Symptoms of Food Poisoning

 

There are many things that can be at the root cause of nausea. Nausea can come about because of the flu or another illness. It can be a result of morning sickness or motion sickness. Some people experience nausea because of medications they take, or medical treatments they’re undergoing such as chemotherapy.

In some cases, however, nausea can be a sign of food poisoning. Food poisoning can be dangerous if it’s left untreated, and can create some potentially fatal situations.

Here are the basic symptoms you’re likely to have if you have food poisoning:

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Watery diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Stomach pain or cramping in the abdominal region

Food poisoning symptoms can happen almost immediately (within a couple of hours) after eating, or it can in some cases take days for symptoms to appear. If you get food poisoning, you can feel ill for anywhere from a single day to as long as a week and a half.

When food poisoning is dangerous

Severe food poisoning can be very dangerous. There are a number of symptoms that indicate you should seek out some medical attention, including:

  • Nausea and vomiting that prevents you from keeping down liquids. This puts you in danger of dehydration.
  • Vomiting of blood.
  • Severe diarrhea that lasts for 3 days or more.
  • Bloody bowel movements.
  • Fever of 101.5 or higher.
  • Difficulty swallowing.
  • Vision difficulties, such as double vision.

If you believe that you have food poisoning from your nausea and other symptoms, talk to your doctor. There are a variety of medical treatments that can be used to help your situation. If you’re dehydrated, you may need to be admitted to the hospital for a short time in order to get IV fluids.

You should also report cases of food poisoning to your local health department. Make sure to let them know where you at the food that you believe caused your illness, as well as what you ate and when. The more information you have, the better they’ll be able to determine if there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.