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Calling Flu experts. Stomach virus or the flu?


PrincessMommy
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DD (18) woke up today feeling sick to her stomach.  She had diarrhea and continued to feel sick to her stomach.. .went back to sleep.  When she woke up she siad she felt miserable...everything hurts, slight headache.  no fever.  She threw up and still feels sick to her stomach.  I want to get her on the Tamiflu if she's got the flu.  

 

She's still getting up and trying to eat/drink small amounts.  She's acting like she's got a bad cold or stomach flu...

 

How can I tell the difference between a stomach virus and the flu??

 

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We're wondering too. DH had similar to what you describe last week, with one occurrence of vomiting. He was better in two days, so we were inclined to think not flu, or at least not a strain that's taking people seriously down. One DD had it last night, so I'm hoping it's as short-lived as the other.

 

Erica in OR

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In my experience, flu doesn't cause much vomiting or diarrhoea.  It's mostly the other symptoms, with few or no gastric problems.  I would guess that this was something else as it mostly sounds gastric.

 

FWIW, it's worth reading these very well researched findings on Tamiflu.

 

L

 

That has been my understanding too, but I've heard that this year's strain comes with a stomach problem... not sure if there's actual throwing up or just really bad stomach pains.

 

She's now thrown up twice since I first posted this... so it's looking a bit more like a reg. stomach flu.  I really hope so, because those are gone much quicker.

 

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Confirmed Flu A here. It started in DS with vomiting. I delayed taking him to the doc, thinking it was a stomach bug. It wasn't. We missed the window for Tamiflu.

 

DD started a few days later - vomiting was the beginning. She's on Tamiflu.

 

I have Flu A, too. No vomiting but nauseated, diarrhea, and stomach pain along with the usual flu symptoms. I was on Tamiflu. Posting this from the hospital, I've been here since yesterday - had an adverse reaction to Tamiflu. Hoping to go home later today.

 

I hope it's not flu. But go check.

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Confirmed Flu A here. It started in DS with vomiting. I delayed taking him to the doc, thinking it was a stomach bug. It wasn't. We missed the window for Tamiflu.

 

DD started a few days later - vomiting was the beginning. She's on Tamiflu.

 

I have Flu A, too. No vomiting but nauseated, diarrhea, and stomach pain along with the usual flu symptoms. I was on Tamiflu. Posting this from the hospital, I've been here since yesterday - had an adverse reaction to Tamiflu. Hoping to go home later today.

 

I hope it's not flu. But go check.

 

Same here.  Confirmed flu started with my son's waking up with a headache and low fever.  He vomited up his breakfast and wouldn't eat anything much for the rest of the day.  Neither my son nor my husband ever had classic body aches, though they both felt pretty yucky on Day 2, the day they started Tamiflu.  My son bounced back to normal on Day 3.  My husband's flu was fine on Day 3, but it turned into pneumonia.  A couple of days into his course of antibiotics, and he was feeling fine also.

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Same here. Confirmed flu started with my son's waking up with a headache and low fever. He vomited up his breakfast and wouldn't eat anything much for the rest of the day. Neither my son nor my husband ever had classic body aches, though they both felt pretty yucky on Day 2, the day they started Tamiflu. My son bounced back to normal on Day 3. My husband's flu was fine on Day 3, but it turned into pneumonia. A couple of days into his course of antibiotics, and he was feeling fine also.

Glad they are both recovering. The hospital staff here is telling me that in our area, Flu A starts with vomiting this year, often. Yuck. It's the pits.

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Glad they are both recovering. The hospital staff here is telling me that in our area, Flu A starts with vomiting this year, often. Yuck. It's the pits.

 

Yes, and that's what I keep hearing here on the board and elsehwere.  I think I may take her in.  I just hate to take her someplace where there's a higher probability of exposure if she doesn't already have it.  I'ts a hard call but at least I'll know.

 

 

She still doesn't have a fever.  Could it still be the flu?

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The flu is a respiratory disease. It includes fever and chills and body aches.

 

Since the stomach is not part of the respiratory system, I'd say not the flu.

 

Poor baby--hope she feels better soon!

 

except I keep hearing how this one starts with the stomach flu.  Lots of people didn't get in sooner because they assumed that it was just a reg. stomach flu and not Type A flu.

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Confirmed Flu A here. It started in DS with vomiting. I delayed taking him to the doc, thinking it was a stomach bug. It wasn't. We missed the window for Tamiflu.

 

DD started a few days later - vomiting was the beginning. She's on Tamiflu.

 

I have Flu A, too. No vomiting but nauseated, diarrhea, and stomach pain along with the usual flu symptoms. I was on Tamiflu. Posting this from the hospital, I've been here since yesterday - had an adverse reaction to Tamiflu. Hoping to go home later today.

 

I hope it's not flu. But go check.

 

hope you go home today too...  how awful... the flu and then a bad reaction.  I guess i need to go look up reactions to Tamiflu... this dd has asthma too.

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Yes, and that's what I keep hearing here on the board and elsehwere. I think I may take her in. I just hate to take her someplace where there's a higher probability of exposure if she doesn't already have it. I'ts a hard call but at least I'll know.

 

 

She still doesn't have a fever. Could it still be the flu?

I never ran more than a low grade fever. So maybe. And my asthma kid who normally spikes high fevers never did either. It's been low grade the whole time.

 

If you take her in, ask for a mask in the waiting room. :)

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Yes, and that's what I keep hearing here on the board and elsehwere. I think I may take her in. I just hate to take her someplace where there's a higher probability of exposure if she doesn't already have it. I'ts a hard call but at least I'll know.

 

 

She still doesn't have a fever. Could it still be the flu?

I never ran more than a low grade fever. So maybe. And my asthma kid who normally spikes high fevers never did either. It's been low grade the whole time.

 

If you take her in, ask for a mask in the waiting room. :)

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The flu is a respiratory disease. It includes fever and chills and body aches.

 

Since the stomach is not part of the respiratory system, I'd say not the flu.

 

Poor baby--hope she feels better soon!

And you would have been wrong about my son and husband and my neighbor's son, who apparently contracted it from my son before my son showed symptoms. All three presented exactly the same way: headaches, nausea (2 out of 3 vomited) and low-grade fever, and all 3 had positive flu tests. Viva la difference!

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The flu can present as diarrhea and vomiting, especially in children, although respiratory symptoms are most common. Similar to the way polio (which is actually an enteric virus that causes digestive upset ) can present with neurological symptoms such as paralysis. DH had digestive issues with the flu this year, while DD and I did not.

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thanks everyone.  Just got back from 3hrs at urgent care.  They tested for flu and strep - dr. said that strep has been presenting with a stomach virus this year too.   Thankfully, it was neither.  She has the stomach flu.  Gave her zofran under the tongue and a pedialite popsicle, and she's feeling much better already.    I'm relieved.

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