Viral Gastroenteritis, aka The Stomach Flu

Be very careful this summer. Wash your hands after leaving public places and before you eat. If you hear that someone you know has the stomach flu, stay far away, or if they call for your help don't hesitate to lend a latex gloved hand. There is a very nasty stomach virus going around and you don't want to fall victim!

At about 5:30a.m. on Monday morning, June 18th, a severe stomach pain yanked me from my sleep. Thinking it was gas, I rolled over, took a deep breath, and waited. The pain got worse, and my bowels started to churn so I got up to go to the bathroom. It was not very pleasant . . . Diarrhea. After about three minutes of sitting there on the toilet, more unpleasantness came. I found myself bent over the edge of my bathtub vomiting violently. At first, I thought maybe I had eaten something bad, so I showered, brushed my teeth and prepared a chamomile tea with lemon and honey. I called my family to see if anyone else was feeling ill (since we had all eaten the same thing the evening before). Nope . . . everyone was fine.

Fifteen minutes later I was in the same position(sitting on my toilet, hunched over the bathtub). I endured five more hours of this terrible routine, every fifteen minutes, until I was sure that I had been poisoned and was going to die. I asked a friend to drive me to the Delta Medical Emergency room in East Memphis, TN. I nearly fainted there in front of the Emergency room receptionist, and a kind stranger grabbed me. She helped me over to a chair while my friend parked the car. I waited one hour, still making the same bathroom trip every fifteen minutes, and using a garbage can as a bathtub substitute to puke in to, before the Triage nurse finally called my name. The nurse took my blood pressure about three times before I had to excuse myself to make my terrible bathroom trip again.

It was not long before another nurse called me back to admit me in to a room. She asked me for a urine sample and eventually took a blood sample. She injected me with Phenergan for nausea, something else for stomach pain, and started an I.V. of Sodium Chloride. Two liters of Sodium Chloride and two hours later, the doctor was telling me that I had Viral Gastroenteritis. He wrote me a couple of scripts to treat the symptoms and told me to drink plenty of liquids. Viral Gastroenteritis is a fancy name for the stomach flu. I spent the next two days in bed; drinking plenty of fluids and taking the recommended dose of Phenergan and Pepto-Bismal. My life force and appetite came back almost immediately at the end of those two days. I am so glad that I am over my stomach virus and wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

The symptoms of Viral Gastroenteritis include vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. It is important to stay hydrated as symptoms persist, and consult a doctor. Stay healthy and be careful this summer because the nasty stomach flu from Hell is going around, and you don't want to fall victim!