Surviving The Stomach Issues

What You Need To Know

It'due south BAAAAAACCKKK!!! Nothing conjures up feelings of fear, dread and empathy like hearing that thestomach bugis going around!  If you alive in Richmond Hill, Bryan Canton, or anywhere in the greater Savannah, GA surface area, information technology is a pretty skillful bet that yous know someone who has recently suffered with this unpleasant illness or take been infected yourself.  What do you need to know to protect yourself, your family and your customs from getting SICK????

The stomach bug is also known equally the stomach influenza or in medical circles, viral gastroenteritis. It is not really a "flu" at all and is unrelated toinfluenza viruses which cause respiratory illness as opposed to gastrointestinal.  For this reason, annual flu shots do not protect against the "tum influenza."

WhatIS the "stomach bug" then?

Gastroenteritis simply ways inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The well-nigh common crusade of acute gastroenteritis in the U.s. is Norovirus, accounting for 19-21 1000000 cases annually. To go on it interesting, there are many, many other types of viruses that can cause gastroenteritis including Rotavirus and Astrovirus, which predominantly bear upon children but tin can infect adults as well, and Adenoviruses and Enteroviruses, which infect children and adults. Each of these viruses has numerous strains that accept been identified, and countless that are yet to exist discovered. And simply because viruses don't play fair, the strains we know about are constantly mutating and changing.  So while you may have been infected by ane particular strain of a virus and then adult antibodies confronting it, you volition non always be protected against a new version of the same virus.

How does viral gastroenteritis make yous feel?

The almost common symptoms include nausea, airsickness, stomach cramps and diarrhea. It is also common to experience fatigue and loss of ambition. I may also experience balmy fever, headache, chills and muscle aches.

norovirus on head of pin

How do you get the "stomach influenza"?

The breadbasket bug is extremely contagious. It spreads hands and apace.  These viruses are transmitted through what is known equally the fecal-oral route (YUCK!), meaning the virus is found in the feces and vomit of those infected. Even microscopic amounts may contain thousands to millions of particles of the virus, and it takes as few every bit 18 norovirus particles in your food or on your easily to make y'all ill. Viruses tin can also be transmitted by eating contaminated nutrient or drinking contaminated liquids, touching contaminated objects and and then putting them in your rima oris, and sharing utensils or cups with infected individuals. If that isn't plenty to give you the heebie-jeebies, consider the fact that norovirus can survive on household surfaces for up to ii weeks and can survive some disinfectants, such as booze-based hand-sanitizers. This makes it hard to eradicate.

Is there a season for the "stomach flu?"

According to the CDC, rotavirus technically occurs from November through Apr. However, we practice come across illnesses occur outside of this timeframe. Norovirus gastroenteritis occurs all year round with 80% of the outbreaks occurring between November and April.

How practise I know if I have the "breadbasket flu" or food poisoning?

Ofttimes when you or a loved-one starts having symptoms of an upset stomach, such equally nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, you wonder if you caught a tummy problems or if you only ate something bad. Typically this is too to determine whether or non you are contagious. Non-contagious food poisoning occurs when nosotros eat something that has non been properly stored, allowing leaner to grow in it. The bacteria produces toxins that make you sick, even if the nutrient is reheated. When trying to make up one's mind the cause of your symptoms, think back to what you've washed in the past days. If yous have been around someone in the past couple of weeks who had vomiting and/or diarrhea illness that is the most likely culprit. If y'all haven't been around anyone ill (that y'all know of), but ate potato salad and a sandwich that had been on a political party buffet all afternoon, eatery nutrient such as rice, salad or dipping sauce, yous got sick within 7 hours of eating the suspected nutrient and got well shortly after, you probably have non-contagious food poisoning. If information technology has been 24 hours or more since yous ate the suspected nutrient, it is unlikely you have food poisoning and most likely y'all have viral gastroenteritis and are contagious. It can be extremely hard to know for sure which illness you have, then it is best to be cautious and presume you lot are contagious.

How is the "stomach bug" diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will talk over your history and will review your symptoms. They will perform a physical examination to rule out other more serious causes of your symptoms, such as appendicitis, pancreatitis or cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder). They volition besides evaluate for complications of vomiting and diarrhea such equally dehydration. Typically this is what is known every bit a clinical diagnosis meaning your healthcare provider tin make the diagnosis based on the history and physical exam without bloodwork or additional lab testing. In that location are instances, however, when symptoms are unclear or prolonged, and additional lab testing may be recommended.

How is it treated?

