Today's Special: Salmon...ella

I was poisoned last week. The sad and most frustrating part is that I’m not sure how, when or by whom. It wasn’t malicious in intent; nobody has to bust out with their Sherlock Holmes detective gear but in cases such as this I do wish that justice could be served. It should be prepared, cooked and served to them exactly how it was to me: undercooked and with unwashed hands.

I knew little about Salmonella Poisoning prior to this weekend but by Sunday afternoon I was all too familiar with the havoc that it reaps on intestinal tracts. I was sitting on my couch, eating frozen yogurt and enjoying my afternoon when all of the sudden I was hit with the most horrendous stomach cramps I have ever experienced in my 27 years of life. No joke, it felt like a pack of tigers were scooping out my guts with their claws. It was truly awful and for me to describe it so severely says a lot considering I have more stomach issues than Paris Hilton does STD’s.

For the sake of sparing you all from a loss of appetite, I will withhold the details but let’s just say that my symptoms definitely warranted a trip to the ER, which I took. They rushed me back and hooked me up to an IV, drew some blood and started pumping drugs and water in to my veins.

They told me I had Salmonella Poisoning after all the tests had come back. I was relieved considering the prognosis could have been a lot worse but I was confused as well. Where did I get it? When? What causes it? The Dr. explained that it was probably caused by negligent food handling at a restaurant I had dined out at. That could mean a number of things which include: serving products that have gone bad, undercooked food and or an employee not washing his hands properly. I immediately had visions of a line cook taking a dump shortly before preparing my meal, conveniently “forgetting” to wash his hands afterwards.

I left the hospital around 2am after a very trying evening of sleeping and rushing to the bathroom. By the time I got home I was so happy to be in my own bed I almost cried. I’m relieved to say that I’m on the mend now after a couple days worth of antibiotics but am definitely not at my best.

I haven’t had what most would consider the best couple of weeks; I had a devastating weekend prior as well. So, I’m really trying to see the bright side of all of this. Some positive things about being sick: losing those 5 lbs that I’ve gained the last month, witnessing the love and support from family and friends, and a couple days off work to watch day time television (What a treat! God I love Oprah). That’s all I’ve come up with so far…can YOU think of anything else?? I need all the help I can get right now.