Listeria hysteria advice please

[MilkSweatAndTears]

This past Sunday I ate a ham turkey salad subway , I’m 22 weeks pregnant and by the evening was feeling pretty bad . Over the weekend I have had some diarrhoea (not loads but some ) been feeling very sick and off all food , no temp but been feeling a little bit hot then cold etc and generally very fatigued . After some scary googling I have came to the conclusion I might have contracted listeria from the salad or the deli meat , and now I’m worried . Symptoms of listeria can be flu like symptoms sickness diarrhoea or most worryingly absolutely none at all ! you wouldn’t find out until giving birth and the complications that would then arise . So today I called the gp and she wasn’t too worried , said highly unlikely to be listeria but how about antibiotics just in case , wouldn’t offer me a blood test which I really wanted to put my mind at rest , so antibiotics as precaution and told not to worry . But I am worried ! I don’t want to take antibiotics unless necessary as I’m one of those nervous types who doesn’t even like to take paracetamol in pregnancy ! I’m confused and torn on what to do , shall I take them just to be on the safe side ? I really probably don’t have listeria do I? Aware I probably sound totally crazy ... ahhh

Hi ive had antibiotics when pregnant as i get lots of urine infections and my babies were fine.id take to be on the safe side esp since u have been ill. Hope u feel better soon, try not to worry x

I’ve had the same and think it’s just pregnancy symptoms! My appetite is all over the place, nauseous and bowel movements are forever changing, I don’t think you need to worry. I definitely haven’t eaten anything which could equal listeria!!

Although I'm sure the antibiotics won't do your baby harm if they are the right ones, ideally you'd want to avoid unnecessary antibiotics anyway.

You can get a private blood test for listeriosis which I think would show an active infection. It can be difficult to interpret a borderline finding though which may mean you had it once but they'd have no idea when, which could cause you unnecessary worry (this happened to me and doctors weren't concerned at all as baby seemed fine)

I think though it is extremely extremely unlikely you have listeriosis so please if you can try not to worry although I know it's hard. If I remember right one of the more recent listeriosis outbreaks was caused by melon! So it's impossible to avoid everything but the odds of a problem are so tiny

! Where I said "think would show" I don't mean in your case I think it would show an active infection (in fact I definitely don't think it would!)

I just mean I think the test can only show if an infection is active (if there were an infection which I don't think there is!)

Hope that makes sense

Have you tried asking your midwife? Mine took blood to check for toxoplasmosis as soon as I mentioned being concerned...

Your GP has suggested you take antibiotics because you are worried about a potentially harmful bacterial infection and now you're more worried about the impact of the antibiotics that will solve any (admittedly unlikely) infection, rather than the possible infection itself?

Sory to be blunt but just take the antibiotics. Unless you want to keep fretting about the risk of infection. In which case why bother contacting the GP in the first place?

@Heyha OP hasn't said it explicitly but it sounds to me like the GP has said it's highly unlikely to be listeriosis but that OP could take antibiotics if she wants to

If it's been phrased like that of course OP is fretting because she has a choice and she just wants the best for a baby and to check it all out properly

I'm sure it will be fine either way but it's a total understandable worry

The GP isn't going to prescribe antibiotics that aren't accepted as being safe in pregnancy though are they.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply , I really appreciate it Yes the antibiotics are Amoxicillin perfectly safe for pregnancy , I just didn’t want to take them unnecessarily, I called the gp because I was hoping for a blood Test to rule it out and put my mind at rest , and then depending on the results would take the antibiotics if needed of course . Anyway today I am feeling much better and more rational in the cold light of day It was probably just a tummy upset and nothing serious .. so I won’t bother taking them . Thanks everyone . I just find the responsibilities in pregnancy and the worry quite overwhelming sometimes ! It can be such an anxious time can’t it and I think I just got myself in a bit of a tizzy thank you

Omg I had exactly the same after eating cooled down pepperoni pizza and went to triage after discussing with them on the phone, the midwife made me out to be crazy and said the chances of having it are second to none. She actually made me feel quite stupid, I don't think they did any blood tests and I wasn't given any antibiotics