Food Poisoning at Fiesta DC

Reflection:

I have never been to Fiesta DC. Never had a chance to personally enjoy the family-focused festivities of this homegrown Latino festival in the charming and historic neighborhood where Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant merge.

Columbia Heights, used to be the place to live. It was in the early part of the 20th century, when this area was one of the most fashionable and desirable places to live in the city. The opulent and world-renowned Tivoli Theater was built in 1924 there and this vibrant community was adjacent to the thriving black communities of Shaw and U Street. But as fate would have it, like the majority of the city along 14th Street and U, the neighborhood and storefronts were ravaged during the 1968 riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Many of the stores stayed vacant for decades and Columbia Heights lost its twinkle and luster. Now we fast forward to today..

Mount Pleasant is an idyllic cultural center located in the heart of the Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights historic triangle. It has quaint residential streets filled mostly with the middle class and many immigrant families from El Salvador.

In 1991, this Hispanic community experienced the worst riot since 1968 when a Salvadorean man was shot and killed by a police officer who allegedly came at her with a knife.

The aftermath of this event was massive rioting for three nights leading to hundreds of injuries and arrests.

Read about my previous run through Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant

Understanding:

Every time I walk by the historic sign at Mount Pleasant that locates the center of the riot, I think about how the massive violence had erupted due mostly to misunderstanding, miscommunication and mistakes. In life, it is critical that we try to understand other people, realize the cause of their anger and the need to vent that anger, someway, somehow -- hopefully without causing too much harm and damage.

Negotiating:

Well I had a great time watching the Flamenco dancing and feeling the hot rhythm of salsa roll right through me. People seemed to be enjoying themselves and enjoying the great vibe and festive atmosphere that has become the trademark of this popular Latino community.

I was feeling great, too until I got something to eat...

It was around 4:30 PM, when the vendors were starting to wrap things up. I saw a sign for chicken sandwich, chips and a drink for $4.00 -- this particular vendor was motivated to sell out and close shop for the day.

Normally, I am more selective and usually go for something that I can see cooked in front of me. But filming and interviewing, I was in a bit of rush.  I would grab something and go.

I agreed to buy the sandwich and was surprised when they handed me a chicken salad sandwich instead of a chicken breast patty sandwich.

Still, I was busy taking pictures and enjoying the festival, so I scoffed down the sandwich, not even thinking twice -- the grim truth is that I wished I had thought long and hard about it and the risk of eating anything made with mayonnaise sold by a vendor that was not a licensed restaurant, perhaps not even a licensed vendor.

It hit me almost right away -- feeling queasy from the chicken and mayo. A headache ensued..something just wasn't right.  Still I pushed on and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.

But by 7:00 PM, I was home and downtrodden.  The discomfort, the pain exacerbated.

It started with stomach cramps, then nausea, then vomiting and it continued through the night until the cramps picked up a notch and I started feeling cold spells.

I've had food poisoning before -- the last time earlier this summer when I ate undercooked salmon.

But never in my life had I suffered from food poisoning this severe with symptoms so painful and unbearable, I felt like I had been run over by a truck.   This was the worst abdominal pain I've received since my appendicitis ruptured in 1994.  This happened when I was home, alone, asleep, dangerously close to dying.  Because the appendix had perforated, open surgery had to be performed -- the Lord wanted me to live.

Innovation:

Not knowing what to do and not able to sleep through the pain, I immediately googled my symptoms and also searched some of the treatment on Web MD.

Initial search concluded that I needed to contact the nearest hospital. So I called the VA Medical Center who told me to come in immediately.

So unbearable that at 2:30 AM, I had enough and drove myself slowly and methodically to the Washington Hospital Center.

On the way there, I threw up again -- my 10th time since getting sick. I had become dangerously dehydrated, not keeping anything in, not even plain water.

I parked at the garage just minutes away, but the walk to the ER seemed long and excruciating.  This was more painful than running my half Ironman.

After waiting for nearly two painful hours in the lobby, I was admitted into a room with a voiceforus patient who was rude and obnoxious.

I never got to see his face -- he was behind a green curtain, and he was yelling and screaming about his body parts almost the entire time we shared a room together.

But I could feel his pain. It was disheartening and my first exposure to a civilian ER (Had always visited a military hospital).

When I met the doctor, she ordered a small morphine drip which along with my IV took away the pain and I started feeling dramatically better almost immediately.

Navigation:

Within two hours by 0700, they discharged me. I wanted to stay away a bit longer and get some rest, but they clearly wanted me to go before the next shift.

So tonight was interesting -- Glad it's behind me and glad I learned a good lesson that I swear to make the same mistake again -- just the pain alone is motivation enough.

1. Be careful about what you eat at festivals especially anything prepared with mayonnaise.
2. Be careful if the vendor is trying desperately to get rid of their goods.
3. Be careful if the vendor is not a licensed restaurant or from some trusted organization you are familiar with.
4. Make sure the food has been refrigerated and your chances of getting food poison may be greater later during the day.