How do you know when you have food poisoning?

probably look in the news to see if anyone else has gotten sick after eating there

Go to the doctor? That is about the only way to really tell and get documentation of the case. I had food poisoning once when I apparently ate a piece of uncooked chicken at a chinese buffet. Your stomach will hurt like a mofo, you might puke, and you'll certainly have diarrhea.

If you get a doctor to verify that you have it and if you still have the receipt for McDonald's then you'd probably have a pretty strong case. I think you can get $10,000 off of a successful case, minus lawyer fees.

It sounds more like a stomach flu you caught since bad food causes symptoms pretty fast and they are nasty ones too.

At least that's what I saw when I was working in medical in military.
One time they served some bad chicken to everyone(luckily I don't really eat meat) and a couple hours later,maybe no more than 2, everyone was puking and going to restroom except those that didn't eat like myself.
Man talk about a mess I never seen so much vomit everywhere since we are talking about 2,000 people here!
And I still haven't eaten chicken since that frightful day 10 or so years ago. Actually I don't really eat much meat at all anymore since anytime I do I immediately get the runs but then again that's just me.

But yeah if you are really concerned about your health you should see a doctor:
If you think you may have been exposed to the infection, see your doctor. By testing a sample of your stool, the bacteria can be identified.

Salmonella infections usually go away in 3-5 days and often do not require treatment unless you become severely dehydrated or the infection spreads outside of the intestines. If treatment is needed, antibiotics are prescribed.

[Edited by - daviangel on December 4, 2006 2:38:44 AM]

The dishonest path would be to call the manager of that particular McDonalds and accuse his employees of doing something to the food. You'll probably get a discount coupon of some kind, but then again you'd have to eat at McDonalds.

Your best bet is probably to see a doctor and then improve your taste in food.

could be anything, and it doesnt have to do anything with what you ate. it will probably be over within a day anyway.

Didn't you read the fine print? "Special sauce = poison."

Nuts, I spun AIDS.

Quote:

Original post by Ravuya Your best bet is probably to see a doctor and then improve your taste in food.

QFT.

Anytime you eat at McDonalds, you are asking for trouble. To any greater or lesser degree, McDonalds food is a form of poison. Sorry you got the more lethal variety. Unfortunately, McDonalds understands the health risks involved whenever someone eats at their restaurant and therefore have hired the best lawyers to ensure that people like you can't do anything about an extremely sour stomach and possibly corroded digestive tract. It is "ONLY" food poisoning after all...

Don't go back there. It's bad eats.

Getting sick after eating at McDonalds and then wondering if it's food poisoning is like waking up in the hospital after fighting Chuck Norris and wondering if you got your ass kicked.

Go see a doctor.

yes the runs are a sign of food poisoning. but if you have a weak stomach it could be from various things not food poisoning. Vomiting is a better sign normally. What did you eat?

Go see a doctor.

Not sure if this will help, but I woke up yesterday with the same symptomes--throwing up, stomache hurting like crazy, diarrhea, high fever. A quick call to poison control pretty much confirmed what my dear old mother was suspecting. They said if you have a fever higher than 100 degrees, it's probably a virus (like influenza) rather than food poisoning.

Hope you get better soon.
Paul

A long time ago, my family and I, the day after coming home from Christmas day celebrations and everything, all got extremely sick. I remember throwing up around a total of ten times in one day (basically, I threw up once for every time I took a drink or ate any food). My parents were just as bad. We all went to a doctor, and he said we had food poisoning. We speculated that the water our relatives had used to make Kool-Aid had been contaminated somehow.

So, my advice is to go see a doctor. [smile]

Drink fluids, eat yogurt and relax. If youre not 2 years olf or 75 years old, youre gonna be fine.

Sometimes its as simple as eating food that is far worse for you than what you normally eat. If you generally eat pretty healthy, and then go to mcdonalds, your guts will revolt. Its toxic food.

McDonald's is food poisoning.

Wow, here is a coincidence... I also live in San Diego and last week, after eating at an IHOP I got what seems to be food poisoning exactly as you described. I was in BAD shape; I mean I couldnt keep down water, pepto bismol(the pink stuff) or my seizure meds. I woke up every hour of the night to vomit even when my stomach was empty. :(

Maybe there is a bad batch of something going around, like the recent spinach thing?

People get food poisoning all the time... Generally, sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhea after eating food is a good sign, but only a doctor can actually tell you with any certainty. Still, it seems like there was a pretty good length of time between the McDonald's and the sickness. Two to four hours is a more normal timeframe. What did you have for dinner?

I know the first time I had it (salmon), I was sick for a good five days. I threw up every fifteen minutes for the first full day, and still vomiting once an hour by the third day. It was awful. The second time (seafood, again) only lasted two days and was only very annoying. On the plus side, you'll be fine in a couple of days.

I don't think you could prove the case against McDonald's in any legal manner, but it's cool to not eat there again. And ignore the "McDonald's is food poisoning" folks.

I don't think McDonalds is necessarily food poisoning in and of itself, but I do have rather painful stomach ailments after eating there, usually about 45-60 minutes afterward, without fail.

I've learned my lesson and avoid it religiously; I was never a terribly big fan of fast food, but it is hard to find a good deli here to get decent food on the run.

I would not be suprised that just eating at McDonalds made you sick. McDonalds is crap. Read Fast Food Nation.