Foodborne Illness Symptoms

What are some common symptoms of foodborne illnesses?

Depending on the kind of intoxication or injury, symptoms can include:

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Extreme sleepiness
• Headache
• Pain in the abdomen
• Urge to vomit
• High fever
• Nausea
• Flu like symptoms
• Reactive arthritis
• Numbness
• Allergy reactions
• Brain damage
• Death

When do symptoms typically kick in?

In some cases, they occur minutes or seconds after eating the food. In other cases, it can be hours or even days before symptoms appear.

What causes these symptoms?

There is no one size fits all answer. Symptoms depend on the kind of illness or poisoning. For instance, some pathogens interfere chemically with the gut flora in the stomach and intestines. Others set up complicated biochemical reactions in the blood stream.

If you are experiencing symptoms that seem likely to be related to food you ate, what should you do?

First of all, see your physician right away, particularly if your symptoms are acute, unusual, and impacting your respiratory or nervous systems. Early intervention can be crucial in terms of treating illnesses and mitigating against long term dangers.

Second, take meticulous notes (or have someone else write down notes if you are not feeling well). The better you document your battle with foodborne illness, the easier it will be for both your physician and potentially your Seattle food poisoning lawyer to assist you later.

For effective counsel, turn to the Bernard Law Group. We are a top rated, battle proven, client focused law firm with an amazing track record helping victims of foodborne illness and disease. Our toll free hotline is 1-800-418-8282, and we offer free consultations and contingency representation in Washington foodborne illness cases.