About Us | Privacy | Site Map

Viewer Comments: Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) - Effective Treatments

Viewer Comments & Reviews

Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) - Effective Treatments

The eMedicineHealth 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?

Anonymously share your comment to help others. Viewer Comments FAQs


Related Article: Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) Submit Your Review

The following Viewer Comments have not been medically reviewed. See additional information.



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: September 11 ::

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: September 11 ::

Comment from: Butterfly, 45-54 Female (Patient)

The gastroenteritis lasted about 8 hours. It began with nausea, trembling, then vomiting. And then later is when both vomiting and diarrhea. What helped was getting out of my system what was causing the situation. Then after, I had finally stopped vomiting, I had some soda crackers and clear soda and it seemed to settle my stomach. Published: February 04 ::

Comment from: 25-34 Female (Patient)

One week ago after dealing with a day of a sour stomach in my one year old, I awoke with severe vomiting and diarrhea. For 10 hours I could not budge from the bathroom floor for any reason. The onset was rapid with no warning signs whatsoever. Finally after 10 hours, I managed to call 911 and was administered nearly 1 gallon of IV fluid before being released to home partially due to an 8 hour hospital wait to even be admitted to the ER for the flu in our area. During the next 4 days, the illness spread to my husband, then to my two-year-old daughter. The husband and baby got better, but my daughter and I are still having bouts of vomiting and diarrhea that come and go unexpectedly. Nothing at all helped except for rest and fluids. It appears to just hit some people harder than others. Published: January 04 ::

Comment from: resedabroger, 55-64 Female (Patient)

It's New Years Day, 2010. I wanted to start my New Year off on the right track...but my intestinal tract is not cooperating with me! I thought maybe I ate something that didn't agree with me about 5 days ago. It started with a stomach ache that progressively grew worse by the hour. Then I got a headache, fever, chills, and intense nausea. I hate vomiting so I chewed Tums (which helped) until my body settled for runny diarrhea. I'm back on my feet, and able to eat, but I'm still battling abdominal discomfort that doesn't seem to want to cease. Chewing Tums helps temporarily. Judging from other viewers comments, this appears to be the norm. I suppose the bacteria hang around in your system for awhile. It's hard to determine the difference between food poisoning and a stomach virus when the symptoms are so similar. I hope we all recover soon! Published: January 04 ::

Comment from: 7-12 Female (Caregiver)

Gastroenteritis. This is what the doctors said about my six-year-old. Her condition has been going on for nine days and now they have treated her with an antibiotic and sent her home. She still has a pain under her belly button. The doctors are saying that the gastroenteritis also caused the tip of her appendix to become inflamed. Something doesn’t sound right about this. I mean, I understand they are supposed to be doctors, but I know my child and something is not right. My mother thinks I should take her to another doctor. I think she’s right. In fact, I know she is. Published: November 16 ::

Comment from: Chazz BUrke, 35-44 Male (Caregiver)

My six year old woke up Friday for school with a pain in her stomach and some runny stool. She ate some toast and felt better and went to school but about an hour later she came home with more of the same. After a visit to children's hospital we found she had gastroenteritis. By Saturday morning she was back to normal but now my wife has the same thing. Gatorade, water, toast, Tums and mint tea all seem to help. -Chazz Published: November 16 ::

Into my fourth day and the cramping is thankfully less severe. First day was several soft bowel movements with minimal cramping. Day two was a whole new nightmare. Severe intestinal cramping with diarrhea, vomiting, extreme sweating (more than I ever sweated in boot camp) and very near hyperventilating. I have never had this happen and it really scared me. Published: October 23 ::



Viewer Comments 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 eMedicineHealth. The opinions expressed in the comments section are of the author and the author alone. eMedicineHealth 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.



GI Disorders

Get the latest treatment options.

Are You Depressed? Take the Quiz

Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu)

Abdominal Pain in Children Overview

Abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons for a parent to bring his or her child to medical attention. Evaluation of a "tummy ache" can challenge both parents and the physician.

Possible causes for a child's abdominal pain range from trivial to life-threatening, with little difference in the child's complaints. Fortunately, abdominal pain in a child usually improves quickly. Each parent or caregiver faces the difficulty deciding whether a complaint needs emergency care or not.

Abdominal Pain in Children Causes

  • Infections: Viruses or bacteria can cause abdominal pain, typically from stomach flu or gut flu (called gastroenteritis). Viral infections tend to go away quickly, while bacterial infections may need an antibiotic to get better.

  • Food-related: Food poisoning (which has symptoms like those of stomach/gut flu), food allergies...

Read the Abdominal Pain in Children article »



Medical Dictionary