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Food poisoning from gRAWnola? (TMI alert)

Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

I made some raw granola like 2 weeks ago I guess, and have been nibbling at it off and on since. Today I didn’t have my normal breakfast of a green smoothie, cuz my gums have been horrifically irritated, raw itchy and bleeding. I thought it might be the acid from all the fruit I eat. My gums feel better tonight. But I had a sizeable bowl of the grawnola for breakfast and then nibbled more in the afternoon. The AM bowl I had with conventional cow’s milk, b/c the nut milk I had left at work had expired and gone bad. I’ve had a few little bits of dairy here and there, but that’s the first time I’ve really had any straight up milk in probably at least a month. (I was amazed at how unappetizing it tastes to me now, I used to be a dairy junkie). I also was coming off a night of 4 hours sleep and MASSIVE emotional upheaval so I was exhausted and barely functioning to start with. :(

By afternoon my tummy was feeling funky and I was a little nauseous here and there. I’ve also been getting that weird flu like feeling where your skin feels ubersensitive and any touch seens to both hurt and make your skin itself feel nauseous, and all you want to do is curl up in a blanket and not move. Know what I’m talking about? I don’t know how else to describe it. I was burping alot at the end of the workday too.

By the time around 630pm rolled around I was seriously sick to my stomach and having all manner of gurgles and pain and gross feelings and felt like I was about to throw up. I’ve been in the bathroom like every half hour if not less since then and passing massive amounts of liquid and bits. 2 hours ago I threw up what felt like everything I’ve ever eaten. Working in an animal hospital taught me to always examine what’s coming out of you as a clue to what’s going on inside, gross as that seems, but…it appeared I was vomitting and passing the granola almost whole. I could see complete grains and whole goji berries among other more unidentifiable matter, it seemed to have sat in my stomach and intestines for hours almost completely undigested.

Could the granola have gone bad and developed some sort of harmful bacteria that fast? I didn’t refrigerate it. I want to blame it on that since while I did have milk for the first time in a while, I hadn’t reacted to other bits of dairy, and honestly it was like 1/4 cup at most. And then the granola coming out whole?

I feel like totaly crap right now and am in sweats curled up under 2 blankets, which I NEVER do, I get hot really easily. But I don’t appear to have a fever or the sweats or anything.

Any ideas? I’m thinking I might just not really eat tomorrow and just drink water and try to flush my system. I got a papaya to eat to help digestion, but the idea of eating anything now is not appetizing in the least.

Comments

  • chicorychicory Raw Newbie

    I get the same symptoms you describe maybe once or twice a year… was the vomit very very acidic? It is possible that either the granola had gone funky, or a combination of that, plus dairy which you haven;t done in a while, plus the lack of sleep. were just too much, and it just sat like a lump in your stomach not going anywhere. i find that when I’m really upset that food tends to hang out longer than it should. It is good that your body is getting rid of it before it hits your intestines though. To get through these awful symptoms I sip hot water, or ginger tea, sit propped up on the couch with a heating pad on my tummy. Usually if I feel the old symptoms coming on, before they get too bad, I try to drink a load of water and then just try to bring it up and get it out of there.

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Branwyn32~ If you haven’t had dairy for about a month, you might have become very sensitive to it (lactose intolerant) and/or your milk was bad (you mentioned it didn’t taste the same as before).

    Feel better soon… and if not, please see a health professional.

    Lotsa not feeling well going around… what’s up with that?

  • Poor girl… That sounds awful. I hope you feel better tomorrow. Two things,though. First, yes, it may have gone bad. I have had that happen before. I didn’t get sick, but I could taste that it was a bit off. Now I keep mine in the fridge. Also, if the grawnola was coming up whole, you are not chewing enough. So much dehydrated food is hard to digest already, but then not really chewing makes it even harder. Also, if there were any small seeds or nuts in your grawnola, they can clump and get stuck in the pocket sin your intestines, causing blockages and other yucky stuff. Even though it dilutes digestive enzymes, drinking water (or other liquid) with dehydrated foods helps it to digest, because it re-hydrates. I hope that helps, and will be sending healing thoughts your way…

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    Chicory…yes extremely acidic, it burned my throat something fierce. I figured the combination of everything all at once was too much too. I’m still burping acid now.

    Some of it did hit my intestines cuz it came out that end, but I think the majority of it I threw up. I was literally one end on the toilet and the other in the trash can, as you mentioned in another thread!

    I had some Yogi Detox tea which had ginger, but I’m pretty sure that came up earlier.

