Bonjour all - thank you for all the advice and suggestions. I've had trouble getting WiFi so haven't been able to update.

It was definately food poisoning. No vomiting, severe diarrhea and doubled over with stomach cramps. I don't know if he had a fever or not (we don't have a thermometer) but he'd break out in cold sweats. He is currently on Cipro for another infection, so I doubt it is a bacterial thing. I've no doubt it is food poisoning.

Our hotellier nodded when I told her where we ate, and said "Oh, not a good place to eat. Cheap, yes, safe, no."

Anyhow, I did find an open pharmacy (thank you, Fodorites!) and got some medication to help treat his symptoms. He was pretty much laid up for a full 24+ hours. Yesterday he felt much better and we walkeed our tails off all over Paris! It was the only day we had available, as we leaVe today.

Today, however, he has stomach cramps again. THIS, I think is somthing simple, as his body trying to adjust back to having food in it after such an extreme emptying.

Thank you so much again, everyone. We're off to Provence, hopefully 100% better!

Hello nbbrown, I am going to throw out a thought. You said your husband was already on Cipro.

Now no doubt he had food posoining HOWEVER, I had to take Cipro once and I ended up laying on the bed double up with cramps for two or three days straight. That, per my doctors comment, is a side effect for some people when they are given Cipro. How long has he been on the Cipro? If for awhile (although I thought Cipro was only given short term) and he didn't have stomach problems then it probably isn't the Cipro. But if he just started taking it these last days it could be a problem as I encountered. Just wanted to mention.

I sure hope your husband gets back on his feet and that you both have a beautiful time in Provence. Best regards.

A couple of points here.

I guess it can be different but I thought vomiting was nearly always involved in most types of food poisoning.

I don't know the specific place you ate at, which perhaps may have a bad reputation -- but I think other people categorizing that entire area with many, many restaurants as a likely place to get food poisoning is kind of silly -- just because there are cheaper restaurants there. Of course since there are at least a hundred restaurants in that area, then your changes at getting food poisoning in that area ARE 100 times greater than getting it an any SINGLE restaurant somewhere else. But isn't that only logical? The restaurants in that area are inspected and rated just as much as the ones in other areas.

I was surprised that Kerouac mentioned the rate of food poisoning in France is about the same as in the US. (Since there are almost 600% more people in the US than in France).

The area by St. Severin (as someone said it's sometimes referred to as "Bacteria Alley&quot does have cheap restos. But really food poisoning can and does occur even at more expensive places.

I am wondering if the OP did not eat the same food as her husband as she did not say she suffered from the food poisoning as well.

That was per capita, Neo.

Oops, I got my statistics mixed up. Actually there is 2000% more food poisoning in the U.S. than in France --

26,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the U.S.
1,210 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in France.
And, just for info, in the U.K. the rate is 3,400 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Its not too helpful telling her the statistics. He needs to hydrate. The type of drink is not as important as simply replenishing lost water. But avoid milk. It will make diarrhea worse. Diet soft drinks do not provide the calories that dehydrated people may need, so regular soda or soft drinks may be selected to replace lost water.


Try to eat. The food does not need to be bland, but try to avoid greasy or fatty foods. Infants and children should be encouraged to eat bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast—the BRAT diet—a combination used for decades to treat diarrhea. If diarrhea is accompanied by nausea, suck on ice chips until the nausea stops. After the diarrhea stops, avoid alcoholic beverages and spicy foods for 2 more days.

Ummmm, 64driver, why wouldn't your doctor give you antibiotics for E.coli, for heavens' sake.

For the OP, it would have been good to call a pharmacy and get some kaopectate, or even a half bottle of Phillips Milk of Magnesia. We never travel to Mexico without several small bottles of the latter. Drink a whole small bottle at first feeling, and then another an hour later.

Apologies for not having read the whole thread. Lots of other remedies that were good too.
I am going to make the little plastic bag thing. for trips to really "iffy" places (China and Russia), we get a Cipro prescription to take with us.

I was on Cipro for an infection once, and had 'food poisoning' like symptoms. I had severe abdominal cramping, diahrrea, sweats, and nausea. Cipro is highly toxic to the system, and many people actually feel worse taking it. Here are just a few comments from people:

http://www.askapatient.com/viewratin...amp;name=CIPRO

However, there is a good chance that you got food poisoning eating around Rue St. Severin. The streets around there (rue de la Huchette and rue de la Harpe) are collectively known as 'Bacteria Alley'.

I'm happy to hear that your hubby is on the mend. I got food poisoning on a trip to San Francisco once, and unfortunately it decided to rear its ugly head during a tour of Alcatraz. Enjoy the rest of your stay in France.

I always thought food poisoning WAS a bacterial thing.

And, in Egypt, I got a mild case of something, and took Antinal, an antibiotic that works on intestinal problems mainly. Well, I think my system was really discombobulated by the antibiotic. I had problems for a couple of weeks afterwards upon returning home, and it didn't stop till I started eating lots of yogurt and taking probiotics, to re-establish my intestinal flora and fauna. So, the Cipro may definitely have contributed to your DH's problems, and I would highly recommend eating yogurt (or Danactive or one of those, even drinking Kombucha) to keep your bodies natural defenses strong.

