SOOO Sick!! Could it be my cheese?

Milking Mom · #1 11/08/04, 08:18 AM

I got sick about an hour after eating some soft homemade goat cheese and crackers for a quick lunch yesterday. I feel like I have the WORST case of food poisoning known to man with everything that goes with it. UGHHH!!!! I filter my milk and cool it in ice water quickly and I used fresh milk to make my cheese. I did let it hang overnight, but it was very cool in the house. The cheese is about a week old. Nobody else got sick. I was the only one that ate the cheese yesterday. We all had eaten some of it before and didn't get sick. Could it have spoiled that quickly? It has been in a cold refrigerator.
I brought it up to 180 degrees and added 4 T lemon juice. That kind of cheese. Just plain, nothing but salt in it. As soon as I mixed the salt in the next morning I put it into a covered container and put it in the fridge.
Could have just been a stomach virus, but I was fine before I ate this. I went out to milk the goats after I had lunch and almost yacked on Cher.

suzyhomemaker09 · #2 11/08/04, 08:21 AM

I know that the soft cheese doesn't have as long a shelf life, but for the life of me I don't know if 1 week is enough for it to be bad. It is possible I suppose.I always let mine hang in the fridge..only time it is left at room temp is when it's setting the curd.

Lt. Wombat · #3 11/08/04, 08:32 AM

Probably your GI flora was off kilter for what ever reason and the cheese just happened to push in the direction of the imbalance and whammo! This is based on your info that no one else who at the item became ill.

Happy trotting :waa:

Milking Mom · #4 11/08/04, 12:38 PM

Hmmmm....sure could be.. I have been sick and taken 2 different kinds of antibiotics back to back for about a month now.. Yep.

UGHHH!!!!!!!!! Back to bed now.!! :no:

boren · #5 11/08/04, 01:42 PM

If you still have the cheese have it cultured by your doctor. They can tell you what's wrong or if it was the cheese.

I've heard somewhere that food poisoning normally takes 2-3 days before you feel it's effects, but searching online so I could have something to back up that statement I find salmonella is 1-4 hours and botulism 4-8 hours. Viruses are longer, but I didn't pay attention to those since you were worried about the cheese.

#6 11/08/04, 02:47 PM

When goats are on antibiotics it is good to give them probiotics to keep there rumen working. Same goes for us humans.....make some yogurt and bananas, rice is also easy on the tummy.

After having two vertebrae in his neck fused, my dad was on a strong antibiotic and his doc told him to eat 3-8oz yogurt with active cultures a day.

Plus your milk at 180 degrees is pasteurized so dont think its the cheese.

Stacy Adams · #7 11/08/04, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered101

Plus your milk at 180 degrees is pasteurized so dont think its the cheese.

I was also going to say that.. when I make vinegar cheese (same as lemon juice) I also bring it to 180, then add my vinegar and hang it in the kitchen.. usually it stops dripping by noonish and I'll either eat it right away or put it in the fridge, but there are times that I don't get to it and leave it hanging until the next day.. AND I've finished it off a week later, with no ill effects..
Could be as Lt. Wombat says, that your flora was off to begin with..
but it wouldn't hurt to do as Boren suggests either, and have your Dr. culture it, just to be on the safe side and to know that it wasn't your cheese..

Lt. Wombat · #8 11/08/04, 04:00 PM

Milking Mom, what antibiotic were you one first and then what did you switch to? For what reason?

Tango · #9 11/08/04, 06:03 PM

Our queso blanco does not keep for a week. If it is not eaten in 3 -4 days it goes to the pigs.

Ornithic · #10 11/08/04, 08:58 PM

Milking Mom,

We're down closer to Houston, and DH has had a tummy bug since early this morning (Monday Nov 8). None of us others are sick........so it may just be a coinkydink re: your cheese.

As I recall we've had "homegrown" cheese from goaty friends for well over a week, with herbs and garlic, etc with NO ill effects!

Just FYI...but hope you are feeling better by now! DH is approaching humanity again after 14 hrs of it!

Laura Workman · #11 11/09/04, 01:30 AM

Since this cheese has no starter culture, and since you kill any good bugs that might be in it by heating it, I would think you should follow general food safety rules, which dictate no more than 4 hours at room temperature for this type of food. Can you set it up to drain in the fridge? I'm not necessarily saying the cheese made you sick, but I would be nervous eating it.

Milking Mom · #12 11/09/04, 07:02 AM

Well, wound up going to the doctor and he said he didn't think it could have been the cheese. Since I started feeling sick within 1-1.5 hours after eating it. Probably a virus since it seems to be going around. After meds and a shot of Phenegran (sp?) Lots of sleep last p.m. and lots better today.

Lt. Wombat....I was on 500 mg Amoxicillin for 2 weeks then switched me to an antibiotic that starts with a "B" Can't remember the name of it Baytril or something maybe...it was free samples that I took 2 in the a.m. and no more the rest of the day. I did this for 8 days. Chest congestion that will not clear up.

I think I scared myself over the cheese for nothing. I am going to let it drain in the fridge from now on, ....just to be safer.

bethlaf · #13 11/09/04, 09:31 AM

the likelihood of becoming ill so soon after eating its definately not food poisoning , that takes about 6 hours minimum!
but it could have been just
well, yucky , you know, and you got sick because of that,not the same as food poisoning .

like your doc said, i would suspect a virus

debitaber · #14 11/11/04, 12:41 PM

I think the tunny was from the medicine you were on. the cheese didn't have a thing to do with it. but let it drain in the fridge, from now on, so you will feel better. I always handg mine in my kitchen, first time I heard of cheese getting anyone sick. i think it was your meds, they will do that.