While you’re suffering from food poisoning it’s important to take care of yourself and your body.
It’s easy to blame the last meal you ate at a restaurant for your ailment, but some of the bacteria commonly behind food poisoning are in a victim’s body for days or weeks before they begin to show symptoms. This is part of the reason why food poisoning can be so difficult to source unless it’s part of a wide-spread food contamination event like listeria in lettuce.
If you and several other members of your dinner party had the same meal and all became ill while other members of your dinner party ate a different meal and are fine, you might be able to prove food poisoning. Either way, caring for your health should be your priority.
How to Take Care of Yourself After Food Poisoning
Food poisoning comes with several unpleasant and easy to identify symptoms. During food poisoning your stomach will be upset and you may also experience vomiting and diarrhea. It’s important to let your stomach settle in its own time. These symptoms are your body’s way of expelling the harmful bacteria from your body. This is why taking diarrhea medication during this time period may not actually be helpful.
After your body has finished expelling the bacteria and the symptoms have lessened you should allow your stomach to settle and avoid eating or drinking anything too heavy for the first few hours.
Eat Light and Stay Hydrated
Taking small sips of water or eating ice chips should help you stay hydrated without upsetting your stomach further. Fluids high in electrolytes like sports drinks can also be beneficial during this time period as can broth or an herbal tea with stomach soothing properties like ginger or peppermint tea.
When you feel well enough to eat food you should eat something low in fat and easy to digest. Something along the line of unbuttered toast or saltine crackers should be okay.
Boost Your Stomach’s Microbiome
Your stomach is home to all sorts of beneficial and important flora and microbes that can be stripped away when you’re ill. After a serious illness like food poisoning, you should introduce probiotics into your diet. They can help your stomach rebuild its natural microbiome and speed up the recovery process.
You can find good probiotic-heavy foods like cottage cheese, natural yogurt, kimchi or sauerkraut at most grocery stores. You can also take probiotic capsules to boost your stomach’s microbiome.
Other Forms of Self Care You Should Perform
While you’re suffering from food poisoning you should rest. Your body is using a lot of energy to recover, and taking time to rest is one of the best ways you can help it.
When you feel well enough, you should also consider showering. Showering is a good way to make you feel better mentally and physically after food poisoning. It can also wash away any lingering bacteria.
It’s tempting to brush your teeth immediately after throwing up, but doing so can be harmful to your enamel. The acid from your stomach is highly corrosive and will still be in your mouth. When combined with brushing it can be highly abrasive.
When Should I Seek Medical Attention?
You should see a doctor if any of your symptoms persist past three days or if you have a fever over 102-degrees Fahrenheit. If your vomiting is so severe that you have become dehydrated and cannot keep any food down or if your diarrhea has blood in it, you should seek medical attention.
Houston Lawyers Who Can Help After Food Poisoning
It can be difficult to prove the source of a case of food poisoning, and often it passes without any need for medical care. In those types of cases, you might not have any actual damages to seek. Damages are usually based on things like medical costs, lost wages and pain and suffering. With minimal or no lost wages and no medical costs, you might not have much cause for action.
If you or a loved one suffered measurable damage from food poisoning and are confident that you can identify the source of your food poisoning, it may be worth your time to contact a lawyer skilled in product liability litigation.
The Weycer Law Firm has over 35 years of combined experience in foodborne illness injury cases and we are confident in our ability to help our clients. Contact us today for a free case evaluation to better understand if you have legal recourse after a damaging bout of food poisoning.
