COVID nausea, vomiting and the runs

[Halftime Hope]

What can you tell me about helping nausea, vomiting, and GI upset after COVID?  Only one of my contacts who has had COVID has had that as an acute symptom or as a lingering post-COVID symptom.  (Then again, it's probably something no one is talking about in "polite company.")  A family member is suffering badly. 

Thank you!

 

 

[katilac]

I would call my doctor and request a prescription. I did have 'stomach flu' symptoms when I had covid, but it only lasted a couple of days. 

[Halftime Hope]

Thanks, Katilac! Family member just got a shot and an RX.  I'm more interested in self-care with foods and supplements: does anything help? 

 

[Clemsondana]

When we had it in January we only had mild symptoms.  But, I read somewhere that they thought the stomach issues might be coming from an agitated vagus nerve.  In searching, there are all sorts of things claiming to calm the vagus nerve.  I don't know if any of them work, but they might be worth a try.  My usual go-to for stomach things is probiotics, and I've also read about gut dysbiosis in covid patients so that might be worth trying, too.  I hope your friend feels better soon.  

[HomeAgain]

DS had the nausea with covid.  Probiotics did help, along with getting him his favorite yogurts.  It's not a perfect solution.  Even now, months later, he'll reach for the Tums to help settle himself, but the major symptoms went away.

[KeriJ]

My mom had those symptoms dramatically for 4 days in the middle of her Covid infection recently. Yogurt helped. And avoiding whole grains and other dairy for awhile. Hers didn't linger though. In the past, I took Culterelle when I had lingering issues and it cleared it up.

[Rachel]

My husband and I both had this with Covid but not post-Covid. Wish I could be of more help!

The lady at my health department said lots of people experience those symptoms, but mine lasted longer than most cases she had documented. I think it was 3 days (I can’t remember for sure). 
 

 

[Farrar]

Another vote for probiotics in addition to whatever the doctor might proscribe. This is a gimme, because there are lots of medicines to help with stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhea, etc. They just have to treat the symptoms. And then yogurt, kombucha, or just pills if they can't deal with those to try and get their biome back where it should be. It can happen after any illness. I'm dealing with a totally different bug from almost two months ago that's still got lingering effects for me.

[Brittany1116]

In addition to probiotics and yogurt, any fermented foods they can handle, even in small doses.

[kbutton]

I would try an s. boullardi probiotic. Not sure I spelled that correctly, but Thorne sells a good one, and there is a brand name as well that I am sure someone will chime in with that is not in my brain right now.

I don't tolerate gelatin, but it's widely accepted that bone broth made with good stock is good for gut health and can help calm gut issues. Ditto for gelatin that's from good sources (grass fed, etc.). You can get the grass fed gelatin relatively inexpensively on Amazon (last I looked), and you can use it in soups you already like or make it up like regular jello with fruit juice, etc. It's a nice time of year for Knox blocks--juice jigglers made with unflavored gelatin but stiffer than regular jello so that you can eat it with your fingers. https://commonsensehome.com/finger-jello/  Some flavors of juice are sweet enough that you don't really need to add honey or sugar (grape, for instance). 

I think any advice that people follow for leaky gut would likely help with this kind of recovery as well.

 

[Spryte]

Florastor is the name brand of s. Boulardii that I like. I like it because they used it in studies for C Diff, with good results, and it’s readily available. I like Thorne, too!

My favorite probiotic when the runs are involved is Visbiome. It used to be sold Rx only with a different name (VSL #3, maybe?). It’s excellent! Pricey, but they will ship it with cold packs and a temperature gauge so you’ll know it’s viable. Worth every penny.

Fermented foods, bone broth, yogurt without added sugars.

I have been on the BRAT diet for quite a while, and find that I can expand if I stay very low fat. Chicken is ok, beef is not. 
 

[kristin0713]

I’m seeing this a little late, but when I had covid, the nausea was so intensely bad that I got a prescription for zofran. I had to take it for several days around the clock but it did help. 

[Halftime Hope]

So, it took an injection at urgent care and about 18 hours of her rx ( I don't know what it was) to stop the vomiting and nausea enough to help start keeping down soft foods. This family member is the same one I've mentioned elsewhere that has chronic health issues.  Finally, they have turned a corner.  This would definitely be one of those things where, if you have a pre-existing weakness, covid exacerbates it. 

Interestingly, four young adults under the same roof (rent-sharing household), all of them got it.  All had the same symptoms, all with fatigue, a bit of head cold, and major GI issues. But this one has suffered worse, predictably.