Ate two moldy muffins, because I'm an idiot. How much danger am I in?

October 10, 2014 2:56 PM

I've gotten hooked on the bran muffins from Vons/Pavillions, and I always start my day with one. Yesterday there was some mold on one, and I just cut it off and ate it. Today I did the same, but then I did a quick Google search and found out there are all sorts of potential horrors from eating moldy bread. Now I don't know how freaked out to be. Complicating factor: I'm recovering from cancer surgery.

Last night I had pretty bad stomach cramps, but didn't connect it to the muffin because I have other stomach issues going on. Long story short, I have a history of irritable bowel and earlier this year I had resection surgery for colon cancer. Since the surgery I've had some bad cramps occasionally, but that goes with my history of IBS and my doctor didn't seem too concerned about it.

I've cut the mold off these muffins before and eaten them, but if I got crampy later I don't remember it. This time there was more mold that before, but after I cut it off the rest of the muffin seemed completely normal.

If I'm going to get sick, how long will it be until it starts? If I'm not getting sick, how long before I can feel like I'm in the clear?

I'm still a little crampy today, but better than I was last night. I haven't had any nausea or poop issues or anything, just cramps.

Really angry with myself and freaking out. I'm too much of an emetophobe to make myself puke, just to be safe. I know eating moldy muffins was bad, but I don't know HOW bad. Help!

posted by Ursula Hitler to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

It's too late to vomit. If it's been two hours, it's in your digestive tract. It might be the actual bran that causing you discomfort, all that fiber and whatnot.

If you feel more unwell than usual, you might want to call your doctor, if for no other reason than to calm your fears.

While eating moldy bread isn't optimal, you probably didn't get enough to cause any problems, even with a sensitive system.

Of course, I'm an internet stranger who watched my Dad cut mold off of cheese since forever, so take that FWIW.

I hope you feel better soon.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:03 PM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]

Call your oncologist. Or call your nurse line if you have one.

My guess is you'll be fine.

There's a rule of thumb that if you were exposed to sonething, you'll notice within six hours. Not sure ingested mold is covered.

I think you're fine. Why not call your oncologists office to calm the freakout?
posted by Lesser Shrew at 3:04 PM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]

There are a million kinds of mold that this could be, most of them harmless or not too scary, a few more serious. But I would guess that the cramps are gonna be the worst symptom you experience, if in fact they are even related. Just monitor your body over the next couple days.
posted by showbiz_liz at 3:04 PM on October 10, 2014

I've done extensive food safety training and one of the things taught was that generally food spoilage (mouldy bread, slimy lettuce etc) doesn't cause food poisoning. Food poisoning is usually caused by odorless, tasteless, invisible bacteria. Your body might be a bit more sensitive because you're recovering from surgery. It could be a good idea to call a nurse or doctor and ask, but I think you should be fine.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 3:25 PM on October 10, 2014 [14 favorites]

Just for future reference, my brother changed my life when he told me that as far as bread type things go, if you see mold, it's everywhere. It's not like cheese. It may not be entirely or partially true, but that's big brothers for you.
posted by rhizome at 3:26 PM on October 10, 2014 [3 favorites]

I'm kind of guessing that if moldy Vons muffins were a significant health hazard there wouldn't be Vons muffins. Like, if they were weaponizable they'd all be in the possession of military contractors now. The unpleasant thing about bread mold is that it's there before you see it, so people eat it all the time.

If an attack of IBS would not be reason to call your surgeon, this probably won't be either. I don't think it warrants actual freaking out. I don't know what potential horrors you read about, but I just don't think that moldy bread death is even much of a developing-world problem. (Badly-handled/stored in places with easily transmittable gut and respiratory disease is a bigger problem than spoilage, for sure.)

It's generally salmonella, listeria, and botulism - all of which you cannot see - that cause most food poisoning and can be especially dangerous to those with fragile immune systems. We all eat moldy bread now and then if we eat bread ever.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:33 PM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]

Over the course of the years I've eaten all sorts of "slice the mold off this" baked goods. You're fine.
posted by straw at 4:22 PM on October 10, 2014

A key question here is whether your immune system is healthy. You don’t say if you’re being treated with an immunosuppressant post colon cancer surgery. A chemotherapy. If you are then it might be a good precautionary measure to speak with your oncologist. If nothing else it might set your mind at ease. If you have a weakened immune system, then you may be more vulnerable to infection or adverse effects from eating moldy food.

But chances are still very good that you’ll be fine.

The USDA has a food safety "Should I Eat This" page for moldy food. The mold you see and remove is never all of it. The mold may contain mycotoxins that can cause an adverse reaction. Bread that is moldy can also harbor bacteria or fungi that can cause stomach or intestinal discomfort.
posted by qi at 4:39 PM on October 10, 2014 [3 favorites]

If the amount was significant you'd have spit it out in disgust, because most molds are ghastly bitter. This is how our bodies know not to eat them.

(Blue cheeses excepted)
posted by bad grammar at 2:38 PM on October 11, 2014

Response by poster: Thanks for all the advice, everybody. As it turned out, I was fine. Let this thread serve to warn folks that they shouldn't just cut the mold off bread and eat it! Yes, if you do that, it's quite possible you'll be fine. Or you could spend a few days violently puking. Don't take that risk!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:10 AM on October 15, 2014