Have you ever thought what exactly food poisoning means? Food poisoning is also referred to as the food-borne disease or illness. It is caused by eating contaminated, spoiled, or toxic food. Every year, it affects many people across the globe. In most cases, people recover at home by consuming ample amount of fluids, maintain healthy diet and take rest. However, severe food poisoning can result in some serious health issues.
Hope ER is an emergency room near you located in Lufkin, Texas. We specialize in providing expert comprehensive emergency care services. Our board certified physicians are well-versed in evaluating and treating all types of emergency conditions. The staff is highly skilled in addressing your needs immediately without making you wait for long.
Signs of Food Poisoning
The most common symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. It takes 1 hour to as long as 28 days for the symptoms of food poisoning to appear. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Abdominal cramps / vomiting
- Diarrhoea / loss of appetite / headaches
- Mild fever / nausea / weakness
Potential symptoms of life threatening food poisoning include:
- Diarrhoea persisting for 3 days or more
- Fever higher than 100 degrees
- Difficulty in seeing or speaking
- Dry mouth, passing nor or little urine
- Passing of blood in urine
How Does Food Become Contaminated?
Pathogens form part of some of the eatery human beings eat but when the food is cooked, the heat kills these pathogens before the food is served. Raw food is a common source of food poison because they don’t go through cooking process. Meat, poultry, eggs, and shellfish may harbour infectious agents that are killed during cooking.
Seldom the food meets the organisms found in faecal matter. This usually happens when the person preparing the food doesn’t wash their hands before cooking. Meat, eggs, and dairy products are frequently contaminated. Water may also be contaminated with organisms that cause illness.
How Is Food Poisoning Diagnosed?
As soon as you experience any or two to three of the above mentioned symptoms, rush to an emergency room near you. The doctor in most cases is able to diagnose the type of food poisoning on the basis of symptoms.
In severe cases, the doctor might ask you to get a blood test, stool test done to know what is exactly responsible for the food poisoning. Sometimes a urine test is also recommended to know whether the individual is dehydrated as a result of food poisoning.
How to Prevent Food Poisoning?
The best way to prevent food poisoning is to safely handle your food and avoid any exposure to contaminated sources that make it unsafe. Some food become poisoned because of the way they are prepared and produced.
If you feel that the symptoms of food poisoning are becoming worse with time, immediately rush to a reliable emergency room near you in Lufkin, Texas. Hope ER is always there for you when you need us the most. Hope ER is located on 2111 East Denman Lufkin TX 75901. Phone number 9368997243. Website is hopeer911.com