Food poisoning and diarrhoea: home care, a home drip or the hospital?

Step 1: Which emergency signs need 112 or a hospital?

Before you think about a drip, go through this list. If any point is true, go to the nearest hospital emergency department (acil servis) or call 112. Do not book a home visit and do not wait to see if it passes.

• Blood in the stool or in the vomit, or black, tar-like stool
• High fever, or fever with shaking chills that does not come down
• Severe belly pain, or pain that is constant and getting worse
• Signs of serious dehydration: very little or no urine, dizziness or fainting, confusion or unusual sleepiness, a very dry mouth and tongue, a fast heartbeat
• The person cannot keep any fluid down for many hours, not even small sips
• Symptoms started after eating wild mushrooms, or you think a chemical, cleaning product or pesticide may be involved
• Several people are very ill after the same food and someone has blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids, trouble swallowing or speaking, or weak muscles. This is rare, but it can be botulism, and it needs a hospital at once.

What should I do if we go to hospital?

If the person is dizzy or confused, do not let them drive. Call 112 if you are not sure they can travel safely. For a possible chemical or mushroom poisoning, you can also call the National Poison Information Centre on 114. Take the list of medicines the person uses and, if you still have it, the packaging of the food you suspect.

Step 2: Who should see a doctor even with mild symptoms?

The same stomach bug is small for one person and a real risk for another. These groups lose fluid faster or can get worse quickly, so even a mild-looking case should be checked by a doctor or a hospital, not treated with a home drip:

• Babies and young children
• Older adults
• Pregnant women
• People with diabetes
• People with kidney or heart disease
• People with a weak immune system, for example during chemotherapy, after a transplant or on long-term steroids

Can a child with food poisoning get a home drip?

We do not give drips to anyone under 18. If a child is vomiting or has diarrhoea, call a children’s doctor and use a children’s oral rehydration solution from the pharmacy. Go to a hospital at once if a baby has fewer wet nappies, is very sleepy, will not drink, or shows any sign from the first list.

Step 3: How do I treat mild food poisoning at home?

With no red flags and a healthy adult, home care is usually enough. Most mild food poisoning gets better in one to three days. The goal: keep fluid going in faster than it goes out.

• Buy oral rehydration salts (ORS) at any eczane and mix them exactly as the packet says. Plain water alone does not replace the salts you lose.
• Drink small sips every few minutes. If there is nausea, start with a spoonful at a time and slowly build up.
• Keep drinking even while the diarrhoea goes on. Skip fizzy drinks, energy drinks and sweet juices, which can make diarrhoea worse.
• Rest, and start with light food (rice, toast, soup, banana) when hunger comes back.
• Antibiotics only if a doctor prescribes them. Most food poisoning does not need them.
• Anti-diarrhoea pills only after asking a pharmacist or doctor, and never with fever or blood in the stool.

How do I know if it is getting better or worse?

Good signs: lighter urine, less vomiting, asking for food. Bad signs: less and less urine, more dizziness, vomiting that does not slow down, or no improvement after two or three days. Bad signs mean a doctor or hospital, not more waiting.

Check every few hours and write down when the person last passed urine and how much they kept down. A doctor will ask for exactly this.

When does a home drip make sense for food poisoning?

There is a narrow middle case: an otherwise healthy adult, no red flags, mildly dehydrated (thirsty, darker urine, tired, a bit dizzy) and unable to keep enough fluid down by mouth. An IV drip gives fluid and salts straight into the vein, so it does not depend on the stomach.

Every booking goes through a doctor first. You fill in a short health questionnaire, and a doctor reads it before a nurse is sent. The doctor may say a hospital is the better place, and that is a fine answer. We would rather send you to the emergency department than give a drip to the wrong person.

A drip replaces fluid and can ease weakness and nausea, but it does not kill the bug, stop the diarrhoea or replace a doctor’s examination. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have heart or kidney disease, or take certain medicines are usually not suitable.

What does a home visit include, and what does it cost?

You message us on WhatsApp with the symptoms and the address. After the questionnaire and the doctor review, a licensed nurse comes to your home, asks how the person feels, does basic checks and only then starts the drip. Most drips take 45–60 minutes. The nurse stays the whole time and watches for warning signs. If things get worse, she will stop and tell you to go to a hospital or call 112.

For rehydration people usually choose the Hammam Rehydrate drip (€229) for a bigger fluid top-up, or Immune Shield (€179) when they also feel run down. Anti-nausea is an add-on, and add-ons cost €25–€49 each. The visit fee is €25 per visit and is not charged when two or more people book together. Between 00:00 and 07:00 there is a night fee of €40. You pay by card or cash, prices are in EUR, and cancelling is free until the nurse sets off.

How do I protect the rest of the family?

Many stomach bugs spread easily inside one home. A few habits help keep it to one sick person:

• Wash hands with soap and water after the toilet and before touching food. Gel is not enough against some stomach viruses.
• The sick person uses a separate towel, and if possible a separate toilet.
• Clean the toilet, taps and door handles daily with a bleach-based cleaner.
• Wash dirty clothes and bedding separately on a hot cycle.
• The sick person should not cook for others until at least two days after the symptoms stop.
• Throw away the food you suspect. Do not taste it to check.