Aug 17, 2018

Interviewer: Nutrient poisoning. How long after yous swallow it will it take to touch you? Nosotros'll talk well-nigh that next on The Scope.

Announcer: This is "From the Frontlines," with emergency room physician Dr. Troy Madsen on The Scope.

Interviewer: All right. You're at a barbecue or a party or something and yous ate a little something and now you're kind of wondering, "Oh, human being. Maybe that chip dip was out a little too long." You're worried that y'all're going to go food poisoning. How long is it going to take until you really know whether or not you did? Dr. Troy Madsen is an emergency room physician at University of Utah Health. Nutrient poisoning. How long afterward you swallow something will information technology have to affect you?

Dr. Madsen: So food poisoning's going to accept about six hours to hitting you. And when I tell you this, I'k speaking from personal feel because I had some actually bad white potato salad once, that I knew was bad, and I still ate it and six hours afterwards, I was as sick as I've ever been.

Interviewer: And what are those symptoms?

Food Poisoning Symptoms

Dr. Madsen: Then, typically, you're going to go some nausea, vomiting, possibly you become some diarrhea likewise. Abdominal cramping, yous might injure all over, you lot might have a headache with it also, but, typically, it's going to exist those stomach, those GI symptoms. But lots and lots of vomiting as your body is reacting to that bacteria that are in the food that made you lot sick.

Interviewer: So about six hours, normally. Does it vary from leaner to bacteria?

Dr. Madsen: It does, but the almost common one nosotros see is Staph aureus, which affects thing like murphy salad, mayonnaise-based sorts of foods. And that'south commonly what we're seeing, where you're at a barbecue, y'all're at a dinner, these things are left out too long, someone brought it from home and forgot it in their car and and so goes out and gets information technology, you know. All these kinds of bad scenarios that are setting information technology up to really start to grow bacteria in at that place. And and then, most of the time, information technology's half-dozen hours.

Interviewer: All right and how . . . does information technology automatically cause symptoms if you eat something that could be potentially bad, or do some people only react differently?

Dr. Madsen: I retrieve some people information technology just depends, peradventure . . . I don't know. You know, like I said, I had a personal experience with information technology and I knew this was not slap-up white potato salad, but I'm similar, "I've got a strong tum."

Interviewer: I guess yous didn't, huh?

Dr. Madsen: I guess not. So I don't know if in that location'due south only, similar, a sure threshold where if yous swallow X amount, you lot will get ill. If yous eat less than that, y'all won't get sick. It's either actually bad or it's not bad at all. Seems like most cases nosotros encounter are people who come in who are feeling actually ill from this.

Interviewer: Certain, which would brand sense if they're coming into the emergency room, I suppose. So if some sort of nutrient poisoning, or something I believe to exist food poisoning, hits, y'all know, information technology'south the 6 hours later after I ate something, maybe information technology was fifty-fifty at a eating place, should I automatically be worried, or will my body kind of take care of it?

Food Poisoning Treatment

Dr. Madsen: Your torso should take care of information technology. Yous know, if you've got other illnesses like kidney disease, heart problems, bug with dehydration, then I'd be more than concerned considering you're going to lose a lot of fluid. Simply if y'all're otherwise healthy and you lot think yous can get through it, information technology's probably going to terminal six to 12 hours, and so you should feel better. You may desire to get to the ER if y'all need to get some fluids, need to become some medication for nausea and vomiting, but to get through it. Simply the reality is most people are going to get through it okay. They're going to feel pretty crummy, simply come out of it feeling weak, simply feeling all correct subsequently 12 hours.

Interviewer: Would an urgent intendance exist able to help you with those things, an Iv and medication?

Dr. Madsen: They might exist able to. The problem is if yous become in an urgent care and you're merely vomiting a lot, they might but get concerned enough, they might only send y'all straight to the ER. And then it's kind of a tough call. Your dr. also might be able to call in a medication for you, some nausea medication, and perhaps someone could pick information technology up for you. Because if you lot could just get that stuff in your organisation, you should exist able to go through it okay.

Interviewer: Got you. And other than my own personal health, could it be something else that's more insidious than just nutrient poisoning that would cause business? I suppose if it doesn't terminate in 12 hours, that'south when . . .

Dr. Madsen: Yes. It absolutely could, and that'south the tough thing with food poisoning. We have people come in all the time that say, "I've got nutrient poisoning," and honestly, I have no fashion to know unless they tell me, "Yep, this other person was there and they got sick too and ate the same matter." Could be a virus, could be appendicitis, could be a bowel obstruction. In that location are lots of things that go through my mind so, definitely, if you're non feeling better after even vi hours, you may consider getting checked out. And if you're having lots of abdominal pain, bloating in your abdomen, similar your abdomen just feels similar it'due south actually distended, like it's sticking out, or you're really tender in the right, lower side of your abdomen, those are all things that might suggest something else going on.

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Announcer: Have a question most a medical process? Want to learn more than about a health status? With over 2,000 interviews with our physicians and specialists, there'due south a pretty good gamble y'all'll find what you want to know. Check it out at TheScopeRadio.com.


updated: August 17, 2018
originally published: Feb three, 2017

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