Gastroenteritis, or just too many peppers?

Question

Just wondering...my husband and I went to a restaurant on Saturday, ordered some stuff jalepenos and had some more the next day, and he had another one or two yesterday. This morning he woke up with stomach pains, and has had a bowel movement 3 times today so far.

The reason I say Gastroenteritis (stomach flu/bug) is because the restaurant we ate at, our stupid waitress told a family sitting near us that her and other wait staff had a stomach bug all week, but it was ok because they weren't making our food and the chefs were fine. This was Saturday and I know stomach bugs take 24-48 hours to come on. I'm fine, but I've also been eating garlic like crazy! Could it be he just had too many jalepenos and they're burning his insides? Is it too late to already have symptoms for a stomach bug? He said his whole stomach hurt, but it was more lower, more so where his small intestine and large intestine are.

(Restaurant was On the Border, Woburn, MA)

Yes, I am a very squeemish person! lol

Correction...just 1 bowel movement today...he ate a little and said he feels better, so I don't know now...ideas anyone? Any nurses on here that can tell me more about the stomach bug? I can hardly find info online.

Answer 1

OMFG! Employees at the restaurant had gastroenteritis and they still came to work?!? That's TERRIBLE!!! Most restaurants have policies to keep employees off work if they have diarrhea or vomiting. Problem is, without sick pay, people who live check to check have to come in anyway to make ends meet. Then customers get sick.

I'm am epidemiologist, and I do norovirus control at a health department. norovirus is the virus that causes the stomach flu. Read about it in this Best Answer I gave a while back: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aj0uiEtpYNlsH1slWnn3HlXsy6IX?qid=1006040916466

But in your husband's case, I don't think he fits norovirus too well. Norovirus' predmoniant symptom is vomiting, then diarrhea. Seems like he only had diarrhea. So it could be the peppers.

But to be safe, clean your bathroom with a bleach solution like Clorox cleaning spray to avoid spreading virus particles if they're there. Also wash your sheets and hubby's clothes with hot water.

And if you would like to complain about the restaurant, don't forget to tell them when you ate, what you ate, when symptom onset was, and how long he was sick. check out your health department page http://www.ci.woburn.ma.us/index.asp?NID=76

Answer 2

I love hot peppers and eat them every time I can, they never affect me. However, there is a pepper or chemical that some local joints may use to make it hot, and when you have too much of this will it affect you slightly with a weak stomach ache.

However, what you describe sounds like food poisoning, but you say he got it 2 days after eating at On the Border. With food poisoning, you get sick in a few hours, therefore I think you got your food poisoning elsewhere.

For the record, I and other people I know have gotten sick at On the Border and I will never go there again, ( they are also over priced).

Answer 3

you have carried the gastroenteritis bacteria from the restaurant,you ate,avoid iron supplement and have your meals divided to six smaller sizes.
food neutralizes stomach acid.avoid milk it may give relief but it is brief and "it actually stimulates more stomach acid secretion" and causes more pain later.
using antacids may not cure"but they are good treatment for symptoms.

Answer 4

this is really weird coz i eat lots of garlic too, and red chillis. Last night my stomach was real sore but low down - like contractions, so maybe we have eaten too much fibre or something eh ? I also eat lots of veggies so maybe we have both got bad wind ! Excuse me !

Answer 5

Perhaps a combination of the two, working in concert