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Day’s Verse:
O LORD, what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow.
Psalm 144:3-4
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Thank you for all your deep concern about our likelihood of dying of botulism toxin poisoning. For 6 to 36 hours after eating the tomato sauce (but for up to 10 days later), I will closely monitor myself for “double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness” and be sure to go see a doctor right away if I start exhibiting those symptoms, so that “these symptoms [do not] progress to cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk and respiratory muscles.” However, by the time I experience symptoms, it sounds like I would be in for a rough time:

The respiratory failure and paralysis that occur with severe botulism may require a patient to be on a breathing machine (ventilator) for weeks, plus intensive medical and nursing care. After several weeks, the paralysis slowly improves. If diagnosed early, foodborne and wound botulism can be treated with an equine antitoxin which blocks the action of toxin circulating in the blood. This can prevent patients from worsening, but recovery still takes many weeks. …Good supportive care in a hospital is the mainstay of therapy for all forms of botulism.

The good news is that I would only have a 3% to 5% chance of actually dying of botulism toxin poisoning, although I could require a “a breathing machine as well as intensive medical and nursing care for several months” after recovering from the worst of it. Perhaps I could return to a normal life within a year of having sampled that fateful bite of homemade heirloom tomato sauce. (Citation for all quotes and data)

You know, now I think about it, maybe I should just stick to tomato sauce from the grocery store…