Salmonella…its not Italian for “Salmon”
Monday started out like any other day with the exception of the fact I woke up feeling like my legs were shaky. I went on my morning walk with my neighbor and even commented to her that my legs felt weak. I also had a bit of diarrhea..(!?!) I had to work that day at 1 pm so I had some lunch at noon then went off to work. I didn’t feel all that great, but that wouldn’t have been the first time. When I got out of my car to walk into work I felt down right crappy and upon going into the pharmacy at 1 pm ( to find them buried under work) said “man, of all the days to feel lousy..I don’t feel my best guys”…and went about checking rx’s..
I sent my partner to lunch…and a few minutes later that hot nausea overtook me and I said..”BATHROOM TIME” and marched out. Lunch made its appearance again shortly thereafter. What the heck? I had gone from feeling crappy to officially ILL. I called the scheduler and told her that I think I needed to leave. I returned to the pharmacy redfaced and looking worse for wear.. “what happened to you?” asked Tech extraordinare? “Um, puked..I think I am sick” was about all I could say. I hoped it was over.
It was shortlived.
My entire body was falling apart. My hands were shaking, my legs barely held my weight and my stomach was performing gymnastics maneuvers. My last phone call took all my energy. I hung up, put my head on the counter and said. ” I think I am going to die right here”.
My Man Friday blessed me by saying “Go home, I’ll finish your shift, Ive been there”. My techs, afraid I was contagious, practically threw me out of the pharmacy.
The next 12 hours found me wearing a path in the carpet between the bed and the cool tile floor in the bathroom. God bless that cold porcelain bowl. I think the last 3 meals found their way northward…everything else went southward faster than a Minnesota snowbird!
I only got about 3-4 hours of sleep and blessedly, I had the next two days off. Tomorrow I go back to work.
The verdict? Salmonella. The guilty party? Sprouts. That little veggie substitute for lettuce and precisely what I enjoyed with my dinner Sunday and lunch on Monday. I knew that Salmonella had been reported in alfalfa sprouts, but CLOVER sprouts were supposed to be better. NOT TRUE.
And the cruel irony of all this?? In the Tuesday newspaper…front page…and article about the contamination of both clover AND alfalfa sprouts with salmonella. Apparently the growing process to produce sprouts is the perfect media for growing salmonella AND it cannot be washed out.
Day late and a dollar short to spare me.
I survived…but I can tell you this ABSOLUTE truth. The sun will burn out before sprouts of ANY kind will ever pass my lips again.
This pharmacists advice? Dont tempt fate…dont eat sprouts.