MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
November 23, 2009
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary

Patient Discussions: Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) - Effective Treatments

Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) - Effective Treatments

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

How long did the symptoms of your gastroenteritis (stomach flu) last? Was there anything in particular that helped with pain/symptom relief?

Comment submissions for this question have ended. Patient Discussions FAQs


Related Article: Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu)

The following Patient Discussions have not been medically reviewed. See additional information.



Mine started at 5:30 am with some fierce diarrhea. Then I started getting nauseous during the diarrhea episodes and wouldn't know which end it was coming out of first. The forceful vomiting caused the diarrhea to squirt out everywhere and I had to throw away my pants and get in the shower. The vomiting lasted a couple more hours. Then it was nausea, heartburn, stomach gurgling/noises for the next week. Horrible time! The only thing that helped was drinking tiny sips of ice water and Propel water. Published: July 22 ::

My symptoms usually last about a week, maybe longer. And that depends upon how soon I can see my Dr. for him to prescribe an antidiarrheal, anti spasmodic and pain reliever. Librax helped, but made me pretty dizzy & a bit groggy. Levsin also helped quite a bit. I chewed Maalox chewables for the incredible belching. That worked pretty well. When the cramping, diarrhea and dry heaves were over, the pain sometimes persisted as well as a lot of shakiness. I took Ativan that worked well for the shakiness. Published: July 21 ::

Day one: I started the day with an irritating stomach cramp. It progressed into severe nausea by the afternoon. Uncontrollable vomiting and watery stools ensued. I would vomit to the point of painful dry-heaving and almost passing out. By the time it exhausted me, my lips had a weird tingly sensation, and then I had a cold sweat. This same cycle would continue for nearly 10 hours with only half an hour in between at best. Before I would get sick again, I would get progressive shortness of breath that turned into heaving. I tried to keep down water and Gatorade. Day two: I slept through most of the night from exhaustion. By the time I awoke, I was completely dehydrated. I had severe stomach pain. I drank minimal amounts of fluid because my stomach would easily be overloaded. My BMs were watery for most of the day. I had shortness of breath with the lack of energy. I vomited any food eaten. Day three: I had to work today. I shouldn't have though. I kept down most of my fluids but any food eaten triggered vomiting. The color returned to my stool but it is far from solid. I just got home, and I'm going to rest until I can finally be well again. Published: June 20 ::

I got gastroenteritis and I only got the vomiting side of it. It has been happening every hour for the past week and a half now and I’m still getting pains in my stomach. I had to go to hospital because I was dehydrated. Published: July 21 ::

When I had Gastroenteritis, the symptoms started one week and then went away. About three weeks later I had them again. They started with continuous diarrhea and me vomiting one time. I also had continuous abdominal pain and cramps. For this all I had to do to get rid of the pain and diarrhea and vomiting was to take some Pepto-Bismol. Then about three weeks later, my fiance and I ate some spaghetti for dinner and I ate a little too much and my stomach started to cramp again. I thought it was because I overate, but it was actually the Gastroenteritis coming back because it wasn't medically treated the first time I had the symptoms. I went to bed that night thinking that if I slept the pain would go away. But it didn't, and I woke up at about three in the morning and had stomach pains so bad that I could barely walk. I decided to get up and go take some Pepto-Bismol since it worked the first time and I did thinking that it would work this time but it didn't and I was up all night. At about six-thirty that morning the pain had subsided but I was starting to feel a little nauseous, so I tried going to the bathroom and of course more diarrhea, but I was still feeling really sick, so I decided to go lay down or at least try to and also try to get some rest seeing how I was up since three. As soon I laid down I started feeling dizzy. I knew that I had to do something or else I was going to throw up all over the bed, so I sat up thinking that the dizziness would go away, but it got worse and so I grabbed the trash can next to me and I think you know the rest. But the strange part was the first time I had it I only threw up once, but this time I threw up so much that when my fiance took me to the emergency room he told one of the doctors that he never saw so much bile in his life. I got treated for it and the doctors prescribed me some suppositories and that took care of the nausea, pain, diarrhea and vomiting. I have fully recovered from Gastroenteritis but on occasion still get mild stomach cramps and sometimes diarrhea. Published: July 16 ::

I was about 2 years old when I got it. I got the bad one because I kept vomiting and having diarrhea. The doctor just gave me the medicine and told me I would be fine that week I did not get better. In fact I got so bad I had to go to the emergency room I was there for a week. I hadn’t eaten in weeks because I threw every thing up. I was close to dying. Doctors had to put the nutrients straight into my blood. After about 2 weeks I got better and went home now I’m fine. Published: July 14 ::

My 4 year old daughter was diagnosed with the stomach flu Thursday she threw up twice, and had diarrhea since Thursday, no fever, and she’s fine, but today is Monday and she still has diarrhea going to the bathroom every 1/2 hour. She complains that her stomach is bothering her, and on Thursday she complained of a headache. Published: July 14 ::


Patient Discussions are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on MedicineNet. The opinions expressed in the comments section are of the author and the author alone. MedicineNet does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment.

Alert If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.


Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration

 

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • cefprozil, Cefzil - Information on the drug cefprozil (Cefzil), an antibiotic prescribed for the treatment of bacterial infections such as sore throat, bronchitis, middle ear, tonsilitis, pneumonia, and skin infections.
  • Colonoscopy - Learn about the colonscopy procedure, what it is, why it is performed, preparation, complications, alternatives and the after effects of the screening exam on MedicineNet.com
  • Rectal Bleeding - Rectal bleeding can be a sign of several different conditions including hemorrhoids, anal fisure, colitis, and more.

Latest Medical News


GI Disorders

Get the latest treatment options.


Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain



Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu)

What is travelers' diarrhea?

Travelers from temperate regions of the world frequently experience diarrhea four days to two weeks after arriving in certain areas of the world. This illness is called travelers' diarrhea. Other colorful and humorous terms used to describe this illness include "Montezuma's Revenge," the "Aztec Two Step," and "Turista" in Mexico, the "Delhi Belly" in India, and the "Hong Kong Dog" in the Far East.

How common is travelers' diarrhea?

Twenty percent to 50% of travelers may develop diarrhea depending on the region of the world they visit. Diarrhea is the most common illness of travelers. In general, travelers at risk for diarrhea commonly come from industrialized nations and travel to high-risk areas that are primarily within developing or less industrialized nations of the world, including Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Areas of lesser risk include China and some Caribbean nations. Travel t...

Read the Travelers' Diarrhea article »










Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2009 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.