  • Don’t underestimate the power of emotional upheaval on your health as well. Sounds like you may be detoxing in more ways than one?

    I can’t say if it was the dairy or granola or just an intestinal bug caught by a lack of sleep, but I do think you need to give yourself some internal TLC along with the blanket and some warm tea. A bubble bath helps me a ton when I’m feeling crappy and I have a lot to process like that.

    Sometimes our physical digestive problems are due to something in life we’re having trouble digesting.

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    Bluedolfin and shakes…thank you both for the words of wisdom and well wishes! I will definitely remember to chew better and drink more water with stuff like that. I know I don’t chew it that well, as the wheat berries ended up being rock hard after dehydrating so I can’t really chew them. I will be doing my grawnola with straight buckwheat and that’s it from now on, maybe a little oat groats if I roll them myself.

    WailingWoman…I’m a total believer in the role the mind and emotions play in health, so I think you’re right too. My relationship with my on again off again fiance is crumbling due to things just beyond our control, and it hurts in ways I can’t even explain :(

  • FruginiFrugini Raw Newbie

    This past summer I accidentally ingested butter at restaurants while visiting family. I’d been vegan less than a year, but both times I was incredibly ill about four hours after the meal. I had really sharp pain right below my belly button and flushed everything out of my system, both ways. How often do you drink milk? It might have just been the dairy. If I didn’t really think dairy was bad for my system before, I sure know it now!

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    Lindsaylou…I’ve had a little bit of dairy cheese here and there,but I haven’t actually had straight milk in probably about 6 weeks. I believe you tho!

    So most of the nausea has gone away now but my stomach just hurts. I’ve been in the bathroom like every hour and there’s liquid just pouring out of me by the bucketload, I don’t know where the hell it’s coming from! And it’s sudden…like I’ll feel a little gurgle and I need to get to the toilet IMMEDIATELY or else I’m in trouble!

    I’ve called in sick to work cuz I’m afraid to be more than ten feet from a bathroom. Ugh.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Wow, that sounds like food poisoning. Poor thing. I had food poisoning from bad potatoe salad many years ago. God, that soooo sucked. The whole household got sick. It’ll pass. But if it suddenly gets worse, you need to see the doc. I would also see him(or her) if the symptoms don’t start to ease up soon. Remember it might not be food poisoning, so tell your health pro about the gums and what you’ve been eating and where you’ve been.

    It’s not detox.

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    Branwyn32 – so sorry! I had food poisoning in Thailand pre-raw and I also had high fever, sweats, aches and all of the other issues. My system took about 2 weeks to work itself out but while I was still there everyone recommended drinking coconut water for the electroytes. You’re probably not up for breaking into one yourself but if you have anyone who can help you they’re meant to be great for these situations. I don’t know about you but my sense of smell went haywire while I was sick, I could smell everything and it all smelled bad! Ironically as I was reading your post I was eating gRAWnola!

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    amysue thank you! I actually did crack one open last night for the electrolytes :) I’m eating the remains as we speak :)

    I’ve still not been able to get the hang of opening them with a few whacks though! I just dropped mine off the 2nd story balcony to the sidewalk and it popped right open. :) Much quicker :p

  • Sorry you’re still sick.. It sucks.

    Sorry about the heartache, too. Soul sickness, that is. I know it well. Wishing you a smooth transition out of it and into some new season in life, full of healthy food and healthy love.

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    Brawyn – I am having similar stomach problems but I know it is not food poisoning. Mine ended up being stomach infection. It took me a week to figure it out. I couldn’t eat or drink anything without feeling nauseated for 3 days. It didn’t go away on its own so I went to a doctor. Mine started after I ate some cooked pasta (that wasn’t the only thing cooked I had had that week so I wasn’t just that that set it off – it some bacteria in my stomach).

    I think that food poisoning only lasts like 24 hours, right?. Once you have barfed up all the food that should be it – I haven’t had it before that I can remember up but even since I have been sick (Wednesday before this past one) I have been doing a lot of looking up on the net.

    Do you have any nausea or stomach cramps? For me, I couldn’t even drink water without getting nausea and pains. I ended up going to the doctor (I have no insurance either so I had to pay myself) and ended up with the bunch of medicines to take. I am finally getting better but the beginning of this thing really sucked. It took me a while to find a place to go to because many places will not take you if you have no insurance.

    But coconut water is very good for stomach problems. Just make sure you drink it slowly.

