Did I have food poisioning or Flu

[krey]

This might be a bit graphic so be warned

I been fine for a long time and yesterday I cooked all my own meals, was feeling great until about 7pm where i felt a little bloated but thought I just ate to much. Went to have a coffee with my friends, started to feel worse after that, went home at 9 and by 11 I was insanely bloated and Diarrhea hit me first then an hour or two later I started to vomit which felt like I was vomiting acid. from 11 to 5am I vomited a good 20 times and Diarrhea about 15 I drank water as much as I could. Thought I was going to freaking die, never had such a reaction in my life... Every time I got sick I felt a little better for a few minutes but came back.

Then by around 5am everything just kind of stopped, I started to get hungry again, I am obviously exhausted and I am just starting to eat a little but damn last night was one of the worst nights of my life.. If you are going to ask me if i had some street food or anything out of the ordinary I have not for a while, mostly been cooking foods at home... in any case I hope it was a one time thing was just curious if perhaps a virus bug was going around pattaya lately and others been hit by the same thing.

[473geo]

What did you cook?

[itsmylife]

Go see a doctor .

[nottocus]

My son had something like that a couple of weeks back. Acute vomiting and diarrhoea. Got better over 4 days although came back at times (less severe than initially).

No fever.

Doctor say it was some kind of norovirus

[krey]

thanks for the thoughts, i am going to pop into the hospital even though i feel better now, just exhausted

as for what i ate yesterday

Oatmeal, Banana, Apple, Glass Milk, Yogurt in the morning

Fried up a light fish for lunch with some roasted tomatos and had an orange

baked some chicken for dinner with roasted tomatos, carrorts, cut up cucumber

then a coffee at Star bucks but i think i was started to feel bad before that and certainly a caffeine coffee only help make it worse in the long run

[onemorechang]

If you feel ok now. and can eat and drink, don't worry.

Hospital cant help you, but they will help themselves to your wallet

[KhunBENQ]

Go to the pharmacy and get some isotonic electrolyte/rehydration drink powder (to be dissolved in water).

It comes in sachets with some flavour (orange e.g.).

Helps recovering.

Just drinking huge amounts of plain water is not that healthy.

You need salt and minerals.

Edited September 27, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[MaeJoMTB]

Almost certainly the coffee container.

Poor hygiene by serving staff causes many stomach upsets.

(pooh on their hands, not washed off, touch your cup, touch your lips)

[itsmylife]

thanks for the thoughts, i am going to pop into the hospital even though i feel better now, just exhausted

as for what i ate yesterday

Oatmeal, Banana, Apple, Glass Milk, Yogurt in the morning

Fried up a light fish for lunch with some roasted tomatos and had an orange

baked some chicken for dinner with roasted tomatos, carrorts, cut up cucumber

then a coffee at Star bucks but i think i was started to feel bad before that and certainly a caffeine coffee only help make it worse in the long run

Will you try again the above combination tomorrow and see how .

[SidJames]

I had much the same a few weeks ago.

Thought It was something that I ate & took about 5 days to get over then my kids came down with the same symptoms but recovered quicker.

Some kind of virus I reckon

[KittenKong]

Sounds like food poisoning to me. Eat bananas and dry wholemeal toast. Plenty of water.

I am not a doctor.

[krey]

could have been the coffee though I was feeling a little odd before I went to star bucks.. in any case I am drinking lots of electrolytes and taking it easy for the day.. havent had any of the issues from last night, just tired and feel crappy but expected after a night of that. Also chucked the food in my fridge as if it was a food issue I have no idea what it was in my fridge

thanks people

Edited September 27, 2015 by krey

[slafriphos]

I don't mind food poisoning as I lose weight fast. Better than alcohol sickness...

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I had the OP's early symptoms this past Thursday. It was my first food of the day around noon. The first half hour to an hour after the meal from a Thai/farang resto (omelet and vegetables, no meat), I felt the abdominal cramps and gas emissions. Got persistent and worse. About hour 2, I got home and hit the throne. Light diarrhea effects. No vomiting though and no more throne work the first day. Odd, I thought.

However, I started feeling a light fever through the afternoon and well into the evening. Horrible sleep, wake-ups, weird dreams and cold chills. In the morning, some throne activity. Once. No dehydration or headaches or pains.

Went to pharmacy and got some norfloxacin (5 days, 2x a day) after talking with the pharmacist (a real one). Started to feel better within the first hour and much better the second hour. Fever almost gone (no pills) and got a big appetite boost late afternoon. Definitely diarrhea effects days 1-3. Much better now, day 4.