The big problem is distinguishing food poisoning from Montezuma's Revenge.

Generally, food poisoning will make you vomit intensely about 6 hours after eating the bad thing. Yes, then there will be diarrhea. It is a relief after the vomiting.

Montezuma's Revenge (or Delhi Belly or any of the other names) is just severe diarrhea which might go away in 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours or 48 hours -- to each his own. In the case of this condition, all of those diarrhea remedies (the pink thing, Immodium and all the rest) are helpful. But they are of no help in case of food poisoning.

I have studied these issues a little as I have a master's in public health, and food poisoning can be bacterial or viral. There are common ones of both types (E coli or salmonella is bacterial, Norovirus is viral). Sometimes treating diarrhea symptoms is okay for food poisoning, but sometimes it's not -- same for antibiotics, sometimes they work and sometimes don't. Well, I'm not a doctor, but I wouldn't food around with this if it lasted more than a couple days, and especially if there is blood in stools or really severe cramping.

I don't know why nbbrown is sure it must be food poisoning, as a lot of food poisoning does have vomiting as a symptom, so the lack of it wouldn't mean it wasn't food poisoning.

And I would never eat in those cheap restaurants around St Severin, either, and I do think you are much more likely to get bad food, poorly prepared (and that includes things that can make you sick, like improper storage and cleaning) than in expensive restaurants. Cheap places don't care about high standards, nor spending the money for higher quality food, storage or cleaning. Cheap food can be contaminated or spoiled when bought, for example. Also, some of the food may be spoiled on site. I was tired and hungry once and did eat in once of them, and the food almost made me gag, it was so bad (and smelled funny), and the meat was really questionable.

Just a quick update again. After 7 days, my husband is back to normal! We are enjoying the last leg of our trip on the Riviera.

Christina - I am so glad you know better than to eat around St. Severin. Unfortunately, being our first time ever in Paris, we obviously are not as smart. We were starving and just ate when it seemed a good time to eat. Live and learn!

I have been an RN for 18 years so do have a *bit* of a background in health matters. There is NOT always vomiting with food poisoning. Most of the time, but NOT all of the time.

This may not have been caused by something from "Bacteria Alley" (St. Severin), but could have been just as easily. Whether it was bad food or poor food handling, it doesn't really matter, does it??? We most certainly don't need to get berated for eating in "one of those cheap restaurants" that still set us back 60 euro, plus a week of our vacation!! Unfortunately, we obviously did not know better, even after the hours of researching the perfect vacation!

Regardless, I'm just glad he is feeling so much better.

We did end up seeing a doctor and he prescribed three medications. (We were stunned the Dr. office visit only cost us 22 Euro and all three medications less than 20 euro!!) Whether it was the medications, stopping the Cipro, avoiding dairy, or just time that took care of it, we'll never know. But we have only two days left to enjoy our time. We are going to do a lot of hiking to make up for lost time!

Thanks to all of you who offered helpful advice. It was much helpful, heeded, and appreciated! I

Billie

Has anyone ever been bitten by a mosquito right at the moment you were about to vomit? It is indescribable.

Hello nbbrown, thank goodness your husband is now well and healthy. I am so sorry for his illness regardless of what the cause was. And he will be all right flying home. That was a concern I had for you two as I had a friend who was ill like your husband and his flight home was a total nightmare as you can imagine. Best regards and thanks for posting back. And enjoy your hikes!

nbbrown, while I'm not arguing that your husband did indeed have food poisoning, I find it so sad that you have FALSELY "learned" to avoid an area of perfectly safe restaurants just because they happen to be cheap. Thousands and thousands of people eat in those hundred or more restaurants every single day without getting sick. Food poisoning can happen anywhere. It may be argued that it might be more likely in an inexpensive restaurant than a good one -- but to blame an area as if for some bizarre reason the restaurants in that area are more unsafe because of some silly nickname is just as absurd as nicknaming MacDonald's or KFC as "bacteria palaces" because they are also cheap and because -- yes, someone has gotten food poisoning at both at some time. JUST as absurd.
I suppose if he had happened to get sick from a restaurant in the Marais, you'd now have learned never to eat in "that unsafe Marais" as well -- as if the area was the cause of his getting food poisoning.

Have to agree with previous post, I have eaten many times in that area and never been sick. It can and does happen anywhere, someone forgets to put something back in the fridge right away, and viola the bugs grow.

I am glad hubby is well, I personally think Cipro had something to do with it, Cipro is evil crap for some people, we had to take my hubby off it.

It is amazing how cheap and available medical services are in France and how they even come to the hotel. Services here are reasonalbe, but they never do house calls anymore, seriously, you would have to be half dead, and even then they would just tell you to call an amburlance and come to the hospital.

Don't slog off the rest of due to the fact that your husband has a pain the the gulliver.

Give him some salt/sugar water after every bowel movement.

What is the nature of his bowel movements? It may be more than food poisoning.

My son and I were once on an Air Force flight to the Azores on a C 141 that was set up for passengers rather than cargo. Early in the flight a few people started vomiting and by the time we landed almost every passenger was vomiting. A bus met the plane upon landing and took us all to the hospital. We were lined up and all given shots of phenergan and sent off to sleep. We slept through the night and woke up feeling fine. I hate to think of the people who had to clean that airplane.