    I also I was watching a show last night that did a little study on heartburn and stomach upset – it seems that water with some bakin soda in it is a very useful cure to get rid of the symptoms. (I think it was a teaspoon in a big glass but can’t remember for sure – it apparently have the same action that the over the counter stuff has).

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    TomsMom – Thank you. I’ve never had food poisoning before…total suckage. It’s getting a little better…no more vomiting and far fewer bathroom trips…but I still have no idea where what’s coming out of me is coming from, good lord!

    I have no insurance or money so I’m hoping it all goes away soon :( It is easing up.

  • I experienced food poisoning too, from sprouted quinoa that was not very fresh anymore though stored in the fridge. Same symptoms (i recognize the poo with the whole grains) and it lasted a few days. That was awful.

    Hope you will feel better soon. Try to drink a lot of water, there isn’t much more to do…

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    TomsMom~ Awhile back I was working for a place that would bring in food for customers on a regular basis. After the customers were gone, it was a free-for-all on the leftovers. Well… you might guess… one time the leftovers had gone bad. The next day half the people working on the floor were out sick… lotsa “royal flushing” going on. 80) It took a bit to get full staff back. teehee

    Branwyn32~ Glad to hear you are getting better. When you start back on food, do so slowly. Introduce to your system stuff that is easy to digest and then slowly introduce harder to digest stuff. For a very conservative schedule, take a few days with each new groups of food. If you are eating cooked, start out with stuff like clear broth soups and then go to stuff like plain rice and other “white” stuff, then fruits and veggies. If no cooked food, maybe start out with teas and manybe stuff like bananas. I’m not sure how smoothie stuff would go over… maybe juices would be good. Leave any dairy or meats to the very last to reintroduce. You also might consider getting a probiotic to repopulate your digestive track. You just did a “royal flush” to your system and stripped out the good with the bad. Ain’t it fun? NOT!!! Funny how stuff comes out and one has no idea where it is coming from… Yikes! One good thang… don’t think you will need a colonic anytime soon. ;)

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    superpapaya that sucks! Thank you for the well wishes, I’m definitely drinking water like mad.

    Bluedolfin – Thanks. I had a few bites of solids today and I think it was a mistake, but nothing major. My mom had a fish taco earlier that I took a couple bites of just to taste. I went to the bathroom earlier and there were whole bits again, I recognized the cilantro. (gross) That makes me worry that my body isn’t digesting anything. Other than that, I’ve had a cup of Yogi Detox tea, and I’m just finishing a bottle of Synergy (organic and raw) cranberry kombucha. I figured the probiotics would be good and the cranberry would be good for my kidneys (which I was afraid I had a little discomfort in the other day…that worries me). I have another bottle of kombucha, a coconut for the water for electrolytes, and a papaya.

    I was actually thinking about the colonic thing…guess I got a free one eh? LOL bleugh!

  • LOL it seems so.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    I was thinking about ya all day, Branwyn; I hope you’re managing to keep some liquids down. It’s so easy to dehydrate with the trots. I meant to suggest earlier that you try to sip some old-fashioned English black tea. It’s very astringent and it sometimes helps to “tighten” up the lining of the gut, reducing nausea(sp?). I usually get better results than with any herbal or ginger tea, but that’s me.

    Yeah, stuff just keeps on coming out, I know. Your intestines can contain a couple of day’s worth of food, so it has a pretty steady supply of misery, haha, I know that’s not funny, erp!

    Bluedolfin, love the story! I didn’t want to admit in my earlier post that I was the one who poisoned the household. I was 19, and had a live-in job taking care of a house of girls with mental disabilities. That included cooking for them. One night, I made a feast for them, complete with my famous, home-make potatoe salad. Oye.

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    Thanks for the thoughts TomsMom! They’re appreciated. I will try some English tea…I have tons of it. I’ve not had any since I started cutting down dairy drastically…I wonder how it would taste with vanilla hempmilk? Hmm…

    Steady supply of misery…I loled! :D

  • achin70achin70 Raw Newbie

    I hope you feel better, Branwyn. I’ll send you some healing energy your way tonight. LOL. :)

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Just in case y’all wonder why I know something about food poisoning… ‘cause I’ve gotten it A LOT! Oh, I have two more food poisoning stories… get your flight bag ready and your portapotty. ;)

    For those who have had food poisoning, did you ever notice that the offending meal tasted off and glorious at the same time? It’s the weirdest thing. Somewhere in the back of one’s mind there is a tiny voice saying something is wrong but one can’t stop eating it…

