Christmas cravings solved

#1

Woke up early this morning with abdominal cramps and queasiness. Took some ACV and it helped some. But when I got out of bed a few hours later I started shivering, sudden bloating, nausea, needing to vomit and broke out in a cold sweat. Got weak, had to sit. But couldn’t shit.

I have not been fasting for last 2.5 days and my heart is fine.

About 12 hours before I had eaten a dozen raw oysters set aside for today’s big seafood gumbo. Raw oysters! Bingo!

Food poisoning seems most likely answer. They smelled, tasted and looked fine. Go figure. I bought them in a small container that I opened the day before. Reputable source.

I had a similar reaction five years ago. Not since. Was also just before a Christmas feast.

Well, I’ll just have figure what I can do with 30 guests coming over.

Still nauseated but not as bad. Still some mild cramping. But no vomiting or diahrea yet.
Bright side, I don’t think I will be overeating today.

#2

The queasiness is a tad better but now starting to chill and get achy all over. May not be the oysters. Just an ill-timed virus, perhaps. Looks like I’m going to infect the entire clan today.

(Amanda) #3

I hope everything works out for you!

#4

Sounds awful! Hope this resolves quickly for you!!

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #5

You are not going to feed those to your clan are you??

If you used them in the gumbo do not risk it please. Just find something else to serve. Unless it is a bunch of relatives giving you crap about your keto diet. In that case, fine serve them possibly bad oysters. j/k

Hope you are much better and find an alternative to the oysters.

(Carl Keller) #6

I have fond memories of going to oyster bars when I was a kid and eating 10 cent oysters on crackers with a shot of tabasco. Now, I’m just short of terrified to eat oysters that come out any water near cities… the crap and chemicals that oysters filter worries me too much.

I used to work in a restaurant that served raw oysters and I learned that oysters that have harmful bacteria don’t have a funny smell or taste. The only time they smelled funny is if they were dead and those were easy to notice since the shells were slightly open and wouldn’t close when you tapped them. Still, I heard of a few people getting sick on our oysters but it was very rare.

Hope you feel better soon.

(Ken) #7

IMO, you should always consume alcoholic beverages when consuming raw oysters. I heard that several decades back when I was buying Appalachicolas by the bushel for parties, and since then I’ve had no issues.

#8

Thanks all, still feel lousy. Feverish with aches and queasy stomach.

My son-in-law is a nurse anesthetist and my daughter is a pediatric RN. Both suspect food poisoning but don’t rule out a regular stomach bug.

Both agree there is not a lot to do except hydrate and ride it out. If my fever spikes then that would be of concern.

On a positive note I ate next to nothing all day — one oatmeal cookie and one piece of fudge. Nothing else. I extend fast regularly not eating was no big deal.

PS: I never had the Keto flu so I guess this might be payback.

And I’ll take my oysters grilled or baked from now on.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #9

I thought the rule was never to eat oysters in months that have an ‘r’ in the name. :question:

(Carl Keller) #10

Months with ‘r’ in them are the months you can have oysters. May through August are the nono months.

(Allie) #11

This rule for me, just the thought of them… :nauseated_face:

Hope you’re better soon @GentleBen

(Wendy) #12

I’m so sorry to hear you feel so bad. Hoping you will be feeling better quickly. Personally never had a raw oyster. Pretty sure I won’t start now.

(Natasha) #13

Oh yuck :nauseated_face: hope you are feeling better soon.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

Ahh. Thanks, Carl.

#15

Well, whatever it was has passed … and how. Pulled almost an all-nighter on the throne but feeling much better. No more stomach pain or aches. I’m guessing maybe a 24-hour bug.

A plus side is it got me through a huge day of eating and treats — only forced down one oatmeal cookie and one piece of fudge. That’s it. It actually turned into a quasi 42-hour fast.

Also lost 5 pounds, down to 195.0 (-60.4). Will be fun to watch the scale go crazy the next few days. A guaranteed roller coaster.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #16

A nurse-practitioner friend of mine believes that food poisoning is far more common than we realize. She says there is no such thing as “stomach flu.”

#17

Agree that it had to have been food poisoning from the raw oysters. Too sudden and coincidental plus it had run its course on schedule. Now a little more than 48 hours later only minor aching and loose stool remain. And feel much better.

Not only did my two family RN’s diagnose it and predict the course of recovery, my daughter’s boyfriend is a professional chef and he too knows all the signs and agreed.

Keto and fasting have kept me very healthy and immune, so a malicious outside factor had to be the cause. Whatever the cause, it is behind me.

Of course, had it lingered one more day I might not have pigged out on sweets today. Ketosis took a back seat.

#18

Most symptoms are gone except for a lingering queasiness and no desire to eat a full meal. Unfortunately snacking on carby sweet treats settles my tummy a bit. Have not pigged out on them but have eaten way more of them than normal. The old sweet tooth is alive and well. But it’s all part of this Keto journey that must also pass through the festive seasons.

I believe it’s what we do on the other side of this season that counts most heavily toward our long term success.