HELP! I just ate raw chicken breast and don't know who else to ask about this!

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Bavan23
Bavan23 Posts: 125 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am in college and we have a cafe. We have chicken sandwiches so I got one and thought it felt really chewy. I just got home from work and was really hungry so i just kept eating and didn't look down. I usually never do this! Ughhhh

Halfway through the raw breast i realized what i'd done. it was RAW, really raw. i am talking really reddish pink in the middle, and i got the chunky part. now i have a lump in my throat and feel like im gonna puke.

my actual only concern is if i will get tapeworms, not salmonella. if i got salmonella that'd suck but i would really wanna kill myself if i ever had intestinal parasites, which freaks me out cause it can be dormant for months.

please don't say "go see a doctor," because i wouldnt have posted here if i had access to a clinic. my school does not have a nurse and it is late at night, in a new city, in the ghetto i dont know very well. i dont know how to go up to them and say "hey i just ate raw chicken how can we tell if i got worms???'" they will just commit me to the mental ward. i cant sit here lying awake wondering about this. im so stressed out. i do indeed feel like vomiting but only because of how awful it tasted.

please does anyone know if it is true that you get worms from undercooked chicken or raw? I really wanna die because this is my absolute WORST fear of all time and since so many people here eat loads of chicken breast (since it is the staple of so many diets) i was looking for an answer.

yahoo answers is full of dimwits who copy paste off wikipedia so i wanted to reach smarter people.
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Replies

  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    You should be able to get some worming medication at the pharmacy in the morning.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 19,139 Member
    Yup, worming medication is cheap and available at any pharmacy. if you're really worried, grab some for some peace of mind. They won't hurt you if you don't have worms.
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  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    If you do have worms, it seems unlikely they'll do much harm to you before you see a doctor tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, write a letter to the school cafeteria if you haven't already, and take some deep breaths.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    I don't believe poultry can infect humans with tapeworms.

    Tapeworms always have two hosts - one that their young live in, and one the adults live in. It's eating animals infected with the young that can lead to intestinal parasites (the adult form of the parasite) in humans. I believe the chicken tapeworm only infects chickens as their adult host, not their larval one, so their muscles wouldn't carry tapeworm larva (those are expelled in the feces).

    On the other hand, salmonella and campylobacter are much more likely.

  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    Yup, worming medication is cheap and available at any pharmacy. if you're really worried, grab some for some peace of mind. They won't hurt you if you don't have worms.

    that's for pinworms, a different type of worm. i know too much about parasites from being obsessed :'( tapeworms are a different beast that require specific antibiotics from a doctor, and i doubt they would give them to me without a diagnosis. plus i dont have a doctor at all

    If you know a lot about parasites, then you know salmonella is actually MORE likely from raw chicken than a tapeworm, which are most commonly from beef and pork. I would recommend seeing someone to talk about your health as well as your fear.
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  • DeserveVictory
    DeserveVictory Posts: 135 Member
    Where are you? I'm not sure if every city/state/province does this, but in Canada we have public health lines that are operated by nurses. It's a great resource when you have a question or need help after the clinics are closed. I would start by calling if you have access to a similar service. You might be able to call a clinic or pharmacy in the morning too.
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  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    If you do have worms, it seems unlikely they'll do much harm to you before you see a doctor tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, write a letter to the school cafeteria if you haven't already, and take some deep breaths.

    that reads to me as "you might have tapeworm eggs inside you, have a nice sleep!"

    I'm not equipped to answer your actual question about tapeworms, but it seems unlikely you have them, and on the (probably) small chance you do have them, I doubt they're going to lead to a fatal outcome within 12 hours. I can see how that might not be so helpful to hear, though, sorry.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    But you should write to the cafeteria for sure. Did you show them that piece of chicken at the time?
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    DeserveVictory wrote: »
    Where are you? I'm not sure if every city/state/province does this, but in Canada we have public health lines that are operated by nurses. It's a great resource when you have a question or need help after the clinics are closed. I would start by calling if you have access to a similar service. You might be able to call a clinic or pharmacy in the morning too.

    No i live in California in the most ghetto part. there are sick homeless people everywhere on my street so we are not protected by this feature.

    Sick homeless people probably won't hurt you either, and I'm not sure what they have to do with helplines?
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  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    I read that the most dangerous part of undercooked chicken would be the outside. If the breast was at least cooked on the outside it may have reduced the chances of picking anything up. Drink lots of water and relax. If you can't go to a doctor, then you'll just have to wait and see if you poop worms in the near future. Check your poop and good luck!
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Maybe try googling 'what should I do if I ate raw chicken'? I'd be worried about food poisoning.
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  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    DeserveVictory wrote: »
    Where are you? I'm not sure if every city/state/province does this, but in Canada we have public health lines that are operated by nurses. It's a great resource when you have a question or need help after the clinics are closed. I would start by calling if you have access to a similar service. You might be able to call a clinic or pharmacy in the morning too.

    No i live in California in the most ghetto part. there are sick homeless people everywhere on my street so we are not protected by this feature.

    Sick homeless people probably won't hurt you either, and I'm not sure what they have to do with helplines?

    because the person who said that assumed the government was taking care of us with free healthcare or something

    No, they were just suggesting a free nursing hotline, which the US does have. Even CA.
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  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    Maybe try googling 'what should I do if I ate raw chicken'? I'd be worried about food poisoning.
    i googled the absolute *kitten* out of that and nobody has a sure answer. apparently the general consensus is you have a higher chance of salmonella, but a lower chance of worms. i dont like chances for any of that stuff, and i have a kidney disease so i dont think i can go around taking these weird medicines from CVS people are suggesting either. i always need a doctors approval for things, but they dont just GIVE you tapeworm remover

    Once again, you don't get tapeworms from chicken. It was already said above.
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  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    If you have worms you might develop itchy butt.
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    kkenseth wrote: »
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    blankiefinder wrote: »
    Maybe try googling 'what should I do if I ate raw chicken'? I'd be worried about food poisoning.
    i googled the absolute *kitten* out of that and nobody has a sure answer. apparently the general consensus is you have a higher chance of salmonella, but a lower chance of worms. i dont like chances for any of that stuff, and i have a kidney disease so i dont think i can go around taking these weird medicines from CVS people are suggesting either. i always need a doctors approval for things, but they dont just GIVE you tapeworm remover

    Once again, you don't get tapeworms from chicken. It was already said above.

    well one person said that and then like 6 people said it might so thats why i am still worried

    I don't know a single university that uses fresh chicken, and freezing meat kills tapeworms. Breathe.
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    Alluminati wrote: »
    If you have worms you might develop itchy butt.

    LOL.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 19,139 Member
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    has anyone here EVER eaten raw chicken before? that should be how i phrased this question

    I have, nothing happened. No worms, no sickness. I've never actually heard that getting worms from raw chicken was a thing.
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    ChriscoC wrote: »
    has anyone here EVER eaten raw chicken before? that should be how i phrased this question

    I have, nothing happened. No worms, no sickness. I've never actually heard that getting worms from raw chicken was a thing.

    I'm pretty confident it's not.
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