    ... I was in Moorea having a grand ol’ time… not sleeping very much because I was having a blast. I was hanging with two sets of guys. One set was leaving the next day. That night’s dinner was ok. cue menacing sounding background music… At about 4am (just two hours from when I had actually gone to bed), my stomach started to rumble… then it hit… which end to take care of first?? I didn’t leave the bathroom for about an hour. At about 5am I wrapped myself up in a blanket, completely spent, and sat outside on the porch waiting for my friends so I could say goodbye to them. They started walking towards me and I waved them off warning them I was not feeling well (an understatement). After saying goodbye, I retired to the bathroom once again… after awhile (years?), I finally left the bathroom, “the coast was clear” (I think I actually turned my whole digestive tract inside out going out both ends… nothing was in that baby… so I dragged my butt back to bed and got in a fetal (or was it fatal) position. About noon housekeeping came into the room. Mind you, in Moorea at that time, very little English was spoken. French is the island’s main language. I know how to order in French, but that is it! The housekeeper didn’t speak much English. She just looked at me as I was trying to look like I was at least half alive… she looked at me and said “You sick?”. I nodded… She said “Half camp sick.” Somehow at that point, misery was not lessened by knowing I had company. Can you imagine 1/2 of the people at a Club Med were sick and puking/pooping out their guts? The club doc must have been running on overtime… I spent the next week (part in Moorea, I had to extend my stay, part at home) simply on water due to the nausea. I finally went to the doc and he said I had picked up something in Moorea… No shlt Sherlock! I got the “drugs” and it finally went away.

    Well that’s it for now… maybe I’ll write about the other food poisoning adventure another time…

    See Branwyn32, you are not alone. ;)

  • Haha, great story Bluedolfin! This makes me want to share some of my own weird things going on inside lately, but I will have to take it later, as I’m at work now.. :-)

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    durianrider 1) in case you can’t read, that 1/4 cup was the only milk I’ve had in 6 weeks, BECAUSE I RAN OUT OF NUTMILK (it WENT BAD). I have a job to pay for my education so I can do something I love (theatre and music), and don’t have the government supporting me, so I can’t spend the money and time to run out to the store or farm whenever I need more nuts (or any food for that matter, store or foraging or otherwise) and soak them and make nutmilk whenever the mood strikes me. So my choice was eat what was available or go hungry. And I was eating RAW GRANOLA made from sprouted grains…which had been sitting around for over 2 weeks unrefrigerated (my mistake) and PROBABLY WENT BAD TOO. You know fresh fruit? Grains? Yeah, THEY ROT AFTER A WHILE.

    2) Seriously? Chill the f**k out. Nice to attack someone when they’re ill. I’ll be sure to eat more of my moldy granola today and send the ensuing vomit to Australia. We’re all at different spots in our journeys, I just started my raw journey 2 months ago and it’s a process. We’re not all images of what you deem perfection, and know what? Most of us don’t give a a shit what you think either.

    I’m leaving it at this, because I know as far as you’re concerned you’ve never been wrong and know everything, so there’s no point in arguing with you.

    Sorry everyone else here who’s been very kind. I’ve had enough emotional crap thrown at me in the past week and I sure as hell didn’t need that. I apologize to the rest of you for having to deal with that spew.

  • Branwyn – I hope you’re feeling better now. I think the Synergy is a good idea, and the coconut juice.

    I don’t know if it’s food poisoning either…queenfluff is right that it’s usually a 24-hour thing…as far as I know…

    ...but you’re going through an emotional upheaval, too, which could be manifesting itself there.

    Much as I hate dairy, it’s probably not the dairy. Our bodies are better able to handle toxins and bad stuff after we’re raw for a while, and the same goes for lactose intolerance…people can usually handle more dairy after they’ve been away for a while.

    Anyway, I feel for ya; get better soon.

  • I forgot to say that maybe you should chew your food more ;-}

    I leave almost everything out all the time: half avocado, cut fruits, my dadeh (DAshboard DEHydrated) grawnola. I think if the nola was dried enough before it sat, it would be fine. If there was some moisture left, it might form mold, but I think you would taste it. It if were dried out, it shouldn’t mold. Or maybe my system’s more immune to it.

    I just think you had all that other stuff going on and it all came together to get you.

  • springleafspringleaf Raw Newbie

    Branwyn Sorry your feeling ill, hope you get better very soon! Just had to say that I love your “no-stress” way of opening coconuts! Just make sure there’s no one underneath!

  • chicorychicory Raw Newbie

    hope you are feeling better!!

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