Stomach Flu vs. Food Poisoning

[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)

[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.

[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.

[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)

[Meaux]

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

DH got bacterial gastroenteritis (basically the WORST food poisoning I have ever seen in my life, he was vomiting and passing blood every hour, yikes!!) last Memorial Day weekend. The ER doctor told him NOT to take Imodium because it would plug him up and keep him from passing the virus out. Not necessarily a pleasant thing to have diarrhea without end, but I could see the guy's point. So beware.

[light_sabe_r]

yikes poor mr Silver (and the rest of you suffering from bouts of the stomach flu)

The last time I had the stomach flu was in 2004. there was a nasty one floating around brisbane. I'd just quit my job as a Medical secretary to begin my job as a researcher.

WELL I got a lovely present of a COLD from the patients I saw on the last day.

I had also booked to go to sydney that weekend. I sinus headaches coming into land in Sydney and felt like I was going to faint the entire way to the hotel.

The next day I had breakfast... thengot on the manly ferry. I don't USUALLY get sea sick.

Mum was worried. i was knocked for six totally and even walked around manly harbour with the fly of my jeans open because my stomach hurt so much.

We were visiting my Aunt when it hit me like a freight train. i was vomitting for an hour in the waiting room of the doctors surgery. I got one of those anti-vomitting injections. I couldn't walk and my parents carried to my aunt's car to take me home from the surgery.

Even though I could barely walk I still forced myself to see the Lion King that night. and fly home two days later... same sinus headache. Worst Holiday ever.

The White and pasty look is not so good when starting a new job either.

[Mr. Bloom]

When I see some of these other stories, I'm counting my blessings. Although it was miserable while it lasted, for me, it was still brief.

I do feel immuno-compromised right now. Feel a sty coming on in my eye (this never happens to me), skin seems very unhealthy (not to mention pale), and weak. Plus, I'm time-zone challenged right now!

I wonder, will a detox at the hotel spa help?

[RoadRaven]

Glad to here you are feeling better and on the mend, Mr S



But just one point here for all of you referring to stomach flu... the flu, or influenza "bug" does not have a strain that affects the tummy.

Almost all cases of tummy-bugs are cases of self-inflicted food poisoning where we have left food unrefridgerated for too long, or have not washed our hands before handling our food.

Its a reality of being human, and sometimes we get away with feeling a little squiffy, and sometimes it is full-blown nastiness.

Of course, how we treat ourselves after the initial symptoms pass affects how well we recover too... Vomiting and/or diarrhea leaves our whole system compromised for 36-72 hours...

Wishing you all strong stomachs