yesterday afternoon i got a mcchicken from mcdonalds and then a half hour i felt sick to stomach. it lasted all night and i had really bad smelling gas and diarrea a few times.
anyways, i got a great night sleep and woke up feel sick to stomach so now about 20 hours after eating the mcchicken i feel very weak and light headed and just in a daze of being 'out of it' and of course the stomach still hurts. I've been drinking alot of 7up. im not normally one to throw up and i have not but most food ive tired to eat doesnt agree with my stomach. I THINK i might be running a fever, not sure as i can't tell.
does this sound like food poisoning or maybe the flu?
what else can I do other then drink clear soda? (7up, not really a water drinker)
Thanks Also VERY tired Food poisoning usually hits very fast. The food has bacteria that your body says "hey! get it out of here!" as a defense measure. You will throw up undigested/partially digested food. You can get a milder form of it where you have diarrea. Most food poisoning will keep you up all night in the bathroom. No great night of sleep! Your body will continue to expell the food until it is gone. Then you are weak from loss of fluid and a sodium/potassium deficiency. Drinking gator aid and eating bananas helps this. If your stomach still is delicate, eat dry toast and drink juice and broth or other fluids. Gator ade is the best for food poisoning or the flu. If this continues for more than two days, you have the flu. It can involve your GI tract and you need rest and fluids. Vomiting or diarrea for more than two days? Call your doc. Hope you feel better soon! :-) Sounds like food poisoning to me. The flu usually doesn't involve GI problems. I think your best bet is to see your doctor. I looked up the symptoms of the flu and for a certain kind of food poisoning in the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (www.merck.com). Take a look, then give your doc a call:
Food poisoning (staphylococci): Symptoms usually begin abruptly with severe nausea and vomiting starting about 2 to 8 hours after the contaminated food is eaten. Other symptoms may include abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and sometimes headache and fever. Severe fluid and electrolyte loss may cause weakness and very low blood pressure (shock). Symptoms usually last less than 12 hours, and recovery is usually complete. Occasionally, staphylococcal food poisoning is fatal, especially in the very young, the very old, and people weakened by long-term illness.
The symptoms are usually all a doctor needs to make the diagnosis of gastroenteritis. A more specific diagnosis of staphylococcal food poisoning may be suspected when other people who ate the same food are similarly affected and when the disorder can be traced to a single source of contamination. To confirm the diagnosis, a laboratory analysis must identify staphylococci in the suspected food, but this analysis is not usually performed
FLU symptoms:
Symptoms start 1 to 4 days after infection and can begin suddenly. Chills or a chilly sensation is often the first indication. Fever is common during the first few days, sometimes reaching 102 to 103掳 F (about 39掳 C). Many people feel so ill, weak, and tired that they remain in bed for days. They have aches and pains throughout the body, particularly in the back and legs. Headache is often severe, with aching around and behind the eyes. Bright light may make the headache worse.
At first, respiratory symptoms may be relatively mild. They may include a scratchy sore throat, a burning sensation in the chest, a dry cough, and a runny nose. Later, the cough can become severe and bring up phlegm (sputum). The skin may be warm and flushed, especially on the face. The mouth and throat may redden, the eyes may water, and the whites of the eyes may become bloodshot. People, especially children, may have nausea and vomiting. A few people lose their sense of smell for a few days or weeks. Rarely, the loss is permanent.
Most symptoms subside after 2 or 3 days. However, fever sometimes lasts up to 5 days. Cough, weakness, sweating, and fatigue may persist for several days or occasionally weeks. Mild airway irritation, which can result in a decrease in how long or hard a person can exercise, or slight wheezing may take 6 to 8 weeks to completely resolve.
The most common complication of influenza is pneumonia, which can be viral, bacterial, or both. In viral pneumonia, the influenza virus itself spreads into the lungs. In bacterial pneumonia, unrelated bacteria (such as pneumococci or staphylococci) attack the person's weakened defenses. With either, people may have a worsened cough, difficulty breathing, persistent or recurring fever, and sometimes blood or pus in the sputum. Pneumonia is more common among older people and among people with a heart or lung disorder. In long-term care facilities, as many as 7% of older people who develop influenza have to be hospitalized, and 1 to 4% die. Younger people with a chronic disorder are also at risk of developing severe complications.
Because most people are familiar with the symptoms of influenza and because influenza occurs in epidemics, it is often correctly diagnosed by the person who has it or by family members. The severity of symptoms and the presence of a high fever and body aches help distinguish influenza from a cold, especially when the illness occurs during an influenza outbreak. It is more difficult to correctly identify influenza by symptoms alone when no outbreak is occurring. Tests on samples of blood or respiratory secretions can be used to identify the influenza virus. Such tests are done mainly when people appear very ill or when a doctor suspects another cause for the symptoms. Some tests can be done in the doctor's office.
Both are quoted from the Merck Manual, www.merck.com |
