Paranoid about listeria

[Willow82]

So tonight my OH and I plan to have a takeaway curry and so I looked up on the web whether I needed to avoid any particular ones and I found lots of threads saying that pregnant women should not have Subways due to the listeria risk. I had no idea! I had a tuna salad sub a few weeks ago and two days later I came down with a stomach bug type illness. I was vomiting frequently all afternoon, felt a bit achey and feverish. I felt cold and so lay under the covers but OH said I felt quite hot. I contacted the doctors who saw me and did a urine sample which showed I was really dehydrated and ended up in hospital on a drip for 15 hours. They gave me some anti-sickness medication and I felt much better the next morning. I put it down to a stomach bug (especially as LO came down with a stomach bug a week later) but now having seen the threads about subways and listeria, I am so so paranoid and worried that this may have harmed my baby and that he/she will have complications or be stillborn. I just wish that I had realised at the time and could have been tested for it.

 

[Indi84]

Are you in the UK? I can't see on my phone. The risk of Listeria is really not that bad here, subways are fine, if you're worried go for the ones that get heated up.

It does sound like you had food poisoning which is gutting, sounds horrid.
I don't think food poisoning takes that long to show up (though I'm no expert) when I had a dodgy bbq once I was sick early next day, so it could be some other food.

If you are really really worried ring your gp and have a chat with them

 

[PurpleIvy44]

I wouldn't worry too much hon. If I get a lunch meat sub from there I have them heat it but I've eaten tuna from there my last and during this pregnancy. It sucks you got sick but I'm sure your baby is fine. Subways are pretty popular so I'm sure their food is fresh and replaced often.

 

[Willow82]

Thank you. I am in the UK. I rang the doctors just to have a chat with someone about it. They were next to useless. He said that he didn't really know anything about listeria and he would have to find out some information and get back to me. He did ring back but my phone was playing up and I got cut off. He's not rung back yet. I've got myself into a proper flap over it.

 

[Stephytiggs]

Hi hun, I'm paranoid about this too and have cut so much out NY diet. I am UK also, listeria is extremely uncommon in uk due to regulations that we have. Ive read a few posts that the advice is given because there is a very very small chance that you would be leas immune to it during pregnancy, but the risk is that small it's not much worth worrying over. However i have vomit phobia so I dont take the chance at all x

 

[Mississippi03]

They say no to subway because of deli meat.. It is what carries listeria a lot of the time. Tuna isnt deli meat (not saying it wouldnt makeyou sick) but listeria can pop up in a lot of things... Most recently here it was bean sprouts and hummus.. You just more often see it ith deli meat which is why they warn you.
In pregnancy you are actually more susceptible to getting it if exposed then someone who isnt pregnant. But i eat deli meat all of the time. I actually ont eat at subway or the sketchy plastic packs from gocery stores.. But reputable delis all of the time!

 

[His Princess]

Like pp said, they advise against Subway due to some of the cured meats. However, you're fine to eat these so long as they're hot. It's the same for cheeses such as Brie and Camembert. Also, like a pp said, there are so many regulations in the UK that listeria is extremely rare, especially in such a big chain such as Subway.

With regards to food poisoning; it normally presents itself within 12 hours, so I very much doubt it was down to your tuna sub if you didn't get sick until 2 days after.