Can you get food poisoning twice?

1. 65

   SportsBetterposted 12 years ago

   Can you get food poisoning twice?
   
   So I ate Sushi the night before I went into work with my girlfriend.  The next day at work my company ordered Indian food.  That night I became very sick, vomiting, etc.  So I thought it was the Indian food.  No one at work got sick and my girlfriend didn't get sick either.  So two nights later after recovering.  My girlfriend and I order Sushi from the same place.  This time the next morning, my girlfriend is in the bathroom vomiting.  She got sick.  I don't feel bad, but is it possible for me to get the same food poising twice in two days?  Also, we won't be eating there anymore.

   replyreport
2. 0

   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   Yes, it is entirely possible. Especially with foods such as seafood. I wouldn't recommend eating there again either. You may consider reporting the establishment to save others from becoming ill as well.

   replyreport
3. 64

   Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

   This doesn't really answer your question, but what is generally thought of as "food poisoning" is caused by bacteria that has grown in the food if it hasn't been handled properly; but parasites, viruses, and toxins sometimes also come under some people's definition of "food poisoning".
   
   I'm not comfortable enough with the various "antibody issues" associated with different cases of "food poisoning" to offer a "legitimate" answer to your question.  (And sorry if I offer thoughts that you've already thought yourself.  Disregard my whole answer and know that I'm trying to be helpful.     )
   
   My immediate thoughts on your question, though, are whether there might be the chance you didn't have "conventional" (bacteria) food poisoning and instead was simply exposed to a virus either on your food or in the restaurant.   Depending on exposure and on individual immune systems, not everyone will get sick at restaurant that has "stomach bug germs".  It strikes me that the timing might be right that you picked up a bug and then your girlfriend got it from you.  OR, your girlfriend could have gotten a "better dose" of a bug at the restaurant the second time around.   (And if several other customers who ate there got sick it would become a reportable situation.)
   
   With some of the stomach bugs that can go around all it would take would be something like touching a contaminated menu or table top and then not washing hands thoroughly before eating (or something like a server or cook with norovirus he doesn't even yet know he has). My only real point is that there's a difference between bacterial food contamination and picking up a virus (maybe not even on the food) at a restaurant.
   
   I can see not eating there, but I think I'd think about never eating Sushi again too.     Either way, hope you folks feel better and stay feeling better.

   replyreport
4. 71

   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Of course you can. Every time I eat at Jack In the Box, their fries make me sick. Four times in one week was the worst.

   replyreport
5. 61

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   I have to say I would doubt it is food poisoning. Food poisoning is caused by bacteria or some toxin in the food. You will get very sick and recovery is usually longer then overnight.
   
   Yes, though, to answer your question, you could get it twice as your body does not build up an immunity to food poisoning.  Likely though you had a stomach virus, and your girl friend got it from you.
   
   But...to be safe...eat somewhere else.

   replyreport
6. 56

   Dolderfardposted 11 years ago

   Eating Sushi is one of the riskiest things you can do in eating out. Seafood is one of the foods most susceptible to growth of pathogens when not handled properly, and eating it raw or even semi-cooked just multiplies the risk.  If you are going to eat Sushi, try to stay with establishments that have an impeccable reputation. 
   
   Look to see if your local health department publishes the results of restaurant inspections, and avoid establishments that don't get high marks on those inspections. 
   
   I don't know how you could find this out, but if a restaurant has a working HACCP plan, that would be even better.  If you don't know what HACCP is, it is a system of challenging each step in  the handling of food from the time it is received at the business until the food arrives at your table.  The food safety risks are identified at each step, and then procedures are put in place to ensure that the risks that are identified do not become a reality.
   
   As to whether you can incur food poisoning twice in two days;  it would obviously be possible to encounter a pathogen through food intake twice in that period.  But, a GI doctor would be better able to say if it is possible to have two identifiable and separate symptomatic episodes in that time frame.

   replyreport