A week after having a severe stomach virus that lasted for 2 weeks, the discussion starter reported symptoms common for a stomach virus, including vomiting, and being bloated and constipated. She/he wondered if this was dues to the stomach virus or a consequence of having one.
Is anyone else experiencing any or all of these things following this terrible stomach flu/bug?
The participant who replied first said that the typical stomach flu or gastroenteritis have the usual symptoms, such as vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever and a logical consequence of such conditions - weight loss. These symptoms usually go away when the stomach flu goes away, usually without any medical treatments after a couple of days. This member also noted that stomach flu symptoms seldom come back so he/she thought what was now happening to the discussion starter might be the consequence of the stomach flu she/he had.
Other participants reported similar problems that either they or their loved ones experienced after having stomach flu. The symptoms usually were a weakness, diarrhea, and a lot of "gas" that is going along with it, and severe constipation. The strong bowel movement urge has been noted but "all that comes out is gas, from both ends," as one participant noted. Bowel movements became irregular after stomach flu as several members noted. There were also bloating and stomach discomfort.
Also, I am having an "acid reflux" feeling that is so bad it is making my teeth feel gritty?
All these suggest that stomach flu disrupts the stomach flora and affects regular bowel movements. Several participants tried to explain this with dehydration that may occur after vomiting or diarrhea, and cause constipation and false bowel movement urges with bloating with gas.
Several participants wondered if the symptoms experienced after the stomach flu are somehow related to some other disease. The doctors told one participant that the symptoms experienced sounded like IBS, but the member wondered why did they just appear after this illness? Many of these cases described in the discussion might have been norovirus.
I am recovering from norovirus and have the problems described.
Norovirus is a serious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea and the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Norovirus is sometimes called the stomach flu or stomach bug, which is in fact caused by the influenza virus, and not related to norovirus.
One participant had been told by his/her doctor that the stomach bug can sometimes make a portion of the intestines like fall asleep or quit working after bad stomach flu.
Participants in the discussion have been advised to do blood tests and stool examination, as well as full body examination. Most got the advice to stay hydrated, eat a high fiber diet, and start on some probiotics.
What do experts say?
The most common gastrointestinal illness is viral gastroenteritis, also known as stomach flu or stomach bug. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, i.e. the stomach and small intestine, usually caused by norovirus or rotavirus. Viral gastroenteritis is sometimes called the stomach flu or stomach bug. However, this illness is not related to the flu which is caused by influenza virus, and which affects only the respiratory system - nose, throat, and lungs.
What are the symptoms of gastroenteritis?
Viral gastroenteritis is also known as infectious diarrhea because the diarrhea is the most common symptom of this illness. The diarrhea is watery containing no blood (bloody diarrhea may suggest a different, more severe infection). Besides diarrhea, viral gastroenteritis causes other signs and symptoms, such as:
- Abdominal cramps and pain
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Occasional muscle aches
- Headache
- Low-grade fever
Viral gastroenteritis symptoms may appear within one to three days after infection and can range from mild to severe. Symptoms usually last just a day or two, but sometimes they may persist as long as 10 days.
What causes gastroenteritis?
Gastroenteritis is usually caused by viruses, including rotovirus and norovirus. Bacteria, parasite, and fungus can also cause gastroenteritis. In infants and young children, rotavirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Norovirus is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in adults.
The most common way to develop viral gastroenteritis is through contact with an infected person, by eating contaminated or improperly prepared food (some shellfish, especially raw or undercooked oysters) or drinking contaminated water.
How is gastroenteritis treated?
There's no effective treatment for viral gastroenteritis, which only involves getting enough fluids, so prevention is key. Prevention steps include:
- Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water (especially the children)
- Avoiding close contact with infected people
- Avoiding sharing eating utensils, drinking glasses, and plates
- Drinking clean water
- Avoiding undercooked meat and fish
- Disinfecting contaminated surfaces immediately after someone vomits or has diarrhea
- Vaccinating children with the rotavirus vaccine
Also when traveling:
- Drink clean water, or only well-sealed bottled or carbonated water
- Avoid ice cubes, because they may be made from contaminated water.
- Avoid eating raw food such as fruits, vegetables, and salads
Complications of gastroenteritis
The main complication of viral gastroenteritis is dehydration - a severe loss of water, as well as essential salts and minerals. Dehydration shouldn't be a problem if a person with gastroenteritis is generally healthy and drinks enough to replace fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhea. However, it can be a problem for infants, older adults, and people with suppressed immune systems, who may become severely dehydrated when they lose more fluids than they can replace. Hospitalization might be needed so that lost fluids can be replaced intravenously. Dehydration can be fatal, but rarely.
Viral gastroenteritis puts a lot of strain on our gastrointestinal system, even when it's gone. A lot of people may experience stomach problems, such as pain, discomfort, bloating, accumulation of gas, constipation, and acid reflux.
To avoid these problems, anyone recovering from gastroenteritis should do the following:
- Allow the stomach to settle, by stop eating solid foods for a while and replace it with bland, easy-to-digest foods, such as crackers, toast, bananas, rice, chicken or broths.
- Drink plenty of liquid every day, taking small, frequent sips.
- Avoid dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and fatty or seasoned foods.
- Get plenty of rest
- Be careful with medications, such as ibuprofen that can make your stomach more upset
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Discussion highlights
What symptoms have been reported?
- You had typical stomach flu (gastroenteritis) with the usual symptoms, such as vomiting and I believe you had the abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever and a logical consequence of such conditions- weight loss.
- Ever since the second one, I have been really bloated and constipated.
- She is having bowel movements but nothing regular or anywhere near like she use to have.
- She has lost approx 5lbs in 2 months and cannot eat without complaining of lower pain and thinking she may have to use the restroom.
- It took everything out of her for 2 weeks and she only vomited once.
What medications or treatments helped ease the symptoms?
- My doctor said to take Gas X which I have been doing for the last 2 months but there is no relief from the gas.
- My dr put me on miralax I take it everyday til I am back to normal for awhile at least.
- And he also had me take Metamucil with it.
- For the acid reflux the only thing that has worked for me is Prilosec it also helped me sleep because im in constant pain.
- The only thing that helps is the anti nausea pills and laying on the floor.
- You need to drink lots of water with it.
- The main thing: stay hydrated!
- Eat a high fiber diet.
- fruits, vegetables, ban cereal, drink lots of water( possibly Gatorade/ POWERADE).
- Consider mixing Psyllum Husk with water to drink 3 times a day until you feel better.
Verified Claims & Medical Studies
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Many of these cases might have been norovirus.
https://www.cdc.gov/epicasestudies/downloads/noroVT_inst.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/trends-outbreaks/worldwide.html
https://www.cdc.gov/features/norovirus/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/index.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep17444
In conclusion
Feeling bloated is normal after having stomach flu, just like having other stomach problems such as pain, gas, constipation, or acid reflux. Stomach flu or gastroenteritis puts a lot of strain on our gastrointestinal system and may disrupt normal stomach flora.