When Food Poisoning Takes Hold..

Hurhh I've been suffering with a bad belly for the last few days, and it's been horrid, ever since falling ill a few years ago with bad food poisoning resulting in a meeting with the Health and Environmental agency I get scared every time I have a bad belly. I have been so tired I've been going to bed so early and wake up feeling like I've had 20 minutes sleep, I have honestly never ever felt so sleep deprived! 

Three years ago I attended a friends birthday party, the music, drinks and food was flowing and just like everyone else, I had a plate of food. Within 10 hours of eating at the party I felt horrendous, I had the most severe stomach pains, I thought I was going to faint, I constantly felt sick, I was aching all over and could not sleep through any of the pain. I didn't drink at the party as I had Spud so I knew there was no way my drink could of been spiked, I was drinking from a bottle of fizzy that I had purchased from the shop on the way, I didn't want to blame the food but I knew this was like no other food poisoning I had ever had.

Luckily my cousin came home with me and Spud that night and stayed at mine, she was a great help over the next 3 weeks as I slowly deteriorated and become more and more weak, my next door neighbour was also a fantastic help, between them two they cared for Spud for me and took and collected him from school. By day 8 I was so bad, I nearly collapsed, I come over all funny and started panicking because I couldn't breath properly, I swung my head out of the window hoping fresh air would help, an ambulance was called and I was admitted to hospital. After a few test I had the results of what was wrong with me, I was indeed right when I suspected bad food poisoning, I was told I had Cryptosporidium.

I had never heard of Cryptosporidium before, but tired, ill and weak I tried my best to listen to what the doctor was telling me at my bedside, I was put on a drip because the amount of fluid I was loosing left me on the verge of dehydration, I was told to try and get some sleep and was left for the night with the usual obs taking place as with every hospital stay. The next afternoon I was feeling much better, knowing this was most probably down to the drip. A different doctor done his rounds to discharge me and I then asked what this Cryptosporidium was. The doctor explained that the bug comes from infected farm animals, contaminated water or food washed in contaminated water. I knew if it was the water from home, Spud would of been affected too, but thankfully he never did get it, which I am so grateful for as it was honestly a horrid thing to go through.

I had not been near a farm, and as far as I was aware, I had not been in contact with another human who had been around farm animals. The party I went too was the answer I am pretty sure, still do this day I swear it was the food at the party. My cousin had just salad as she's a vegetarian, Spud had a children's meal of chicken nuggets and chips, I was the only one out of us three that had curried meat at the party, this is what I blame my nasty bug on.

I was phoned and visited (because with no energy I could just about leave my bed to go to the toilet) from the local Health and Environmental agency, they explained Cryptosporidium is a less known food poisoning but more of a severe one, they needed to know everywhere I had been within the last 2 weeks prior to me having the food poisoning  it was a very long 'meeting' interrupted several times by myself so I could access the loo, but the case needed to be investigated. I was panicking and freaking out, crying thinking of Spud and what if he caught it from me, but thankfully, no one who had been around me ever had it.

Ever since that time Cryptosporidium infected me, the smallest belly cramps really take it out of me. I am not saying don't eat at parties, but I would certainly be more cautious, if you don't know the party food host I would be wary of knowing if the food was washed properly and prepped and cooked in clean area's, even if you know the person who's cooking the food, and your worried about habits you've seen of them not washing or preparing meat properly, don't take the risk. Cryptosporidium is a horrible horrible illness and one that I never wish to incur again!

Thankfully I am now well again after a few days this time, so I know that this was more of a bug!

Jade x