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What Causes Vomiting, Stomach Pain And Intermittent Diarrhea?
Question: one after noon of vomitng and diarrhea with stomach paine then two days of on and off diarrhea
Brief Answer:
Most likely a viral gastroenteritis
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
This could either be a "stomach flu" which is usually caused by a virus, or contaminated food, but most likely it is a stomach flu (gastroenteritis). I don't know if this is going around in XXXXXXX DC, but usually at any given time there are stomach flus. If you have not traveled outside of the US, it is likely not to be a serious infection (other than the risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances).
It will likely run it's course and I expect you will start to feel better, with resolution of the diarrhea, in the next 2-4 days.
It is important, with fluid and electrolyte losses from diarrhea, to replace these. Coconut water (NOT coconut milk) can be found in many groceries and is an ideal electrolyte and fluid replacement solution. There are other replacement solutions, such as Gatorade, too, but these tend to contain a lot of sugar.
Eat smaller amounts at a time now, to stress your digestive system less. Bananas, apple sauce, rice, toast, potatoes, sweet potatoes, crackers, are usually tolerated better than other things. Chicken soup, poultry, fish, that is not highly seasoned or greasy is ok as are very well cooked vegetables (nothing raw right now) too.
If you are on certain blood pressure lowering medications, you may need to be extra careful that your potassium doesn't get too low.
There are anti-diarrheal medications you can buy, but for what is likely a viral gastroenteritis, if the diarrhea isn't severe, it is probably best to avoid these medications as then you can end up too constipated.
I hope this information helps and I hope you feel better soon!
Most likely a viral gastroenteritis
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
This could either be a "stomach flu" which is usually caused by a virus, or contaminated food, but most likely it is a stomach flu (gastroenteritis). I don't know if this is going around in XXXXXXX DC, but usually at any given time there are stomach flus. If you have not traveled outside of the US, it is likely not to be a serious infection (other than the risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances).
It will likely run it's course and I expect you will start to feel better, with resolution of the diarrhea, in the next 2-4 days.
It is important, with fluid and electrolyte losses from diarrhea, to replace these. Coconut water (NOT coconut milk) can be found in many groceries and is an ideal electrolyte and fluid replacement solution. There are other replacement solutions, such as Gatorade, too, but these tend to contain a lot of sugar.
Eat smaller amounts at a time now, to stress your digestive system less. Bananas, apple sauce, rice, toast, potatoes, sweet potatoes, crackers, are usually tolerated better than other things. Chicken soup, poultry, fish, that is not highly seasoned or greasy is ok as are very well cooked vegetables (nothing raw right now) too.
If you are on certain blood pressure lowering medications, you may need to be extra careful that your potassium doesn't get too low.
There are anti-diarrheal medications you can buy, but for what is likely a viral gastroenteritis, if the diarrhea isn't severe, it is probably best to avoid these medications as then you can end up too constipated.
I hope this information helps and I hope you feel better soon!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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