Food poisoning in Paris!
 

We're on the second leg of our trip, and arrived in Paris yesterday evening. We just decided for our first evening, to walk around and get the feel of the city. The shops were all closed.

We walked until we got hungry, around St. Severin. There were so many restaurants and so many to pick from, it was difficult to choose. So we finally picked a place called "Flagrant Delice" on Saint Severin.

It was not good, starting with the wine. It only went downhill from there. I'll post a full report later on it.

Since 4:00 AM, my husband has had diarrhea and bad stomach cramps. He isn't able to leave the hotel room. (We tried but had to go straight back).

I guess we have to ride it out. I'm trying to at least keep him hydrated.

We're so disappointed! We only have two full days in Paris and this is one of them. It is going on 2:30 pm right now. :(

If anyone has advice, I'd appreciate it. I think it helped just to vent a little bit to my Fodor's friends. (It doesn't do much for my husband, but it sure made me feel better!)

Thanks for listening!

Billie

PS: I plan on posting bits of my trip report. We had a wonderful D-day tour with a private guide the day before yesterday. Very touching!

Dear Billie,
I feel for you; Paris tried to kill me (literally!) in 2003. My wife and I visited in April '03, and I got an intestinal virus from a plate of raw vegetables at a restaurant on the Ile de la Cite. I was in the hospital for a week; the doctor thought it was e.coli, so they couldn't give me antibiotics.

I still love Paris though. Good luck.
Charles

If you go to a pharmacist, you should be able to get oral rehydration salts.

The travellers cure for diarrhoea: A small spoonful of salt washed down with a sugary drink. It works.

Unfortuntely, it's a Sunday, on a holiday weekend (I didn't plan this very well!) I can't find a pharmacy that is open right now. Thanks though, Miss Prim.

Charles, that how awful for you! I sure hope it isn't as bad as all that - I guess we will see what happens.

Be glad it's just your husband and not both of you. That happened to us in Paris several years ago. Scallops on a Monday at a Patricia Well's recommended restaurant, taught us a lesson that fresh markets are closed on Sundays and Mondays and the things were probably purchased as late as Saturday.

Do try toi make it to a pharmacy, We got something that really helped but I can't recall the name.

Cyberia - I will have to try that if I can find some salt!

Go look in a pharmacy window. There is always one open in the area and it will be listed on any other pharmacy window. They rotate openings on Sundays.

Until some local Parisian can offer better option, here is a list I found on the web of 24/7 pharmacies in Paris:
http://goparis.about.com/od/gettinga...s_Pharmacy.htm

While fortunately this has not happened to us, I feel for you both. And I suggest that either ask at your hotel for some assistance (they should be able to find you an open pharmacy) or at the very worst, maybe get to a hospital emergency room or some type of medical clinic.

Good luck

Or try this link to find one pharmacy open near your hotel:

http://www.paris.pref.gouv.fr/garde2...che%202008.htm

Click on the # of the arrondisment you are in, and scroll until you find "25 mai".

Agree, your hotel should be able to locate an open pharmacy for you.

I've eaten lunch at those places around St. Severin. (The ones with the rotisserie spits in the window?) Nothing special, but not bad. However, after reading this, we'll find somewhere else to eat next time. (The churches are well worth seeing, though!)

I always travel with anti-diarrheal med immidium (loperamide hydrochloride, 2mg). In the US it's over the counter med.

While it doesn't treat the underlying illness it does a great job treating the symptoms very quickly. It IS important to treat the illness (liquid intake, rest, meds if indicated, etc), but getting symptoms under control makes traveling less painful.

Order a taxi...ask for the open pharmacy!

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. What rotten luck!

After getting a bad bout of food poisoning during a visit to Yellowstone many, many years ago, I don't leave home without Pepto pills and Immodium D. I know they don't cure it, but they can keep your head (and other end) out of the toilet.

PLEASE use the taxi idea or ask the hotel manager or use the Web, but find an open pharmacy. Even if the symptoms subside, he'll be dehydrated and needs the salt cure or he'll feel lousy for several days.

Good luck, and I'm glad to hear the D-Day Beaches trip was a success!

Do grocery stores in Paris sell Pedialyte or Gatorade? Either of them will have electrolytes. Pedialyte would be better but Gatorade tastes better.

As others have said, the name/address of the nearest open pharmacy ("pharmacie de garde") will be written on the door of every pharmacy in the neighbourhood. There are also some pharmacies that are always open on Sundays in Paris:

1st arrondissement
Pharmacie des Halles
10 boulevard de Sébastopol
Open till 10pm on Sundays

8th arrondissement:
Pharmacie Les Champs
84, av. des Champs Elysées
Metro George V
Open 24/7

9th arrondissement:
Pharmacie européenne
6, place de Clichy
Métro Place Clichy
Open 24/7

Pharmacie Internationale
5 place Pigalle
Open till midnight on Sundays.

Centre Opéra
6, boulevard des Capucines Paris Open till midnight on Sundays

There's a full list here (in French) - note that not all on the list are open Sundays

http://www.doctissimo.fr/html/medica...acie_garde.htm

Tell the pharmacist that you need something for food poisoning ("intoxication alimentaire") and they'll be able to give you what you need. Note that Imodium is prescription only in France, but there are other non-prescription alternatives.

Immodium may be prescription-only, but when, a few years ago, I asked for "something for diarrhoea" (in French -- hooray!), I was given some pills that worked just like immodium, even if they didn't have that name.

Agreeing with everyone here... get to a pharmacy, a doctor if necessary. I would immediately ask for help at the hotel's front desk. You are surely not the first person in your situation.

Bad luck. The U.S. has 600% more cases of food poisoning than France.