Stomach Flu vs. Food Poisoning

[Mr. Bloom]

I'm sick as a dog. Without being too graphic, suffice it to say that I'm fully engaged 'stem to stern'.

How does one discern the difference between stomach flu (contagious) and food poisoning (unlucky)?

I've not knowingly been exposed to the stomach flu...but if that's what it is, I don't want to spread it around the family.

[Aggie_Ama]

I think food poisoning will usually occur with fever. I am not sure. My husband and I both got a stomach flu last summer. Talk about miserable when you live in an apartment with one bathroom!

Here is WebMd's run down of stomach flu:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/5/1680_51287.htm

Can you call you doctor? The only thing that helped me was to take phenegran. It calms the stomach and has a nice sedative effect. He also said to avoid too cold water, sip room temp water. Hold off the gatorade unless it is diluted until your stomach settles.

I think food poisoning runs its course quicker. Hope you feel better soon!

[mimitabby]

welcome to the wonderful world of having to go to the toilet, but not sure how to point!

we just went through that. If you know ANYONE else that you've been in contact with that has it; it is likely the norovirus that has them quarantining prisons in California, closing schools in Seattle, and which knocked out 3 generations of our family in 4 days.

The norovirus (which antibiotics do not even annoy) usually comes with a fever, but not always, and is infectious for 3 days after the first "outbreak"
I had it; the good news for you is that you will probably lose weight. It took me 3 days to be able to eat a normal meal and feel hungry. Part of that was the fever. But I am still weak, and i was hit on wednesday morning. DH is not going on his 50 mile ride today because he's still weak too and he got it on monday.
PLENTY of liquids and take something for the fever.

And if it's foodpoisoning, drink plenty of liquids.

for either one, take imodium for diarrhea if it continues too long.

and of course, call your doctor. I did.

[mimitabby]

ps i just read an interesting thing about this bug, it says that people with type O blood (like my mother and I) get hit harder than the others. My husband and son resumed their normal life more or less after 24 hours. It took me almost 3 days.

[Running Mommy]

I was at the Dr. last week for an unrelated matter, and she mentioned that it's spreading like wildfire around the country.
Her advice to me was "if you don't want to lose training days then you need to stay away from public places". And of course the grocery store is one of the biggies! The shopping carts...uhhh yeah... Not so pretty.
So I told my husband that he needs to do the grocery shopping for the next 8 weeks!
Yeah, that went over well!!
But yeah, prolly just the stomach thing that everyone has been getting. And if it is noro then it's NASTY! My son and I had it last thanksgiving. Knocked us both out for a week!
Good luck all!
And feel better soon mr. silver.
Denise

[Bikingmomof3]

I am sorry to welcome you to the sick club Mr. Silver.

[silver]

update on Mr. he's doing a little better. he's eating some crackers and dozing (and burping ) off and on. I'm laying on the floor on his laptop and trying not to get too close when I bring him his crackers.

I hope he feels better soon I feel so bad for him.

He's supposed to go to Arizona tomorrow.

[mimitabby]

well, Silver is he type O? because if he is, he probably won't want to go.
if he's type A, like my DH, he'll get up and go and do fine (although still feeling miserable)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

update on Mr. he's doing a little better. he's eating some crackers and dozing (and burping ) off and on. I'm laying on the floor on his laptop and trying not to get too close when I bring him his crackers.

Just throw the crackers at him from accross the room.

A couple weeks ago I had BOTH the stomach bug AND food poisoning!

Warning:graphic description to follow...
I had the stomach bug for a whole week- chills, nausea, diarr., weakness, and relentless grinding stomach cramps for days on end. Lost 6 pounds.
Then I got better and felt great again for two days and ate like a horse.

Then I ate a quesadilla in a restaurant and 4 hours later became violently ill- vomiting my guts up and lying on the bathroom floor between violently wrenching hurls. But after an hour of this vomiting of quesadilla remnants, I felt like it was all emptied from my stomach and immediately began to feel better. After the vomiting I was weak for a day but not actually sick anymore. I did talk to the restaurant owner the next day and he said he suspected the tomatoes which had looked a bit "iffy" when the supplier brought them. He apologized profusely, threw everything out that had gone into making my quesadilla, gave DH and I a free breakfast the next day, and told his supplier about the incident.
I have had food poisoning two other times in my life- once from canned sardines, once from cooked mussels. All 3 times involved violent vomiting several hours after eating the food, and all 3 times I started feeling better right after the all vomiting finished.
The stomach bug, in contrast, lasted for days and involved a lot of churning stomach and diarr. and some chills/fever, plus I felt nauseous for days but never actually vomited- just cramps, diarr., weakness, and no appetite.

[tattiefritter]

I had gastric flu last November and it knocked me for six. I originally thought it might be food poisoning but it actually came on like flu and I had total exhaustion and didn't move off the sofa for about three days and ate and drank practically nothing for that period. Luckily I started to be able to tolerate liquids after that (recovery drinks were useful). I think I was pretty over the flu itself within a week but it took me longer to recover from the not eating, I felt really weak for a fortnight. A friend of mine was hospitalised because of it as he became dangerously dehydrated so look after yourself.

[mimitabby]

Just throw the crackers at him from accross the room.

A couple weeks ago I had BOTH the stomach bug AND food poisoning!
appetite.

well, Lisa, you definitely get the prize!

my doctor said no food for 24 hours that you can't SEE through. throw the crackers to the dog.
Mr Silver gets tea, broth and water! (or gaterade)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

my doctor said no food for 24 hours that you can't SEE through.

How about Swiss cheese then?

I second the electrolyte water recommendation. I like Glaceau Fruit Water with electrolytes myself.

[LBTC]

Better than gatorade with all that sugar and colour and stuff that's so hard to tolerate, get elite electrolyte drops and put in his water! And when I feel like that, room temperature water is too cold. My tummy prefers water that's almost as hot as tea.

Sounds like a terrible case of gastroenteritis! Keep those liquids coming and try to ride it out.

Lisa, your combination definitely wins! OUCH!! My one case of food poisoning was pretty similar, except that my stomach didn't stop when it was empty. I have an unnatural fear of vomiting now as the dry heaves are sooooo horrible! I've been told, though, that food poisoning can occur anywhere from a few hours to 3 days after the offending food is eaten. I wonder if that's true.

Hopefully you all get well super soon,

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I've been told, though, that food poisoning can occur anywhere from a few hours to 3 days after the offending food is eaten. I wonder if that's true.

Yes I read all about various food poisoning symptoms and many food poisoning symptoms occur several days after eating the food. There are various specific types of food poisoning and they are all different.

[mimitabby]

Better than gatorade with all that sugar and colour and stuff that's so hard to tolerate, get elite electrolyte drops and put in his water! And when I feel like that, room temperature water is too cold. My tummy prefers water that's almost as hot as tea.


Hopefully you all get well super soon,

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

Gee, WHen it occurred to me that electrolyte supplements would be good, i thought, now I'll finally get to try all the expensive powders that DH has been buying. I went to the cupboard, and the only kind in there was gatorade
I was disappointed. I wanted to try the fancy stuff.. but Gatorade was better than the chicken boullion DH insisted I drink. barf.. it wasn't even real chicken!!!!