What is stomach flu? It is also known as gastroenteritis which is mainly caused by two viruses namely rotavirus, adenovirus and echovirus. Hence this a viral infection that is associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea abdominal cramps etc. although there is no particular cure for gastroenteritis but is managed symptomatically. In this topic a proper management along with some preventive measures are described.
Read the below given information and you will be enough fed with the knowledge on the treatment survival of gastroenteritis.
Step 1: Differentiate Between Stomach flu And Food Poisoning
The first foremost step for you to take is differentiate between the two very alike diseases. Food poisoning could be confused with stomach flu or vice versa. Stomach bugs hang in for three to five days while at times could even be seven days. They may be associated with vomiting or diarrhea while it could even be accompanied with loss in appetite or dizziness too. But these are very short termed symptoms. On the other hand for stomach flu following symptoms shall be seen.
Step 2: Notice the following symptoms:
Below given symptoms are that are seen when a person suffers from stomach flu
Nausea
nausea is a phenomenon in which an individual feels the urge to vomit any moment but no such episode occurs. This is one of the symptoms of stomach that a person might feel nauseate.
Vomiting
other symptom that could be experienced is vomiting. Due to any disturbance in the usual movements retained by the bowel there is often a reaction to it. That reaction usually occurs either in the form of diarrhea or vomiting. During vomiting the bowel movements travel in the opposite direction that ultimately results in expulsion of food from the mouth.
Diarrhea
diarrhea is the passage of water stool. When the walls of intestine are irritated by any external factor e.g. Bacteria etc it results either in vomiting or diarrhea. There are two categories of bacteria. One is a bloody diarrhea where as the other one is a non bloody diarrhea. Depending upon the infecting organism it occurs.
In this case where stomach flu is involved a non bloody diarrhea is seen.
Fever
when there is an involvement of any infection there is reactionary rise in the temperature. This is usual to happen because the body takes defensive steps to protect against the attacking organism. Hence the defense line in the body gets activated that result in the rise of temperature.
In stomach flu a mild rise in temperature of 100 degree Fahrenheit could be observed.
Cramps
along with the above given symptoms one more that is similar to the food poisoning is the appearance of abdominal cramps. This could be mild to severe but it does occur.
Headache
headache or getting dizzy could be one of the symptoms as well. After having a few vomits or diarrhea a person starts to get a headache.
Tiredness
with the above symptoms prevailing a person in the end gets lethargic and weak. So this is again of the associate symptom of having stomach flu.
Note: when you go through these symptoms than one must consult a doctor and have a stool test.
Step 3: Management Options:
Following are the management steps that shall be taken during stomach flu
Lay Down
having abdominal cramps gets you teary. The cramps that are experienced are constant or might come in waves but whichever is the case it is very painful. The immediate that you could do is changing your position and curl yourself in a fetal posture. This would help you in getting a bit of relief from the cramps you are experiencing.
Hydrate Yourself
the next is to get yourself high on water. It is recommended to take 3 liters of water per day for men and for women it is 2.2 liters. While you take these do not take any concentrated juices or milk as they could be upsetting to sensitive stomach during the disease. So try and eliminate them from your diet. Besides this you need to electrolytes that you can have via ORS or rice water.
Avoid heavy and solid food: one must try and avoid the solid food items and stay on a light diet as much as possible. During this duration the stomach gets sensitive to digest heavy food and it is recommended to take lighter food stuff. This helps the stomach to stay at rest and work as less as possible.
Food options: following are said to be the best food options to take during stomach flu
- bananas contain major chunk of it as water. And much of the electrolytes needed by the body. Bananas are supposed to be food of choice during the period of dehydration. Pectin, a fiber that soothes diarrhea is also found in banana.
- No more intake of spicy and tangy food is to be preferred. During the prevalence of this disease get yourself on properly cooked and less spiced food for a while in order to give some rest to your digestive track.
- yogurt is one of the preferred foods in case of stomach flu. Probiotics present in yogurt helps the stomach and the immune system to get things into balance again.
- taking sips of tiny water could also be helpful in this case.
- you need to take a lot of electrolytes and rice eater is rich in electrolytes. You can boil half a cup of rice and strain the water that you have boiled the rice in. Then drink this water!
Herbal options: following herbs could be very useful
- this anti-inflammatory in nature and so it could be helpful here as well. Besides this it is used as remedy for digestion! Particularly during nausea.
- mint leaves are helpful with upset digestive system and even IBS. Chewing a few leaves could also work or one can boil and drink its water.
- chamomile tea, fennel tea and roobios tea is helpful here too. It can ease the digestive track and ease the cramps.
Medicines
After all the above given home remedies and food alterations one must also go to a doctor and if the doctor prescribes any drugs they must e regularly taken by the individuals.
Vaccination
Certain counties provide a vaccine against rotavirus. A virus that is responsible for stomach flu. Getting vaccinated for it can be of good help in the prevention of such a disease.
Good Hygiene
Keep a track of your hygiene and stay clean at all times. If you’re using public washrooms make sure that you wash your hands properly and sanitize them as well. Besides this keep your kitchen and the cooking area clean and germ free. You must also wash the toys, bedding items or any other stuff that comes in contact with an infected individual.
Avoid Under Cooked Food
Cooking food on a high flame kills almost much of the organisms. It is always recommended to wash the food items properly before having to eat them. And after that always cook them properly and avoid any under cooked food.
Tips
- Always get your first step as the step for hydration.
- Keep your diet as simple as possible.
- Preventive measures must be taken by every individual as told above.
- Hygiene is the key factor.