# Stomach flu or IBS?



## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

So a week ago, on a tuesday, I got sick. I felt nauseous and felt like vomiting all day. I think I ate one loaf of toasted bread and took half an hour to eat it. I didn't vomit nor did I have any bowel movements. Went to the doc and he said I had a stomach flu (or gastro-enteritis if you prefer that term).The day after that, I felt much better but still watched my diet. They always say you have to eat very lightly when you got a stomach flu so I ate nothing but toasted bread, fish and rice. I felt a lot better by friday so I ate a waffle but then I came home after work and I had a sudden burst of diahrrea. Just once. The day after that, my stools were normal again. So I called the doc and he said the flu might simply have moved to my intestines after residing in my stomach. He told me to continue catching my diet.Ok well so I watch my diet, stools are back to normal but then, yesterday evening (monday) I had a single burst of diahrrea again. Next bowel movement on tuesday was totally normal again. I'm not feeling sick but I'm not feeling 100% good neither. Then again, I have IBS I never feel totally normal in my intestines...My IBS usually just gives me a lot of gas, sometimes softer stools, sometimes normal stools, sometimes constipation. IBS giving me diahrrea like those two times the past days is rare in my case.So my question is: do you think it might still be a leftover of my stomach flu and that it's not entirely gone yet, or is it something else? Is it possible that a stomach flu can cause a few isolated bursts of diahhrea and that it infects my intestines for almost a week?To be honest, I hope it's just that. At least I know that'll go away.I came to a point where I realize my anxiousness about this IBS business is putting me in a neverending loop. My great fear is that my IBS will intensify over time and end up incapacitating me. making me unable to live a normal life. And this anxiousness is probably fueling the symptoms. It's extremely hard to get out of this loop... I'm considering consulting a psychologist or a psychiatrist.I tried medication like Spasmomen, but it barely helps. I hope one day I will overcome this thing.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

For me IBSiarrhea is a one off, or a couple of times then stops. Typically loose. Tend to calm down during sleep, but may occasionally disturb sleep. It may happen every day, but not be all day long every day.No nausea or vomitingNo fever.Stomach virus or food poisoning.Diarrhea is every 20-60 minutes for hours or days on end round the clock awake or asleep. Usually watery rather than loose.Nausea and vomiting doesn't always happen, but is more likely to.May have a fever, or other "flu like" symptoms like aches.Getting anxious about your symptoms is something that can make the worse, keep them going. I have had food poisoning for up to a week and a half, but that was a week and half of every day every hour. Not one day then a few days later (that tends to be IBS).Now after a GI illness the colon can be more sensitive even in completely healthy people so sometimes thins that normally don't set off the IBS may be more likely to while you are healing up.


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## sharanne (Aug 23, 2006)

Kathleen, I am having what I thought was a flareup of my IBS but it may be the flu? Am leaving for my holiday tomorrow to a tropical country and am worried. I have a scriipt for cipro which the dr gave me in case I run into trouble. However, I babysat my two young grandkids for several days about 12 days ago. They both had the stomach flu. My IBS at the time coincidentally was flaring up, and it has proceeded to continue to do so for the past week to the point that I have had chills (no fever) and persistent diaharrea for the past few days. I used immodium (2 pills) yesterday and I felt better. However, as I hate to use it I did not take any today and the diaharrea and chills are back. Am worried about my trip (too late to cancel) and not sure what to do. Can I be experiencing a delayed stomach flu which has exacerbated my IBS or if I have the flu, what do I eat as it all goes through me quickly.....Am on liquids, rice, and bland food. Should I take the immodium again? Any suggestions would be helpful..Thanks


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

stomach flu usually takes a few days to hit and can last for several days so it could be that (and sometimes the colon is a bit touchy after the virus clears up)If you are goig to travel I'd take the Imodium until you don't need it.


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## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

There is one thing I didn't think of in my story and I'm an idiot for not thinking of it... in January, I had to take antibiotics for 3 weeks against a sinus infection that I just couldn't get rid off. Just after those antibiotics were all taken, I got the stomach flu.Now I'm wondering: could it be that my IBS got worse just after the flu because of the combined effects of 3 weeks of antibiotics and the flu? Could it be that the antibiotics just toally messed up my gut flora? It makes sense to me. I totally forgot what unfriendly effects antibiotics could have on my poor damn colon.So now, my doc knows I have IBS and stuff and she gave me probiotics named Probiotical. I've been taking them for about 3 days and I feel my IBS is getting slightly less intense. How long does it take for probiotics to effectively put the gut flora back to "normal" and make you feel better?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Usually a couple of weeks should get you to about the best results you will get from a probiotic.You may need to keep taking it even if you feel better at 2 weeks because they typically need frequent reseeding to keep the population up.


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