...mais ce n'est toujours pas la grande forme. My temperature returned to normal (37ºC) yesterday afternoon, but I still have symptoms of the gastroenteritis. It's only been 48 hours since the onset. I was again up in the middle of the night, a few hours ago.
I guess I got off easy, in a sense. A few years ago, there were several deaths related to contaminated oyster down in the Archachon area (just south of Bordeaux), which is famous for its fine oysters. And I read yesterday that there have been deaths from contaminated oysters in Florida recently too. I don't know how long the oysters we ate had been out of the water. I wonder if oysters that are out of the water too long, and no longer filter-feeding, while they don't die, become more dangerous to eat because micro-organisms that are in them have time to multiply and produce more toxins because the oysters are not expelling them.
I wonder if this particularly bad year for oyster-eating (if it in fact is one) is related to the long dry spell we lived through here in France from mid-June to October. And then the constant rains of the past three months. Extreme weather cycles like that can't be good for oysters. Not to mention oyster producers and people who enjoy eating oysters. The toxins in them are colorless, odorless, and tasteless. So you never know — until 24 to 36 hours after you've eaten them.
I read the link to the article you posted yesterday. That's all I need to know. I'll avoid them entirely.
ReplyDeleteThat's my top New Year's resolution too.
DeleteUsually there are news reports when the oysters are not edible and the administration bans oysters from affected areas. I have not seen reports of any such bans this season. I think, maybe, you have gained an intolerance or allergy to oysters or the problem could be linked to some other food, or it could be the virus that has been going around. We had oysters at home about a month ago and two weeks ago I shared a platter of oysters with my grandson. Then, his family had more oysters at Christmas. The only people who have been under the weather with gastric problems are the two who never eat oysters and it does seem to be the virus that hit them, since it is now making the rounds in the family at some distance from the oyster consumption time.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I have ever had or have now developed an allergy to oysters. I have eaten raw or lightly poached oysters dozens and dozens of times over at least the last 30 years — in San Francisco, Seattle, Paris (many times), Morehead City (many times), Oléron, La Rocnelle (2018), Saint-Vaast, Mont St-Michel, Rouen, and Saint-Aignan (many times).I've had a nasty reaction to them only four times. The first was in 1996, so it wasn't recently, and I've eaten them many times since my last bad experience in 2007. Each of the 4 times I've gotten sick, the illness came over me not immediately but 36 hours after eating the oysters. The micro-organisms in the oysters needed to spend that much time in my digestive system to produce the toxins that caused the illness.
DeleteI love oysters. Our late and wise friend Dame M told us to only eat oysters when there is not an R in the month so that is our winter months of May, June, July and August. I am not sure how you might translate that. Eat when there is an R in the month?
ReplyDeleteWe on this side of the world (northern hemispehere, I mean) only eat oysters in months that do have Rs in their name — September through April.
Deletedid any of the neighbors get sick too? sounds like a lot of guests could have been affected....
ReplyDeleteI don't know. They are part-time neighbors who lived most of the time in Blois, and I haven't talked to them. It's kind of delicate to tell them that the oysters they served made me deathly ill.
DeleteGlad you are doing better. GI problems are the pits.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteI knock on wood and keep my fingers crossed since I love oysters and never had a bad one to make me sick! I hope they're wrong when they say, Il y a un commencement à tout!
ReplyDeleteYes, there's a first time for everything. Or not. You've been licky.
DeleteThought I mentioned this but maybe not, ginger tea or ginger ale helps settle an unhappy stomach. And once you're feeling more stable, you might add probiotics into your daily intake for a few weeks to help your innards heal.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what would be a replacement for ginger ale here in France? Limonade? And I don't even know what ginger tea is. I've been taking gélules de charbon alimentaire — little capsules containing ground charcoal. I remember having that recommended by a friend back in the 1970s when I had a mild case of gastro. Charcoal capsules are sold in supermarkets and pharmacies in France for cases like mine. It's a completely natural product, they say.
ReplyDeleteGinger tea is what it sounds like, tea made with ginger. Google has more. You can make ginger ale by adding ginger to fizzy water, just as the expensive manufacturers do. Ginger is also available as a supplement, but your use of charcoal is likely a good choice. It does absorb lots of stuff. And remember to add probiotics in when you feel better.
ReplyDelete