Food Poisoning in Europe

April 10, 2019 11:47 AM

I’m in Lisbon with my fiancé and he’s got a pretty bad bout of what appears to be food poisoning. Wondering what we should do, if anything—our flight back to the US is tomorrow morning.

He’s got a fever of 101.3 right now and says his gut feels better but he’s got body aches and feels exhausted. Drinking water just fine but no appetite.

We both got sick about the same time yesterday, but I was much worse initially—vomiting and not able to keep anything down. Today I feel pretty much back to normal, although my gut is still working things out. My appetite is low but recovering and I’ve eaten crackers throughout the day. My energy levels are pretty normal too.

He seems a lot more body-tired than I was, and the fever is also a thing. I picked up some ibuprofen but he hasn’t taken any yet. He’s not hungry and at this point hasn’t eaten anything in ~1.5 days except a banana this morning.

Should we be finding a doctor for him ASAP? Or does this sound like ‘normal’ food poisoning that people ride out at home?

posted by caitcadieux to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Sounds pretty normal to me (IANYD). He should drink enough fluids and you should be fine to go... just check in with a doctor if it persists for more than a few days..
posted by mathiu at 11:59 AM on April 10, 2019

It sounds like food poisoning on the mend. The kind where you stay in bed for a couple more days till you‘re back to normal.

Whether you should fly or postpone depends on lots of things (age, general health, if he feels he is improving, cost of ticket...)

If it were me, I would probably find a nighttime pharmacy and ask them for meds and advice. I would probably not visit an ER tonight (and where else would you get a doctor)?
posted by Omnomnom at 12:00 PM on April 10, 2019 [1 favorite]

Edited to add: ask the pharmacist for help surviving the flight with a temperature and an empty stomach!
posted by Omnomnom at 12:02 PM on April 10, 2019 [5 favorites]

A pharmacy would be a good idea. Pharmacies in Lisbon are really good at giving advice and also have a lot more latitude than American pharmacies in prescribing you some low-dose meds to help you feel better.

Sorry to hear about the food poisoning.
posted by vacapinta at 12:12 PM on April 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

Do you have travel insurance? If so, read the policy, you may be able to get reimbursed for part (possibly even all) of the cost of delaying your return home if you are medically advised not to travel.

Either way, I’d take pepto or loperamide (not sure what it would be called overseas, but it’s an anti diarrhea medicine, available over the counter in the US.) and drink tons of water, Gatorade, broth soups and popsicles. Dehydration on an aircraft is especially terrible.

If you do opt to fly without getting medical clearance, I can tell you the pressure changes may do a number on the digestive system.

But take my travel medicine with a grain of salt, I’m not a doctor and I also traveled 8 days with undiagnosed c diff before landing in a London hospital for...a week.
posted by bilabial at 12:46 PM on April 10, 2019

What's your airline? It might be worth calling them to ask about changing flights even if you don't have travel insurance. Sometimes they can help even if their normal policy is a fee.
posted by pinochiette at 3:50 PM on April 10, 2019 [1 favorite]

Please hydrate. Fevers can decrease markedly with good hydration, and this can make a remarkable difference in how you both feel. If his (and your) tummy is still twitchy water can be hard to tolerate, and I'd suggest something like tea with sugar, ginger ale, cola or dilute juice - lots of it. This will also provide calories if you're not eating well, and some people think ginger ale can help with nausea. Avoid coffee, which can stimulate the bowel.

Tylenol (acetaminophen or paracetamol) the latter the UK term for acetaminophen, will reduce temperature and general misery. This can be harmful if taken in too-large doses, so read the directions and make sure to hydrate well. Tylenol is be easier on the tummy than ibuprofen and would be my first choice. Also, ibuprofen can cause kidney damage in people who are not well hydrated.

If he has been diarrhea and vomiting free for 24 hours or so, I'd go ahead with flying, if he and you feel up to it, but if you're still exhausted and symptomatic I'd talk to the airline about switching, explaining about your illnesses. If they are rational they won't want a potentially ill person aboard.
posted by citygirl at 6:11 PM on April 10, 2019

I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, but dehydration is a *thing.* You need electrolytes to stay hydrated. I'm not sure what they sell in Portugal, but in the US a 50/50 ratio of Gatorade/water is ideal.
posted by radioamy at 7:18 PM on April 10, 2019

When I got sick in Germany, I was unable to communicate to the pharmacist what Pepto-Bismol was, so in case this is an issue, the generic name is bismuth subsalicylate.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:46 PM on April 10, 2019

I’m an NP. Please don’t take loperamide or anything that will slow the guy down—that means it will just take longer for the bugs to get out. Definitely hydrate with electrolytes (sports drinks), saltines, sugar water. Be careful as some sports drinks have caffeine or other additives; often kids’ versions are more reliable. Feel better!
posted by stillmoving at 8:28 PM on April 10, 2019

Yep, just go to a pharmacy, they can give medical advice and meds. (My spouse had food poisoning in Paris, the nice no-nonsense pharmacist fixed him up. )
posted by desuetude at 7:34 AM on April 11, 2019

Response by poster: Thank you to everyone who responded! Unfortunately all the pharmacies seemed to be closed by the time I posted, but I did make a supermarket run for hydrating liquids, crackers, and bananas. We were both feeling a lot more capable by the time the flight rolled around and made it home without incident. Thank you all again!
posted by caitcadieux at 1:46 PM on April 12, 2019