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What happens to us when we get a stomach bug?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/6/2012 1:25 AM (GMT 0)
My head is spinning with questions for the group. Sunday evening I was given some quite heavy information from a family member that was a bit stressful, but I think I handle it well knowing that I shouldn't stress out and cause a UC issue. At about 11pm the same evening, I started feeling nauseous. The night involved lots of explosive diarrhea and several bouts of vomiting. Monday afternoon my GI advised that I go to the ER to be checked out. I was given 2 bags of saline, they did an x-ray, ran a bunch of tests. All the labs came back normal, but still waiting to hear back on the stool test to know for sure about c-diff. I was released after the fluids. The GI started me on Flagyl until we know for sure about the stool test. He said I may be able to discontinue if it comes back ok.

Might also be of note that my hubby had some bouts of diarrhea 3 days before and the same night! The doctor said it could have been just a viral infection that had to run its course.

So my question is -- is this what happens every time we get stomach bugs with UC? It was much harder on me than my hubby and involved a trip to the ER because my GI didn't want to risk anything. We have a baby and surely we will be exposed to many more stomach bugs as she grows up and attends school, etc.

*If* this is a stomach bug, does it take longer to recover? How long? Do I have to be on a liquid diet for longer than I think??

I am so bummed. I have been taking Imuran for about 6 weeks and had started to see some improvement. Before this episode I started to have some semi-formed stools occasionally. Finally started going without a nighttime BM waking me. My doc is supportive of FT but they wanted me in remission before attempting. My hubby was to be my donor. I hope that him having this bug that seemed to last 4 days for him too, doesn't hurt his chances of being my donor!! Any thoughts on that??

Today I started feeling much better, but decided to eat something outside of the BRAT diet and was sent running to the toilet with incontinence and D.
Posted 6/6/2012 3:03 AM (GMT 0)
I can't help much because I haven't experienced a stomach bug with this disease yet. I did have to go on an antibiotic for a UTI and then almost immediately after that I came down with sinusitis. I held off taking an antibiotic for that and thankfully things cleared up.

To the best of my knowlege, one of the most important things anyone can do to avoid stomach bugs is to optimize their vit D levels and wash their hands.

What kind of a liquid diet are you on?

Is the BRAT diet bananas, rice, applesauce and toast? Are you doing that for the UC or the D?

Also, I see on your sig line that you are avoiding red meat, can I ask you if you feel different or have a change in symptoms avoiding it?

I hope the stressful family situation turns out OK and that you get back to recovering soon. Can't be easy dealing with this stuff with a little one.
Posted 6/6/2012 3:13 AM (GMT 0)
It is so strange because I have never been one to catch GI type virus infections. I can only think of one time that I have had a stomach bug since I was diagnosed in 2006. I was flaring at the time and caught some sort of stomach flu. I threw up more than anything. It seemed to run a normal course as it would even if I didn't have UC.

I can be around people who are sick with GI infections and I usually don't catch them. My kids don't seem prone to them either. Neither of my kids have had many bouts of throwing up or "D". Knock on wood! We seem to catch upper respiratory junk easily though.

I would think that if you were in remission a stomach bug would just run the normal course. Since you are flaring it it probably worse than normal.
Posted 6/6/2012 3:39 AM (GMT 0)
I had my first one several months ago - it was very different than UC - liquid D, severe nausea, chills, fever. Lasted exactly 5 days. I didn't do anything different
Posted 6/6/2012 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
I had a stomach bug or maybe it was something I ate just a few weeks ago. I had just started 6mp about 3 weeks before. I just treated it like any other stomach bug and recovered pretty quickly. I was up with vomiting all night and D. I even had a huge accident while voimiting. I called my GI but neither or us considered an ER visit. I just pushed fluids (small amts at a time) and ate the brat diet a day or 2 after. My still returned to normal pretty quickly. Can Flagyl give you D too? I've never taken it. Feel better.
Posted 6/6/2012 5:08 AM (GMT 0)
I'm only eating BRAT for the last two days because of this latest issue/bug/flare whatever it' is. Lodi- I have avoided red meat because the times I have tried it I got more explosive UC diarrhea. I wouldn't say avoiding helps me. I would say eating it seems to make bad go to worse. Before this latest episode I had started doing much better with only 3 bms per day and I was contemplating trying red meat again. On a day when I could lay low if needed. I will hold off on that now.


Thanks everyone for your feedback.
Posted 6/6/2012 5:26 AM (GMT 0)
To be honest I catch mostly everything. I think its due to have a less strong immune system.
My husband get a cold, I get a cold (but of course his is worst lol)
I'm always aware of whats around without being a bateria freak.

I feel for you. Like we don't have enough things going out of our butt that you have to catch a virus.
Posted 6/6/2012 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
When I have had a bug that was just vomitting it didn't affect my UC at all. Hubby and I had some kind of GI bug over the winter and it was only one day of D but for about 3-4 days my intestines just felt sore and stool wasn't normal but definetely not D. I don't call my GI when I get sick. Maybe if it lasted a week and I couldn't keep anything down then I would go to the hospital. I just try not to panic.
Posted 6/6/2012 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
When IBDers get a stomach bug, it can be harder on our system...it can last longer and the symptoms can be more severe compared to not having an IBD...it can sometimes bring on a flare as well...it's very individual though, just take in extra fluids and get extra rest when you get a gut-bug.

Luckily I haven't had a gut-bug in 17 yrs (beat Jerry Seinfelds record easy LOL), but hey, since I've been flaring for the last 21 yrs straight, I guess I deserve a break somewhere eh!
Posted 6/6/2012 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
I've gotten a couple of tummy bugs/food poisoning since being diagnosed. The first one was when I wasn't yet in remission (but getting much better) and it made the flare worse, so I ended up going on prednisone, where I hadn't needed it before. I think that one was a tummy bug b/c my kiddo (who is now 3.5) had been sick just prior to that. Since gaining remission, I've had two bouts of food poisoning, and have done just fine. The first time my SIL had eaten the same bad food, and we had pretty much identical symptoms. The second time, I was the only one to eat the bad food, so I can't compare, but I was pretty much back to normal the day after, just a bit tired.

As for kiddos bringing stuff home from daycare, it does happen, but my son has had a lot more in the way of cold-type viruses than GI bugs. And I've only gotten one of the tummy bugs, which was when I was still flaring, as I mentioned above.
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