# Post-gastroenteritis



## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

Contracted gastroenteritis again this weekend.
I seem to have it pretty often ever since I've had that C-Diff infection last year... but anyway that's not the question. (it's probably due to a lot of bad luck anyway)

Ive had diahrea for a couple of days and it's been better since yesterday. My stools are not totally watery any more but they're not perfectly firm neither. It's still kinda mushy. They're also still very green.

Is it normal that my stools are still somewhat loose and that my stools look dark green (a little darker than spinach-green)? I suppose it can go on like this for a few more days right?

Before you ask: no I didn't eat any green or leafy foods.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Things generally don't pop back into perfectly normal all at once. Expect some odd stools especially with all you have gone through.

How good are you about food hygiene? Do you make most of your own food or are you eating a lot prepared by others? You seem to have a lot of bad luck, and not sure if you can do something to try to turn that around.


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## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

I used to be pretty... careless about food hygiëne. Not that I was a pig, but as someone with sensitive guts I should've known better. Luckily, these past months, I paid more attention: make sure everything's cleaned, properly cook my food, throw away expired foods, properly refrigirate food, avoid dubious fast food joints etc.
Campylobacter back then was 100% my own fault.

I also make sure I properly wash my hands before eating, when coming home, after going to the bathroom, when arriving at the office, etc.

However, the infections I had these past months, after the campylobacter, were mostly just bad luck. I mean, there are a lot of stomach flus in the country at the moment and another colleague also became sick this weekend so I think one just infected the other.
My guts are simply very sensitive and it means I have to be even more vigilant than someone else.

I must admit... I heard scientists are working on a vaccine against Norovirus (that is responsible for 90% of the viral stomach flus)... I can't wait to get that.
Same for C-Diff. They're developing it too and even if C-Diff can be avoided more easily... I would very much like to never get infected with that bastard again.

But, on my question, it's possible that I just had a regular viral gastroenteritis and that it may take a week or so to properly recover and that in the meantime I'll still have looser stools and different bowel habits?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It is normal for it to take awhile (like a few days or a week or two) to get back to where you were before the GI infection.

Whatever is your body's response to the healing process will determine what kind of stool issues you may have.


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## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

Thanks Kathleen.
Well it's almost back to normal now. Still somewhat greenish and my BM's are at more irregular times of the day (normally it's once at noon, once early evening for me) but I suppose that might have to do with the fact that I'm still strictly watching my food. I eat roasted bread with jam, fish, rice and carrots at the moment.

Damn I hate stomach flu. I just hope they come up with a vaccine against it within the next few years.


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## Little Hedgehog (Dec 2, 2008)

Sorry for the bump, but is it usual for the bowel movements to be irregular after a gastroenteritis?
I don't have diahrea any more, but I have BM's at totally random times of the day while I usually have very regular times. I also have a bit more bloating anc cramping than usual but I don't feel sick any more.

Could this still be the gut recovering from the gastroenteritis?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Yes it can take from a few days to a few weeks. Try not to fret about it.


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

Little Hedgehog,

Sorry to hear that you've had this so often throughout the years. It is no fun to get this for anyone, let alone when you normally have to struggle with GI issues.

I suspect that I currently have viral gastroenteritis (or what my family always called the stomach flu even though I've read that flu only refers to chest infections). Last Friday my mother became very ill with vomiting and then diarrhea. She suspected that it was another case of food poisoning after eating at a fast-food restaurant. She'd had diarrhea a couple of months ago after eating out somewhere else.

Anyway, since we all assumed that she must have food poisoning we weren't worried about catching anything from her. I ate some food that she prepared just a few days ago. Well, the other day while I was at work, I came down with a headache, dizziness and almost felt like I was about to pass out. The building I was working in had a slight 'fuelly' smell obviously coming from the heating system so I thought that maybe that was it. I work at a counter with customers and since my company has cut staffing so much I was working alone and it was very busy which surprised me since it was election day. Then all of a sudden I felt a strong urge to throw up right in the middle of a transaction with a customer and I wasn't able to even explain to him that I was sick and had to leave- right there and then! I grabbed a garbage can and didn't make it very far from where the customers were and I'm sure they could hear me vomiting. I also audibly passed some gas right as I was starting to throw up before I ran away from the window and there was a whole line of people standing there- very humiliating!

There was another employee who was not supposed to come up and help for another 20 minutes so he had to quickly get his work area ready and take over.

Anyway, I threw up 3-4 times over the next 4 hours and while I didn't yet have diarrhea I pretty much got cleaned out.I was really trying to stick it out for as long as I could since we are so understaffed but I couldn't do it. I even had to miss out on voting as there was no way I could stand in line- next time I will vote absentee!

But this really took me by surprise and of course when you are so used to having gastro issues it sometimes takes awhile to realize that it is something else and normally I don't throw up even though I can get very nauseous. I still have the nausea and anything I eat goes through like water. I decided to try taking some psyllium today so will see how that goes. I will avoid Imodiumm unless I have to go somewhere and don't think I'll be going to work for a few more days even though I know they lack sorely in staff but then that isn't my fault. I know if it's a virus it is better to let it run its course without trying to stop the diarrhea when at all posssible but like you I wonder when that will be.

I know that as kids my mother, siblings and I used to get a 24-hour illness, one of us right after the other, every fall until I was about 9. We'd each be very sick for 24 hours and then it was over. I never had diarrhea then. I guess I've been lucky in not having to deal with it but this time around it definitely is lasting more than 24 hours for both my mother and I. I think it would be great if there could be a vaccinnation for what would be considered the most common strain- just like for influenza- if it is as common as I've read it is.


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