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Suggest Treatment For Dizziness, Diarrhea And Headaches After Travelling

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Posted on Tue, 14 Feb 2017
Question: Traveled to SE Asia for 1-month. Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam. Came down with cold/flu symptoms right before I came back to the us. Had those for 8 days. Also started to develop extreme dizziness like I'm on a boat moving up and down. This has gone on now for a total of 22 days!!

Main symptoms:
dizziness
Headaches
Diarrhea
Gas
Fatigue
Achy all over
Dry mouth
Still lingering cold symptoms: runny nose, congestion, sneezing

I have been tested for certain parasites as well as tests for the flu. Came back negative. Chest X-ray came back fine. Can anyone think of anything else it could be? The doctors have basically given up and just say I have a virus but I've never been dizzy like this with a cold!
doctor
Answered by Dr. Riddhi Shah (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Probably suffering from cold, vestibular neuritis and Acute gastroenteritis

Detailed Answer:
Hi,thank you for posting your query on health care magic.

I can understand your concern.

Looking at your symptoms,you are probably suffering from Cold, Vestibular neuritis(Inflammation affecting the nerve associated with balance), and Acute Gastroenteritis(Inflammation of the lining of the intestines and Stomach).

Acute gastroenteritis: Because most cases are self-limited, specific treatment is not necessary.Studies have quantified that only 10% of cases require antibiotic therapy.

Etiology of Acute Gastro-enteritis include bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, and drugs. Viruses are responsible for a significant percentage of cases affecting patients of all ages. Acute gastroenteritis of adults, which most likely is caused by caliciviruses, rotaviruses, astroviruses, or adenoviruses.

Mucus or overt blood in the stool almost always indicates bacterial or parasitic infection.

You have done the test for most of the bacterial and parasitic pathogens and tested negative.

Bacterial culture for other pathogens (Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, and Staphylococcus aureus.,Bacillus cereus, Vibrio Cholera, Morganella morganii and M psychrotolerans) might be needed when a stool sample shows positive results for WBCs or blood or if you have have fever or symptoms persisting for longer than 3-4 days.

Viral gastroenteritis typically presents with mild fever and vomiting, followed by 1-4 days of nonbloody, watery diarrhea. Viral gastroenteritis is usually self-limited.

A viral cause should be suspected when the warning signs of bacterial infection (i.e, high fever, bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, >6 stools/24 h) are absent.

In the treatment perspective - the main objective is to maintain adequate rehydration and electrolyte supplementation. This can be achieved with an oral rehydration solution (ORS)
Oral rehydration is achieved by administering clear liquids and sodium-containing and glucose-containing solutions.

A simple ORS solution may be composed of 1 level teaspoon of salt and 4 heaping teaspoons of sugar added in to 1 liter of boiled/packaged mineral water.

Medicines like Antisecretory agents, such as bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol), and Loperamide (Imodium) ( It increases the intestinal absorption of electrolytes and water and decreases intestinal motility and secretion) may be useful.

During episodes of acute diarrhea, patients often develop an acquired disaccharidase deficiency due to washout of the brush-border enzymes. For this reason, avoiding milk, dairy products, and other lactose-containing foods is advisable. Strict personal hygiene should be practiced during the illness.

Vestibular neuritis:Inflammation affects the nerve associated with balance, resulting in dizziness or vertigo but no change in hearing.Infections are usually viral; less commonly, the cause is bacterial.

You may use medicines like Vertin(Betahistine), Antivert (meclizine), Phenergen (promethazine hydrochloride) to suppress dizziness .

If symptoms of dizziness or imbalance are for a longer duration, vestibular rehabilitation exercises (a form of physical therapy) may be suggested in order ability to adjust to the vestibular imbalance.

Cold: Viral infection is the main cause

For cold symptoms: runny nose, congestion, sneezing:You may get relief by taking Oral Decongestant(like containing Phenylephrine) and Nasal Decongestant (like Xylometazoline) if you are not suffering from high blood pressure, Antihistaminic (like Cetirizine 10mg once daily at bedtime).

For bodyache- you may get relief by taking Paracetamol.

Drink lots of fluids,do steam inhalation,Avoid dust and other pollutants.

Hope this answers your question.I would be happy to answer if you have any follow-up questions.

Get well soon.


Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Riddhi Shah (15 hours later)
Is it possible that I have a sinus infection? Is it true that viral sinus infections last around 10 days and doctors lean more towards bacterial if it goes past 10 days? Is there a way to test to see if I have bacterial sinusitus.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Riddhi Shah (18 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Please refer to the Answer

Detailed Answer:
Hi,I would like to solve your follow-up query.