Treatment for the "stomach issues" is initially focused on resting the stomach and intestines. At outset, you should not try to eat anything and merely drink very small amounts of clear liquids. Information technology is much ameliorate to beverage small amounts of liquid, ofttimes than big volumes of liquid, as large volumes can induce more than vomiting. Your healthcare provider can prescribe medication to decrease the symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea if indicated. It is important to drink enough of clear liquids to replace fluid loss and forbid dehydration. Don't forget that popsicles count and are a great way to get little ones to take fluids when they aren't feeling like eating. Once airsickness is under control, i can accelerate their nutrition slowly from clear liquids to a banal diet significant eating things that are like shooting fish in a barrel to digest. You often hear about BRAT nutrition, Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast, all things that are piece of cake to digest. Some sources suggest avoiding dairy as it can be more difficult to digest, just it does not bother others. Boiled chicken has as well been institute to be easy to digest and when added to the bland nutrition as a source of protein, has been shown to improve recovery times.

What potential complications should I exist looking for?

The most mutual complexity is dehydration. Children can get dehydrated very quickly so it is important to stay on top of how much they are drinking and to go creative about replacing lost fluids, such as with popsicles.   Exist aware of signs of extreme thirst, dry rima oris and less frequent, drier diapers. It is also common for diaper-wearing children who have diarrhea to become a diaper rash. Yous tin foreclose this painful rash past checking and changing diapers frequently and by using a barrier foam (such as Desitin) at the first sign of diarrhea. The fundamental is to keep the poop off of the skin and it is important to reapply a thick coat at every diaper alter once you have thoroughly cleaned the diaper area. If whatever symptoms persist longer than a couple of days, seem to be getting worse instead of better, or if intestinal pain becomes more concentrated in i surface area, information technology is important to contact your healthcare provider sooner rather than subsequently.

When can I ship my child back to schoolhouse or daycare after having the "stomach bug?"

Since people are still contagious with the "tum bug" for 3 days after symptoms have stopped, ideally your child should exist well for iii days before you lot send them back to school or day intendance. That ways it should have been 72 hours since they concluding vomited or had diarrhea. If they are not eating normally and do non accept normal poop, and then they are still ill and yet contagious. Parents are often unsure nigh how long to keep a child domicile after a vomiting affliction, and commonly send their kids dorsum as soon every bit they are feeling amend. 48 hours is the minimum amount of time to wait to ensure your child is over the disease. At that place is oft a delay betwixt the vomiting and diarrhea segments of the illness.

My girl experienced this during her well-nigh recent illness a couple of weeks agone. She start became sick on Thursday morning and vomited several times that day, Thursday evening and into very early on Friday morning. She did not vomit again all mean solar day Friday and seemed "back to normal" Friday afternoon, with the exception of non eating well. Most of the day Sat she had normal energy levels and seemed to be improving but late in the day Saturday she vomited again (SERIOUSLY?! Here we get again….) and Sunday she experienced significant fatigue and her first bout of diarrhea. This is merely an example of why information technology is important to wait at least 48 hours to ensure your child is indeed over the illness and to minimize exposure to others during the fourth dimension in which they are contagious.

How can I avoid getting the "tum bug"?

Wash Your Hands

The single about effective way to preclude the spread of viral gastroenteritis is frequent, thorough hand-washing with soap and water. Always launder your hands Afterwards using the toilet and changing diapers and Earlier eating, preparing, or treatment food. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to mitt washing, but non equally a substitute. Many manus-sanitizers are Not effective in killing norovirus! (YIKES!)

Stay Abode if You Are Sick

Avoid contact with infected individuals and stay abode if you are ill. When you are sick, you should not prepare food for others or intendance for others for AT To the lowest degree 2 to 3 days after yous recover. This applies to sick workers in schools, daycares, healthcare facilities, and other places where they may expose others. Keep ill infants and children out of areas where food is being handled and prepared. Don't share food when you are sick.

Clean and Disinfect Contaminated Surfaces

After throwing up or having diarrhea, immediately clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces. Utilize a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of yard-5000 ppm (five-25 tablespoons of 5.25% household bleach per gallon of water). Yous tin can likewise use another disinfectant registered as effective against norovirus by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  It is of import to annotation that all household cleaners are non effective at killing Norovirus!

Thoroughly Wash Laundry

Immediately remove and launder clothes or linens that may be contaminated with vomit or stool (poop). Yous should handle soiled items carefully and without agitation, wear dispensable gloves while handling and launder hands thoroughly after. Wash the items with detergent at the maximum bachelor cycle length and machine dry out them.

Wash Fruits and Vegetables and Cook Seafood Thoroughly

Carefully launder fruits and vegetables earlier preparing and eating them. Melt oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating them. Be aware that Norovirus is adequately resistant and can survive temperatures often used to quick steam shellfish.