Things You'll Need:
- Physician
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Step 1
Know the common and uncommon symptoms of food poisoning. Usually, food-borne illnesses are characterized by the sudden onset of flu-like symptoms. These include fever, diarrhea, vomiting and shivers or chills. Headache, nausea and abdominal pain are also classic hallmarks of food poisoning. In rare instances, skin lesions and changes to the color of the skin (making it appear bluish or yellowish) can occur.
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Step 2
Call a poison control center to seek advice if your symptoms seem relatively mild. In mild cases, bed rest and plenty of fluids to ensure proper hydration will suffice, and the case of food poisoning will pass in a few days' time.
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Step 3
Head to an emergency room immediately if your symptoms are causing you a worrisome level of discomfort. If possible, you should bring a sample of the food you suspect caused the illness with you. The hospital lab may want to perform tests to see if food borne illness-causing bacteria are present.
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Step 4
Know that your doctor will need you to provide a stool sample, which will be submitted for laboratory analysis. Tell your doctor if your symptoms include diarrhea, as that can make the collection of a suitable stool sample difficult.
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Step 5
Be prepared to give a blood sample in the event that your stool sample is not sufficient, or if you are unable to give one. Bear in mind that doctors prefer to test for food poisoning using stool samples because they have a higher accuracy rate than blood tests.
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Step 6
Understand that you will likely remain in the hospital until your test results are returned, particularly if you are displaying symptoms of acute or serious food poisoning. Be prepared for doctors to administer treatments that will induce vomiting or defecation, or you may have your stomach pumped to remove harmful contents if the food that caused the illness has not been fully digested.