[wpcoe]

If you find yourself in the throes of such agony again, taking charcoal capsules can help ameliorate the symptoms. And, if tempted to take Immodium for relief, think twice before doing so. It basically paralyzes the intestines to prevent expulsion, thus trapping in any toxins. Your body is actually doing a Good Thing by making you vomit and have diarrhea to get rid of potentially toxic material.

I've had acute dysentery twice and it's not fun. If it lasts more than a day, try to get to a doctor so they can determine the cause. It can be bacterial, amoebic or other parasite, and different treatments are required for different causes. An enterologist at Bumrungrad once told me a makeshift alternative to rehydration powders is salt in Diet Coke. I tried it once, and it's not as gross tasting as it sounds. Also he said to steer clear of rehydration powders with sugar, as sugar can be a perfect nutrient to feed the parasites causing the dysentery.

There have been some recent threads discussing charcoal capsules in the Health & Medicine forum.

[giddyup]

I had the OP's early symptoms this past Thursday. It was my first food of the day around noon. The first half hour to an hour after the meal from a Thai/farang resto (omelet and vegetables, no meat), I felt the abdominal cramps and gas emissions. Got persistent and worse. About hour 2, I got home and hit the throne. Light diarrhea effects. No vomiting though and no more throne work the first day. Odd, I thought.

However, I started feeling a light fever through the afternoon and well into the evening. Horrible sleep, wake-ups, weird dreams and cold chills. In the morning, some throne activity. Once. No dehydration or headaches or pains.

Went to pharmacy and got some norfloxacin (5 days, 2x a day) after talking with the pharmacist (a real one). Started to feel better within the first hour and much better the second hour. Fever almost gone (no pills) and got a big appetite boost late afternoon. Definitely diarrhea effects days 1-3. Much better now, day 4.

Why would you use Norfloxacin?

Norfloxacin is a synthetic chemotherapeutic antibacterial agent^[1][2] occasionally used to treat common as well as complicated urinary tract infections.^[3] It is sold under various brand names with the most common being Noroxin. In form of ophthalmic solutions it is known as Chibroxin (Apiflox eye drops in Jordan ^[4]). Norfloxacin is a first generation synthetic fluoroquinolone (quinolone) developed by Kyorin Seiyaku K.K. (Kyorin).^[5]

Norfloxacin is approved for the treatment of urinary tract infections, prostatitis, and sexually transmitted diseases.^[6] but is no longer used for the latter due to the development of bacterial resistance. Chibroxin^[7] (ophthalmic) is approved for use in children older than one year of age.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

From American Family Physician:

Moderate to severe traveler's diarrhea, including dysentery, can be empirically treated with a three-day course of a fluoroquinolone such as ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin (Noroxin) or ofloxacin (Table 4).

From WebMD:

Treatment with an agent that covers Shigellaand Campylobacter organisms is reasonable in patients with diarrhea (>4 stools/d) for more than 3 days and with fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, or myalgias. A 5-day course of a fluoroquinolone (eg, ciprofloxacin 500 mg PO bid, norfloxacin 400 mg PO bid) is the first-line therapy.

For every recommendation you provide, I can provide a counter view. And vice versa.

[Rimmer]

Time to move the topic to the health forum

[giddyup]

From American Family Physician:

Moderate to severe traveler's diarrhea, including dysentery, can be empirically treated with a three-day course of a fluoroquinolone such as ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin (Noroxin) or ofloxacin (Table 4).

From WebMD:

Treatment with an agent that covers Shigellaand Campylobacter organisms is reasonable in patients with diarrhea (>4 stools/d) for more than 3 days and with fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, or myalgias. A 5-day course of a fluoroquinolone (eg, ciprofloxacin 500 mg PO bid, norfloxacin 400 mg PO bid) is the first-line therapy.

For every recommendation you provide, I can provide a counter view. And vice versa.

I wasn't trying to prove you wrong, I was just interested enough to do a Google search, and none of the sites I looked at mentioned anything about norfloxacin as a treatment for diarrhea, obviously I didn't look at enough, so my question was an innocent one, so no need to get defensive.

[dennis123]

Had the same though a little less drastic as you describe it, lost me 5,5kg though.

My intake, about 20+ bottles of Singha and a single banana pancake. It's not the first time that I've been hell sick of a banana pancake btw (without alcohol), those damn street vendors just leave their eggs uncooled for days in a row in this freaking hot climate, <deleted> insane. Especially in low season when they don't sell too much. Damn retards, and me too for still buying it.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

From American Family Physician:

Moderate to severe traveler's diarrhea, including dysentery, can be empirically treated with a three-day course of a fluoroquinolone such as ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin (Noroxin) or ofloxacin (Table 4).

