I Am Afraid I’ve Got A Low Grade E-Coli Infection

Thursday, December 7, 2006 @ 08:12 PM
posted by Pauly D

Listen. I had Taco Bell a few weeks ago.

When I normally go to Taco Bell, it’s every once in a blue moon, since eating Taco Bell is like eating death in the form of a burrito with sour cream, yet that death burrito tastes like heaven. So, it’s sort of a heavenly, death-like experience with sour cream, that I rarely enjoy but wholeheartedly do when time and body image permits. Such a moment arrived a few weeks ago, I had a burrito with sour cream and onions.

And now I’m afraid I’ve got a low grade E-Coli infection.

If you have read the news lately, you’ve seen that Taco Bell had to recall a ton of onions being spread across this great nation of ours and slathered with beans into a warm, sweet, spicy tortilla home. And while the E-Coli outbreak really hit a fever pitch over the last few days, people were being served said E-Coli onions for the last week or so.

Which just made me wonder if I happened to ingest said E-Colified burrito-heaven onions.

I immediately looked up the symptoms. First of all, symptoms start about 7 days after you are infected with the germ, or 7 days after you’ve eaten a double-fried, beef Mexi-melt with onions and cheddar.

Check!

The first sign of E-Coli is severe abdominal cramps that start suddenly. After a few hours, watery diarrhea starts. The diarrhea causes your body to lose fluids and electrolytes (dehydration). This makes you feel sick and tired. The watery diarrhea lasts for about a day. Then the diarrhea changes to bright red bloody stools. The infection makes sores in your intestines, so the stools become bloody. Bloody diarrhea lasts for 2 to 5 days. You might have 10 or more bowel movements a day. Some people say their stools are “all blood and no stool.” You may have a mild fever or no fever. You may also have nausea or vomiting. If you have any of these symptoms — watery, bloody diarrhea, cramps, fever, nausea or vomiting — the online soothsayers suggest that one try to get to their doctor right away.

I thought back to my health issues over the last few days.

Yes, I had been privy to a sudden abdominal cramp. It was following a meal in which I drank water while I ate the food instead of drinking water AFTER (like people say you’re supposed to) — but it’d never caused such a sudden abdominal cramp before. So, that startled me, now that I knew the symptoms of E-Coli. After thinking about the fact that such a thing could very well be the signal of E-Coli, I started to feel sick and tired.

Two more symptoms of having an E-Coli infection.

At that point, I started obsessing and worrying over having a possible E-Coli infection. I had more sudden stomach pains, sweating, and pains in my lower stomach where the intenstines reside. Upon re-looking at the symptoms, I noticed that E-Coli can also cause (yes you guessed it) sores in your intestines. That was what I was feeling. The symptoms freaked me out and I started having hot flashes, which could also be considered “a mild fever or no fever” — since they come and go like the tides.

Course, I didn’t have any of that watery diarrhea.

And that’s why I’m afraid I’ve got a low grade E-Coli infection.

Had there been blood and watery diarrhea (which in my opinion must be the most serious of all E-Coli symptoms), I would probably consider the fact that I have a full-grade E-Coli infection. But since there’s no watery you know what, it’s probably just a low grade infection.

And since I’m not an infant or an elderly person, I should be able to fight it.

But damn you Taco Bell onions. The fear is still there.

14 Responses to “I Am Afraid I’ve Got A Low Grade E-Coli Infection”

  1. jimi says:

    That has to be the most disturbing post i’ve ever read at WFME!

  2. Pauly D says:

    I knew that would get Jimi out of the darkness.

  3. Pierce says:

    Ewww. I mean ewwwww. Sour cream?

  4. Jerry says:

    Living in the center of this latest outbreak has given me pause not only when I order out or go to the salad bar but also when buying fresh veggies as well. Heck, I am using onion powder in all my meals that call for chopped onions now. As for Taco Bell. Living in a rural area that employs countless illegals every summer to pick the crops, I can’t help but notice of all the fast food joints around, I never see a Mexican in Taco Bell. That is sign enough for me to stay away E Coli or not.

  5. monkeyinabox says:

    Chalupas..yummmmmmmmmmmmm

    Well, Pauly, next time drive closer to the border and not Taco Bell. You’ll do much better.

  6. dgm says:

    sounds like you are experiencing sympathetic contractions. that’s so sweet!

    when i was near the due date for our first kid, not only did my husband get abdominal cramps, he also began nesting (which was great because i was not at all inclined to scrub the bathtub or dust the shelves).

  7. Kathleen says:

    I’m eating lunch right now and can’t finish this post.

    I had to stop at “…watery diarrhea…”

    I’ll catch up later – and the shits and giggles can begin!

  8. jacquie says:

    why is it only healthy food (not taco bell, but you know, onions, spinach, lettuce) can make you sick like this? You’re better off consuming three cans of, ohh, I don’t know, cat food, a day. Have you ever tried that? You should write a letter to a cat food company first to make sure it’s ok.

  9. jacquie says:

    PS… get well soon sweety.

  10. jacquie says:

    PPS… OMIGOD, you haven’t posted today. I hope you are still alive and well. How will I live without my daily WFME and Pauly D?

  11. jacquie says:

    PPPS… because, when it really comes down to it, it really is always about me.

  12. Daniel says:

    Well, I reckon, it could be low G. E. Coli.

    What’s your current blognosis

    How does it feel… on the hole?

    They’re always down there, E. Coli; down there in our guts fomenting world abdominion and just how easy it would be to end this…this man made charade-without so much as breaking a gene sequence.

    ‘course….. should you have a taste for, and eat at places that serve macerated dog… do do – if you will- then, more power to you.

    There, but for the grace of God, E. coli.

  13. Amy says:

    Pedialyte will help keep your electrolytes up, Pauly. It works better than Gatorade.

  14. dennix says:

    after eating tacos and burritos at del taco i had explosive diarrhea and had to vomit at the same time….this was around 6 hours after eating…twice to the restroom within 15 minutes…what should i do???? can i sue del taco ????


Categories

Archives