Worried Ive got Listeria;-(

[memorylapse]

I know I have worried about everything in this pregnancy..but Im now nearly 19 weeks..last tuesday did a naughty thing (as I have gestational diabetes)..and got a chicken burger from mcdonalds...then yesterday felt a bit fluey but nothing too much to worry me, put it down to being tired...got up today felt shivery anf fluey and had a slight dicky tummy..
went to work, came home and now feel really rough..temp is 38.0 and feel really shivery and achey, plus headachey...Im pretty worried that this is listeria infection..and would appreciate any advice

You'd be very unlikely to get listeria from what you had so try not to worry - more likely it's a touch of flu. Could you try phoning NHS direct or your out of hours GP for advice if you're really worried?

the reason Im worried is because I forgot to ask them to hold the salad, so just picked it out of the burger..it looked a bit limp and past it and I beleive salad is a major culprit.

i am 99% certain you won't have listeria from eating something that touched some salad!!

honestly, it really isn't that rife. it's just coincidence that you feel a bit rough, and you happen to have eaten that.

I don't think most pregnant women avoid salad to be honest, even though I know it can harbour listeria. In any case, even if you eat something that's contaminated with listeria you probably won't get listeria yourself, so if you picked it out and didn't even eat it you're doubly unlikely to. Hope you feel better soon though, and why not give NHS Direct a ring? They'll probably be a lot more helpful and reassuring that I can be!

thanks both...Ive not had an easy pregnancy and I lost my last two babies at 16 and 23 weeks so anxiety has taken over..Ive been so careful to avoid risk foods but gave in and went to mcdonalds..Id never forgive myself if something happened because of that

I agree its very unlikely that you'd catch listeria by eating something that's touched salad that had itself a smal risk of being contaminated - but you loose nothing by calling NHS direct and will, hopefully, gain peace of mind. (And absolute worst case scenario, if you have caught it then delaying treatment won't improve the situation - so give them a call!)

have phoned them and they are saying go to casualty..DH has gone beserk as he has work tomorrow

I'm really sorry you've had such a bad time in the past and are feeling poorly.
Your symptoms are highly unlikely to be caused by listeria simply because listeria is so rare. Even if your illness is caused by bacterial food poisoning (and not a viral infection) it is most likely to have been caused by another bacteria and pose no risk to your baby.

And salad isn't a major culprit for causing listeria in the UK, recent outbreaks have been linked to pate, butter and pre-packaged sandwiches. It is a more common source of contamination in countries with hotter climates where keeping salad below 4 degrees centigrade to prevent bacterial growth is more of a challenge.

You have probably seen this already but it has some useful information about the incidence of listeria, sources, and prognosis: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Listeriosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

It should also reassure you that even in the unlikely event that you have managed to get listeria you probably don't have the more dangerous invasive form. I hope you feel better soon.

Oh no just seen your last message. Poor you. I am sure it is NHS Direct taking a better safe than sorry approach, since they can hardly identify listeria over the phone. But it must be scary, I hope you feel better soon.

thanks veronica..Im not going to casualty because its saturday night..I wont be considered urgent and I feel too rotten to sit for 6 hours waiting to be seen

Hi Memorylapse - just checking back on this thread to see how things are going and have just read you lost your last two babies So sorry to hear that and it does make it so much more understandable why you're worrying. However I'm guessing they were lost after very different circumstances (i.e. not after listeria / food poisoning).

You poor thing. I hope you're feeling a little better this morning, and sorry your dh was not terribly supportive.

thanks tifertat..tbh Ive driven DH mad with my worrying..so I cant blame him really..feel really poorly still..temp has dropped though but feel quite faint..havent felt the baby move today either

I can totally see why you're worrying but salad isn't even on the list of foods to avoid. I've been eating burgers with salad, though I do assess whether it's likely to have been well-stored and prepared and whether there's a fast turnover of food. Places like macdonalds have strict storage and preparation procedures and a sell a lot of food every day so it's likely to be OK. Lettuce in a burger looks manky because it's got warmed up by the burger.

It sounds much, much more likely to me that you have flu/a bad cold so I would get medical advice anyway, but try not to worry.

sorry you are worrying memorylapse and it is understandable with your history of losses however you said you had the burger last Tuesday. I really don't think you have listeria. There are so many seasonal bugs, viruses and flu going around. Food poisoning tends to hit you pretty quickly after eating the item.
I hope you are feeling a bit better now and remember to keep your fluids up.
Take care

Not too sure about Listeria, but I had this bug last week! I was bed bound for two days and felt terrible, fluey, vomiting, the lot. I think theres just a few bugs going round and I'm sure you will be just fine. Easier said than done, but try to relax and let yourself feel better as the anxiety can't help speed your recovery up.

SOCD..I lol'd at your post..theres nothing like straight talking

I know Im being paranoid..my sensible side says its a bug..Im going to speak to my MW tomorrow ...

lol..dont worry..I know you are a straight talker!..Im a veteren poster who namechanged when I came back

I used to post as spacecadet but then joined mumsnet rehab for a year or so..but sadly fell off the wagon..used to be a prolific poster until about 2007

spacey! wow, congratulations! (was mummytosteven). agree with shineon - it's not going to be listeria, listeria is incredibly rare and maccies food is going to be fine anyway (well not the best nutrition, but good procedures, fast use etc).

omg spacecadet, i was thinking of you the other day remmebering how kind you were when i was moving my precious firstborn into his own room!!!! that was like, about 4 years ago now!

aww thanks thisisyesterday..time goes to quickly!

Totalchaos..thank you..I forgot my log in details so ended re registering..hence the the name..as you can probably appreciate its been a tad stressful this pregnancy!

Ive actually been sticking to a really good diet as have GD..but caved in at MC donalds the other day