From WebMD:

Treatment with an agent that covers Shigellaand Campylobacter organisms is reasonable in patients with diarrhea (>4 stools/d) for more than 3 days and with fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, or myalgias. A 5-day course of a fluoroquinolone (eg, ciprofloxacin 500 mg PO bid, norfloxacin 400 mg PO bid) is the first-line therapy.

For every recommendation you provide, I can provide a counter view. And vice versa.

I wasn't trying to prove you wrong, I was just interested enough to do a Google search, and none of the sites I looked at mentioned anything about norfloxacin as a treatment for diarrhea, obviously I didn't look at enough, so my question was an innocent one, so no need to get defensive.

My tip-off source on norfloxacin was a friend with years of experience in treating debilitating abdominal stresses that only occur in Thailand. I searched to confirm this and got the same info you did. But I kept digging with different search terms and up came confirming usage for norfloxacin. Anyway its treatment effects started to come on within half an hour to an hour. It worked.

Sorry if you thought I was being defensive. I replied in a hurry before dashing out and the reply came out rather short. But what I said is true for just about every drug. Then again, neither of us is a doctor. If my symptoms were as severe as the OP's, I would have gone directly to hospital. Mine were fairly light and seemingly quite treatable by visiting the local pharmacy.

[Sheryl]

It is impossible to tell for sure but if the chicken was not thoroughly cooked through that may have been it - raw and undercooked chicken particular is often chock full of salmonella (for which reason care must be taken in washing knives, cutting boards and hands after preparing it). The fish also possible but less likely.

Also possible you had a bad tomato since they were roasted you might not have been able to tell.

If on the other hand everything was thoroughly cooked through, a GI virus is more likely.

I agree with those who said that a trip to the hospital at this point is unnececssary/waste of money. Unless symptoms recur, just rest and keep taking the electrolyte solution.

Strongly disagree with those who advocate self-treatment with norfloxacin or any other antibiotic for diarrhea. Self-treatment should be limited to activated charcoal, electrolyte solutions, plenty of fluids in general , rest and if necessary limiting food intake temporarily (or just dry toast and the like). Anti-diarrheals like loperamide only if absolutely necessary, for example if you must go on a long bus ride, and limited to that instance. Best if avoided altogether but one does soemtimes have to be practical.

If these measures do not suffice and it persists more than a few days -- or if at any point there is high fever or blood in the stools - then see a doctor.

In the vast majority of cases charcoal + fluids + time are all that is necessary.

[jaywalker]

I got VIOLENTLY ill like that once in Pattaya.

My wife had been with me all day and we had eaten the exact same things, except I stopped and got 2 cheeseburgers from the McDonald's in Banglamung. I couldn't eat or drink anything. I was weak as a cat.

The worst part is that Imodium had ZERO EFFECT of the diarrhea for 2 days. Thank GOD for bum-guns!

I finally found a pharmacy that sold these tiny white pills. Sorry I do not recall the name. They worked.

I had also caught what I guess was the same thing in Mexico once. I got back to the US & was puking every 5 minutes, checked into my hotel & started doing runners for the toilet.

I was working & trying to keep a straight face, but it was impossible. I took off to see the doctor & he gave some little tiny white pills.

I think, if I'm not mistaken that is what led me to get them/describe them to the Pattaya pharmacist.

"Immodium not work. You have small-small, same-same Imodium white pill?"

I got them. The pills are about 3/4 the diameter of a cigarette butt and be careful!

They are about 5 or 10 times as strong as Imodium!

[NYGuy816]

Looks like food poisoning. Try Hydrite tablets or if you're already feeling a lot better, stay hydrated by increasing fluid intake or drinking Gatorade. This quite works for me too. About time to go to the hospital if your diarrhea continues. Best of luck.

[krey]

thanks again all, I am all right now the sickness was really just that one terrible night thankfully, then 3 days of getting the nutrients back into my body, feel about 90%

[chubby]

ya, flu is nothing like that acute, maybe food poisoning, who knows, you don't say what city your in.......etc

[Beegrade]

I've had something similar a couple of times, in Chiang mai. 1st time a few years ago, vomiting & diarrhea overnight and into next day, fine by 2nd day. Assumed it was food poisoning. Last year had a similar thing but still felt weak and nausea into 2nd day so went to local doctor. He said it was a seasonal viral gastroenteritis and he had several patients come in with the same thing. He gave me some pills and electrolyte drinks and I felt OK after another couple of days.