Food Poisoning on Vacation
Dec 25th, 2001, 08:39 AM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Food Poisoning on Vacation
I took a solo vacation to Las Vegas leaving from New York on December 7th and returning on the 15th. I am a frequent traveler to Las Vegas and this trip sure was unlike any other I've experienced.
I stayed this time downtown at the Fitzgerlds.
On December 10th I ate at Le Village Buffet at the Paris hotel, entering the buffet at approximately 5 PM and finishing dinner around 6:15. It was my only meal of the day.
Around 10:15 that night I returned to my hotel room and had unbeliveable sharp pains in the stomach area. I couldn't imagine what was happening. I had to practically crawl to the bathroom, I couldn't even stand up. For the next 3 hours I vomitted about 1/2 a dozen times, unfortunately the pain seemed to just get worse.
I was hoping after vomitting the pain would subside and I'd get it out of my system, but to no avail. I decided to contact my hotel and see if there was a house doctor available. They didn't have one but sent up a security guard to check on my condition. He recommended taking an ambulance to the nearest hospital, but I suggested him to escort me downstairs and get me a cab.
I went to the emergency ward at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas around 2AM. The doctor confirmed I contracted food poisoning and warned me about eating at buffets, and prescribed antiemetics and antispasmodic drugs.
To make a long story short, I was bedridden in my hotel room from Tuesday the 11th until I departed back to New York on the 15th.
I wrote a letter including photocopies of the doctors diagnosis and prescribed drugs to take to both the hotel general manager and the food and beverage manager at the Paris hotel.
I just received a response from the food and beverage manager stating that they found no other illness complaints for December and they have recently had a health inspection by the Board of Health which yielded a clean and well kept food preperation area.
They offered me a return visit to the buffet if I returned to the city.
Needless to say, I'm very upset over the whole situation and response I received, bedridden for most of my vacation, in addition to doctors bills, hotel costs, medicine, cabs to and from the hospital, airflight etc.
Any advice on what steps to take next. I don't have a receipt from the buffet, and didn't stay at the Paris Hotel so I'm not sure if I have any recourse.
Thanks
I stayed this time downtown at the Fitzgerlds.
On December 10th I ate at Le Village Buffet at the Paris hotel, entering the buffet at approximately 5 PM and finishing dinner around 6:15. It was my only meal of the day.
Around 10:15 that night I returned to my hotel room and had unbeliveable sharp pains in the stomach area. I couldn't imagine what was happening. I had to practically crawl to the bathroom, I couldn't even stand up. For the next 3 hours I vomitted about 1/2 a dozen times, unfortunately the pain seemed to just get worse.
I was hoping after vomitting the pain would subside and I'd get it out of my system, but to no avail. I decided to contact my hotel and see if there was a house doctor available. They didn't have one but sent up a security guard to check on my condition. He recommended taking an ambulance to the nearest hospital, but I suggested him to escort me downstairs and get me a cab.
I went to the emergency ward at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas around 2AM. The doctor confirmed I contracted food poisoning and warned me about eating at buffets, and prescribed antiemetics and antispasmodic drugs.
To make a long story short, I was bedridden in my hotel room from Tuesday the 11th until I departed back to New York on the 15th.
I wrote a letter including photocopies of the doctors diagnosis and prescribed drugs to take to both the hotel general manager and the food and beverage manager at the Paris hotel.
I just received a response from the food and beverage manager stating that they found no other illness complaints for December and they have recently had a health inspection by the Board of Health which yielded a clean and well kept food preperation area.
They offered me a return visit to the buffet if I returned to the city.
Needless to say, I'm very upset over the whole situation and response I received, bedridden for most of my vacation, in addition to doctors bills, hotel costs, medicine, cabs to and from the hospital, airflight etc.
Any advice on what steps to take next. I don't have a receipt from the buffet, and didn't stay at the Paris Hotel so I'm not sure if I have any recourse.
Thanks
Dec 25th, 2001, 11:42 AM
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
I'm very sorry to hear of your unfortunate ordeal, Phil.
Having been bitten by the food poisoning bug once myself, all I can say is, unless you've been there, it's hard to understand just how sick you can become from a genuine case of food poisoning.
