. They develop 12 to 72 hours after infection, and the illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment. But diarrhea and dehydration may be so severe that it is necessary to go to the hospital. Older adults, infants, and those who have impaired immune systems are at highest risk.

If you only have diarrhea, you usually recover completely, although it may be several months before your bowel habits are entirely normal. A small number of people who are infected with salmonellosis develop Reiter's syndrome, a disease that can last for months or years and can lead to chronic arthritis.

How is salmonellosis diagnosed?
Salmonellosis is diagnosed based on a medical history and a physical exam. Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms, foods you have recently eaten, and your work and home environments. A stool culture and blood tests may be done to confirm the diagnosis.

MOST chicken is contaminated with salmonella, which is one of the reasons all chicken must be cooked thoroughly (rather than partially cooked, like rare beef). Additionally, anything touched by raw chicken must be considered a contaminated surface. If it touches something else that then touches something you eat? You WILL get sick.

Now, mind you, I'm not saying you have to cook your chicken till it's dry. Not at all! (I LOVE nice, juicy chicken!) Don't take it TOO far. BUT, be absolutely paranoid about cleaning up after your raw chicken. Treat everything touched by raw chicken or raw chicken "juice" exactly as if it had touched excrement. Don't let it touch anything else, and decontaminate as quickly as possible.

[SadieJack]

Are you not supposed to eat the chicken beak, feet and feathers? Oooooohhhh that's the problem!

But seriously .... thanks again to all for the great input. I will treat chicken with the utmost respect next time I make it (like wearing a bio-hazard suit )

A friend just told me to eat beef from now on... but then there is e-coli

How about just salad? Nope, e-coli again. crap. Pasta? Not LC. Sigh

[1sweettea1]

ew. now I'm getting the heebie-jeebies just thinking about those nasty can openers.

[creseis]

I'm a hypochondriac by nature and I was *going* to make chicken for dinner, but now I am scared to! Thanks guys! :P

[SadieJack]

Originally Posted by creseis

I'm a hypochondriac by nature and I was *going* to make chicken for dinner, but now I am scared to! Thanks guys! :P

Sorry TMI I guess. How about a nice frozen dinner? Surely that would be safe!

[Key Tones]

Sadie,

There is an incubation period of 12 to 72 hours for salmonella. I have often read it can be up to 3 days before you get symptoms.

Who knows what it could have been. It is hard to pinpoint unless multiple people went to something specific - pot lucks are worrisome to me. My father-in-law got it from a family gathering, and the poor things all figured out only the people that ate a certain salad got sick. Oh yes....

[mamasooze]

What about the norovirus- the curse of the cruise ship? We had it a couple of summers ago- a family get together, not cruising. We knew it wasn't the food because not everybody ate and we contaminated others that were not at the gathering. It was probably picked up at a new day care one of the little ones had started attending that week. It was miserable I use the wipes at the grocery store to clean my basket handles and not just in flu season. And when we do cruise we never complain about the crews (sometimes over zealous) efforts to keep us healthy.

[fiddlejen]

(1) As others have mentioned, it couldn't have been those chicken wings - reaction was too soon.

(2) Last Wednesday I had a nasty case of... well, let's leave out the tmi details... anyway, it was definitely from food. However, although Mon & Tues did enjoy a Variety of foods, I had Not eaten anything that should've been suspicious. And I kept thinking how, a few years back, my boss started keeping generic peanut-butter-crackers on hand (as a supposedly better alternative to candy bars from machine, heh), and a number of us were going home sick more often than usual. People kept calling it a stomach flu--(except me. I knew it was from food, and kept wasting money throwing out perfectly good food from my fridge)--until, a few months later, there was a peanut butter recall!

So, this is to say, that just because no recall has been issued (yet), doesn't mean much. It wasn't your chix wings (too soon after), and it could have been anything. I certainly don't believe all the manufacturers catch every problem all the time, and a person can get sick off something they would never ever expect.