December 20, 2020
Posted by: OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers
Food poisoning can make you very sick and, depending on the type of pathogen you are exposed to, it can have long-lasting effects on your health. If you believe you have food poisoning, you should go to a doctor right away. This might also lead to a trip to the emergency room if you become very ill.
Once you recover from serious symptoms of food poisoning, you may be unsure of what to do next. You should contact an experienced food safety attorney who can help you get compensation for your damages. Call OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers at (888) 828-7087 or use our online contact form today.
The emergency room, or ER, is for, well, emergencies. You should go if you feel like you are in a dangerous health situation. You should immediately go to the ER if you are experiencing any of the following:
Even if you don’t have one of these immediate symptoms, if less acute symptoms are prolonged or last an extended period of time, you should consider going to the ER.
Although there are different types of bacteria that can make you sick in the form of food poisoning, most of them progress similarly.
In the first six hours, you may experience nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. This is common with Staphylococcus aureus (Staph). Staph infects foods that are improperly handled.
Between six hours and 24 hours, you may continue to experience diarrhea and stomach cramps. Vomiting and fever are uncommon, and if you experience them, you should consider going to the ER. Food poisoning that shows up within this time period is often Clostridium perfringens, which is typically found in raw meat, gravies, and dried or precooked foods.
If your food poisoning symptoms like diarrhea, nausea/stomach pain, and vomiting last between 12 and 48 hours, you may have Norovirus. This often infects foods like leafy greens, fresh fruits, and shellfish. It can also contaminate water, and spreads very easily.
If your symptoms last between 12 and 72 hours, you may have Salmonella, which is commonly found in raw meat, eggs, milk, juice, and vegetables. Although Salmonella is not typically life-threatening to an otherwise healthy person, it is easy to become dehydrated. You should seek medical treatment if you suspect Salmonella poisoning.
For food poisoning that lasts between 18 and 36 hours and is accompanied by doubled or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, or slurred speech, you should seek emergency medical attention as soon as possible. The culprit might be Clostridium botulinum or Botulism. This is common in improperly canned or fermented foods.
Within 24 hours and 10 days, you may have symptoms that indicate E. coli, which typically lives in the intestines of animals. It can be found in contaminated foods like unpasteurized milk, apple cider, soft cheezes, and unclean water.
It can take one to two weeks for Cyclospora symptoms to appear. Cyclospora is a parasite that is often ingested through contaminated food or water. Symptoms include diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps, body aches and headaches, and more.
Let the medical experts treat your illness if you get food poisoning, and let the legal professionals help you with a claim to get compensation. You will likely have significant losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Call OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers today at (888) 828-7087 or use our online contact form to reach out.