Buffets are common sources of FP. Primarily dairy-containing dishes, like slaws, potato salad, cottage cheese...meat juices, fish, etc.
As for Paris' responsibility, unless there was a local outbreak from their buffet (multiple people visiting hospital/doctor complaining of same symptoms) you're pretty much up a creek without a paddle. Especially since you weren't staying there.
If one of their dishes was contaminated, anyone who ate the same dish should have become sick, and several should have reported it. (How would you know, though, if others reported this? I'm not sure, other than checking with the Clark County Health Dept...which may be worth a try). Paris would want to keep a lid on this as aggressively as possible...if a few calls trickled in they'd want to keep people in the dark.
But without a pattern of illness, Paris is pretty much off the hook. They'll simply argue you contracted the illness somewhere else. Because the incubation period for the various FP bacteria/viruses is 6-24 hours, and because often people have eaten more than once during this interval, pinning down the exact source can be tricky.
Having been bitten by the food poisoning bug once myself, all I can say is, unless you've been there, it's hard to understand just how sick you can become from a genuine case of food poisoning.
Buffets are common sources of FP. Primarily dairy-containing dishes, like slaws, potato salad, cottage cheese...meat juices, fish, etc.
As for Paris' responsibility, unless there was a local outbreak from their buffet (multiple people visiting hospital/doctor complaining of same symptoms) you're pretty much up a creek without a paddle. Especially since you weren't staying there.
If one of their dishes was contaminated, anyone who ate the same dish should have become sick, and several should have reported it. (How would you know, though, if others reported this? I'm not sure, other than checking with the Clark County Health Dept...which may be worth a try). Paris would want to keep a lid on this as aggressively as possible...if a few calls trickled in they'd want to keep people in the dark.
But without a pattern of illness, Paris is pretty much off the hook. They'll simply argue you contracted the illness somewhere else. Because the incubation period for the various FP bacteria/viruses is 6-24 hours, and because often people have eaten more than once during this interval, pinning down the exact source can be tricky.
Dec 25th, 2001, 01:30 PM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hi,Phil, what a drag! The same thing happened to me in Bermuda and we had to fly home early because I did not get well, and we wanted my own doctors..it is an awful feeling to be so sick and not be home.As in my case, you will probably get no satisfaction from the hotel...I know exactly what made me sick and where, but since I was the only one that got sick, tough luck! So,best thing to do is make this a lesson learned, watch where you get your food from, stay away from buffets and open food bars..they can be deadly for a lot of reasons!Take care and glad you lived to tell the tale
Dec 25th, 2001, 08:13 PM
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hi Phil,
You just brought back the most horrendous of memories for me! Contracted salmonella poisoning (from shrimp cocktail) while on a trip to LaPaz, Mexico.
Upon arrival back in the states, had to go to the emergency room for treatment. Also found out that the salmonella was probably the result of shrimp that was cultivated in an area of raw sewerage!!!! (not uncommon). That made me even sicker than the horrendous food poisoning experience...
So sorry that you had such a crummy experience, but we really are at risk when we attend these buffet type setups.
You just brought back the most horrendous of memories for me! Contracted salmonella poisoning (from shrimp cocktail) while on a trip to LaPaz, Mexico.
Upon arrival back in the states, had to go to the emergency room for treatment. Also found out that the salmonella was probably the result of shrimp that was cultivated in an area of raw sewerage!!!! (not uncommon). That made me even sicker than the horrendous food poisoning experience...
So sorry that you had such a crummy experience, but we really are at risk when we attend these buffet type setups.
Dec 26th, 2001, 12:17 PM
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
I think it was a disgruntled employee who was showering the buffet. I also got food poisoning from a buffet and I will never eat at a buffet again. A doctor friend of mine also told me never to order chicken in a restaurant or oysters because of samonella.
Dec 26th, 2001, 01:04 PM
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Phil, you definetely need to contact the Health Department @Vegas City Hall. Although you should've done it immediately indicating what exactly you ate and drank at this buffet, maybe it's not too late now if somebody else complained. Do it in writing by registered/certified mail with your full name, address, hospital copies and a letter as detailed as possible. Only this way you'll know if anybody else was poisoned - they MUST respond to any written request.