The guidelines suggest that the sinus infection is probably bacterial if any of the following are true:
Onset with persistent symptoms or signs compatible with acute(lasting for less than 4 weeks) rhinosinusitis (headache, facial pain, runny nose and nasal congestion) lasting for ≥ 10 days without any evidence of clinical improvement; or
Onset with severe symptoms or signs of high fever (≥ 39°C or 102°F) and purulent nasal discharge or facial pain lasting for at least 3-4 consecutive days at the beginning of an illness; or
Onset with worsening symptoms or signs characterized by new onset of fever, headache, or increase in nasal discharge following a typical viral upper respiratory infection that lasted 5-6 days and initially improved ("double-sickening").

If you are suffering symptoms suggestive of Bacterial Sinusitis,then you need to start Oral Antibiotic after consulting Otolaryngologist Doctor.

Hope this solves your query.Get well soon
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Riddhi Shah

ENT Specialist

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 533 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Dizziness, Diarrhea And Headaches After Travelling

Brief Answer: Probably suffering from cold, vestibular neuritis and Acute gastroenteritis Detailed Answer: Hi,thank you for posting your query on health care magic. I can understand your concern. Looking at your symptoms,you are probably suffering from Cold, Vestibular neuritis(Inflammation affecting the nerve associated with balance), and Acute Gastroenteritis(Inflammation of the lining of the intestines and Stomach). Acute gastroenteritis: Because most cases are self-limited, specific treatment is not necessary.Studies have quantified that only 10% of cases require antibiotic therapy. Etiology of Acute Gastro-enteritis include bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, and drugs. Viruses are responsible for a significant percentage of cases affecting patients of all ages. Acute gastroenteritis of adults, which most likely is caused by caliciviruses, rotaviruses, astroviruses, or adenoviruses. Mucus or overt blood in the stool almost always indicates bacterial or parasitic infection. You have done the test for most of the bacterial and parasitic pathogens and tested negative. Bacterial culture for other pathogens (Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, and Staphylococcus aureus.,Bacillus cereus, Vibrio Cholera, Morganella morganii and M psychrotolerans) might be needed when a stool sample shows positive results for WBCs or blood or if you have have fever or symptoms persisting for longer than 3-4 days. Viral gastroenteritis typically presents with mild fever and vomiting, followed by 1-4 days of nonbloody, watery diarrhea. Viral gastroenteritis is usually self-limited. A viral cause should be suspected when the warning signs of bacterial infection (i.e, high fever, bloody diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, >6 stools/24 h) are absent. In the treatment perspective - the main objective is to maintain adequate rehydration and electrolyte supplementation. This can be achieved with an oral rehydration solution (ORS) Oral rehydration is achieved by administering clear liquids and sodium-containing and glucose-containing solutions. A simple ORS solution may be composed of 1 level teaspoon of salt and 4 heaping teaspoons of sugar added in to 1 liter of boiled/packaged mineral water. Medicines like Antisecretory agents, such as bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol), and Loperamide (Imodium) ( It increases the intestinal absorption of electrolytes and water and decreases intestinal motility and secretion) may be useful. During episodes of acute diarrhea, patients often develop an acquired disaccharidase deficiency due to washout of the brush-border enzymes. For this reason, avoiding milk, dairy products, and other lactose-containing foods is advisable. Strict personal hygiene should be practiced during the illness. Vestibular neuritis:Inflammation affects the nerve associated with balance, resulting in dizziness or vertigo but no change in hearing.Infections are usually viral; less commonly, the cause is bacterial. You may use medicines like Vertin(Betahistine), Antivert (meclizine), Phenergen (promethazine hydrochloride) to suppress dizziness . If symptoms of dizziness or imbalance are for a longer duration, vestibular rehabilitation exercises (a form of physical therapy) may be suggested in order ability to adjust to the vestibular imbalance. Cold: Viral infection is the main cause For cold symptoms: runny nose, congestion, sneezing:You may get relief by taking Oral Decongestant(like containing Phenylephrine) and Nasal Decongestant (like Xylometazoline) if you are not suffering from high blood pressure, Antihistaminic (like Cetirizine 10mg once daily at bedtime). For bodyache- you may get relief by taking Paracetamol. Drink lots of fluids,do steam inhalation,Avoid dust and other pollutants. Hope this answers your question.I would be happy to answer if you have any follow-up questions. Get well soon.