Stomach Flu?

[Corkdarrr]

So I did this whole elimination diet a month or two ago. Felt GREAT. Had a really difficult time reintroducing food and then kind of gave up and decided I'd just start over after the holidays.

In the meantime, I fell off the casein-wagon into a world of deliciousness. And, of course, pain.

Not suprisingly, I've been getting increasingly worse. My migraines are back up to six days a week and last almost all day. I'm in constant gut pain. Vomiting. D. Cramping. I'm miserable. Hey, just like before I went gluten-free!!

And yes, I will stop eating dairy again. I've been convinced.

So here's the thing. The last two days have been significantly worse. Yesterday I had yet another a migraine and when I took an Imitrex I got a hundred times worse. I had to work and the only thing I could do was to kill any and all feeling in my body with caffeine - which totally worked. I'm stiff. I'm achey. I feel even more exhausted than usual and everything is heavy.

I don't have a fever because I very rarely get a fever - my body is usually around 97ish. I was in the mid 98s today, so I suppose that would qualify for an elevated temperature?

I know the flu is going around. My boss has it right now - vomiting, D, etc... for the past few days. Do you think I have the flu or has my body just given up on me because I bombarded it with casein? I have a tendency to blame everything on some sort of food reaction and my thyroid still being low. Could I just be sick? I don't have any other symptoms like a runny nose or a sore throat...just the usual stuff 100x worse.

Thoughts?

Courtney

[darlindeb25]

Yes, you could have the flu, we do also get sick just like everyone else. Maybe you are glutening yourself in some way. Just try to eat simple things like rice and chicken for a few days and see what happens.

[marciab]

Except for the migraines, I could have written this

My theory is that if you have a stomach virus, eating is going to continue to cause symptoms.

But, if it is just our normal irritable digestive systems, then eating our regular foods will help get things moving like they should. So far this is working for me ...

Just don't try caseine. Harder said than done I know. I had to put the Kefir bottle back in the frig. I was sooo close ...

Marcia

[Corkdarrr]

I guess it just seems like if I were to have the stomach flu, it wouldn't seem that much different than how I've been feeling on a daily basis. And it has been going around with people I know, so it's entirely possible.

On the other hand, I have been severely abusing casein and all its cheesy glory, so it's possibly my body has just given up.

I'll just try going to bed for now. For the big picture I will give up casein again and try and restore some semblence of harmony to my body. Stupid long roads

[lovegrov]

There are many stomach viruses going around now and they are no fun. Some last a day and others go on and on. You can also be re-infected. These are not the FLU flu, because the real flu doesn't cause vomiting. The real flu is a respiratory disease that causes fever, breathing problems and terrible achiness. And it lasts 7-10 days.

richard

[darlindeb25]

A-Z Health Guide from WebMD

Stomach flu (gastroenteritis)

Stomach flu, sometimes called gastroenteritis, is inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection or by some poisons.

The symptoms of gastroenteritis include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, and weight loss.

Stomach flu usually goes away without medical treatment in 1 to 2 days. Home treatment can relieve the symptoms of stomach flu and prevent problems, such as dehydration.

This info is from WebMD. It may technically be called gastroenteritis, yet we have always known it as "stomach flu" and it is a very real illness and very contagious.

[lovegrov]

I was simply trying to show the difference between influenza and the "stomach flu" because when people start throwing up in the winter they often think they have influenza. "Stomach flu" is NOT influenza no matter what people call it.

Influenza is the thing that you can get a shot to prevent and that lasts 7-10 days. High fever, terrible achiness, congestion -- but not throwing up. It kills tens of thousands of people in the U.S. every year -- sometimes hundreds of thousands -- and the next time we get a pandemic of it, it will kill millions. "Stomach flu" is miserable and contagious but it rarely kills. There's no shot to prevent it. The term gastroenteritis covers several different stomach bugs.

Huge difference in the two.

richard

[jerseyangel]

Yes, if you get the flu--you know it! It comes on fast, and you feel like you've been run over by a truck! It causes headache, body aches, weakness, coughing and fever that lasts for several days. I had it in 2003, and literally could not get out of bed for 24 hours. The fever caused almost uncontrollable chills and shivering. The cough hung on for a couple of weeks.

It dosen't usually cause GI symptoms.

There are many stomach viruses going around now--pretty typical for this time of year. One went through our house recently and caused a variety of unpleasant symptoms like diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain.

It is sometimes difficult for us Celiacs with similar Gi symptoms to differentiate between the two. My biggest clue is if my husband or son has been sick lately. These things are pretty contageous.

All that said, you may be having a major cassein reaction, either in addition to--or separate from a virus. In any case, I hope you feel better very soon

[darlindeb25]

Sorry Richard, but influenza was never mentioned--the word did not come up in any post. Stomach flu is a very real illness and it is very difficult for a celiac to know if they have flu or glutened. No one mentioned upper respiratory and I just wanted to show that it is called "stomach flu". It is true that influenza and stomach flu are not the same thing, but they are both very real.