Dec 26th, 2001, 01:44 PM
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
On the news one day,and I have no idea which month it was,it was this year-a man was arrested for spraying some substance on the salad bar dishes.. the employees stopped him and held him until the police came.They analyzed the contents of the spray bottle and found that it contained, a mixture of (Are you sure you want to know this?(
his urine and feces.
It was in the news..in the NY Times and on tv..
-a man was arrested for spraying some substance on the salad bar dishes.. the employees stopped him and held him until the police came.They analyzed the contents of the spray bottle and found that it contained, a mixture of (Are you sure you want to know this?(his urine and feces.
It was in the news..in the NY Times and on tv..
Dec 26th, 2001, 01:50 PM
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Phil,
Gosh, Food poisoning is horrible. Been there done that, don't ever want to have it happen again.
I would write a letter to the owner(s) of the hotel. And I would advise them that if they did not resovle the issue of out of pocket expense's that I would be taking out an ad in the local paper advising people of what happened to you. You don't know for sure if there are other case's, how could you. What if they weren't as effected by the FP and just thought they had a sour stomack or virus. I would also advise them (hotel owner) that I would be contacting your local news station(s) as well. Unfavorable publicity is a good thing for you, and something these large hotels and resorts want to by pass like the plague. Good luck, and remember, choose from buffet's carefully, and if it looks undercooked or like it's been there for hours and hours, choose something else. Good luck.
Gosh, Food poisoning is horrible. Been there done that, don't ever want to have it happen again.
I would write a letter to the owner(s) of the hotel. And I would advise them that if they did not resovle the issue of out of pocket expense's that I would be taking out an ad in the local paper advising people of what happened to you. You don't know for sure if there are other case's, how could you. What if they weren't as effected by the FP and just thought they had a sour stomack or virus. I would also advise them (hotel owner) that I would be contacting your local news station(s) as well. Unfavorable publicity is a good thing for you, and something these large hotels and resorts want to by pass like the plague. Good luck, and remember, choose from buffet's carefully, and if it looks undercooked or like it's been there for hours and hours, choose something else. Good luck.
Dec 26th, 2001, 02:55 PM
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
"Somebody's" advice to contact the local health department is a very good one. The incubation periods for organisms associated with foodborne outbreaks vary greatly. You may have become ill from exposure to food or water at another time/another place than from the buffet or may have become ill from a nonfood source. Also, in the future, be sure to have a stool or other specimen taken when you are in the ER/hospital. Take a look at the following website for more information on organisms often involved in foodborne outbreaks. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/app2.html
Dec 26th, 2001, 05:37 PM
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
I would NOT demand out-of-pocket expenses from the Paris Hotel until you can prove they are the culprits. As its been stated before, the source of food poisoning is very difficult to ascertain.
Such a "demand" at this point, with the threat of defaming the hotel's name, may actually result in legal action against YOU. So be cool with threats, my friend!
Such a "demand" at this point, with the threat of defaming the hotel's name, may actually result in legal action against YOU. So be cool with threats, my friend!
Dec 27th, 2001, 07:56 AM
#17
Guest
Posts: n/a
The four of us had dinner at a restaurant on a hill, it is still there, I think it was Henry the 8th...I had chicken and a banana daquiri, I became sick a couple of hours after we got back to our hotel..the next day I was terribly sick, they recommended taking me to a hospital, at that point, we saw a hotel/island dr who said I should go back to NY...so we got a plane out that day and left ... it was a pretty awful flight also, the look on the limo drivers face! as I lay in the backseat with cold towels on my face, must have worried that I would die before he got me home~ so anyway, our doctors treated me, I lost lots of weight, and lived to tell the tale.C
Dec 28th, 2001, 12:29 AM
#18
Guest
Posts: n/a
Thanks "c"! It's even quite possible, as this has happened before, that the person handling your banana for the daquiri didn't wash his hands before throwing it into the blender (gross)! Take my advice -- avoid banana splits AND banana daquiris in the future!! (Glad you're okay, though!)
