Cuddles!

[EasternGirl]

According to the CDC, 90% of reptiles carry Salmonella...that was according to a report published in 2003. There is your google, Chris...lol. Salmonella and Reptiles - Incidence of Reptile Associated Salmonellosis concerns CDC

[chris-uk]

I've been searching to find a paper that supports the statement "up to 90% of reptiles carry salmonella" with a statistically significant sample. It seems to be a figure banded about with citing a reference. I found an article that described tests on 16 snakes where 81% were carriers, but 16 isn't statistically significant. More research tomorrow I think.

[acovert]

I've been raised to be very careful about salmonella because my mom had a particularly bad case of it as a child, though that was from food and not from handling a reptile. I also have had several lizards, and my mom always made me wash my hands after handling them. I almost always wash my hands after handling, though there have definitely been times when I haven't.

I might believe this is salmonella, except that i don't have chills or a fever and the abdominal pain didn't start until after I started dry-heaving last night - which, from my experience, tends to cause a lot of pain. I used to dry-heave a lot as a child; I remember the pain really well.

I'm pretty sure this is food related. I have a lot of issues with food and I've been developing an issue with what I ate last night. Unfortunately, I didn't really think about that. Usually I don't have a problem with Taco Bell, but I started having some sensitivity to their food while I was still in school. There's a really good chance that I just have to stop eating there now, and that their food was what caused it.

[acovert]

I may have to talk my mom or someone else in the family to feed Cuddles for me. I just threw up again and if I'm still having trouble tomorrow I'm having my mom take me to urgent care or something. It's been almost twelve hours since I was last sick, so I shouldn't have gotten sick again. I was even feeling better (though, I do feel much better after being sick again, for some reason).

I know that my stepsister's husband likes snakes and has handled Cuddles before. If this goes on much longer I will ask her to come with him to feed Cuddles for me.

[guidofatherof5]

Waiting a few days until your well shouldn't cause a problem.

[acovert]

Anyways, mom was talking to someone who had the same symptoms as me. Turns out there's a virus going around.
My sister was recently sick, though not in the same way. She blacked out and had to go to the doctor. They took blood and tested it and she had a virus. It's possible I got it from her.
It's also possible I got it from any of the other people I see throughout the week, or somehow picked it up from sick people at church last Sunday.

Basically, at this point it's not looking like salmonella.

[EasternGirl]

Well that's good. Just wait until you feel better to feed Cuddles...he should be okay for a couple of days. Get some rest...lots of rest and if the vomiting doesn't stop, make sure you see a doctor. Don't let yourself get dehydrated. Keep us posted about how you are doing when you feel up to it and hope you feel better soon.

Chris..ever since I learned to determine the validity and reliability of research in grad school it always amazes me how many studies claim to prove findings without significant sample populations or without accounting for extraneous variables and so forth...now whenever I see a study that claims something...I always wonder if it was actually a valid study...chances are, probably not. You would hope that the CDC would conduct valid studies...but...

[acovert]

I'm nibbling on some saltines and sipping water and 7up. If I throw up tomorrow
i'm goin to a doctor, even if that means going to the ER (I have a fear of hospitals because people have recently used them as a threat against me).

If I'm still sick Monday night I'll get someone to feed my snake. I can trust my stepsister and her husband. They like him.

[EasternGirl]

Well...try to get some rest and see what tomorrow brings. Do not worry about threats like that...if they are the type of threats I imagine you are talking about, I used to be a shrink and those threats don't usually end up amounting to much. PM me if you need to talk about it. I'm glad you have someone to take care of Cuddles. Feel better soon, Ashley.

[acovert]

I'm feeling a lot better now. Most of the aches and pains are gone, with the exception of the lovely migraine I developed. That was a result of crying after a fight with a friend, however, and isn't related to whatever is wrong with me. I should be back to my old self within a couple more days.

The only reason the threats scared me was because I didn't want to be treated like there was something wrong with me. I mean, there is something wrong with me, but I don't believe that a hospital is the right setting for that sort of thing. Mostly I was afraid of the Helena hospital. I knew of people who had ended up in it's psych ward and I didn't want to be one of them.

But, I'm feeling better so hopefully things will be okay. I'm trying some things to get rid of the headache/migraine and then I'm going to sleep.