Good Afternoon;
This is an article from the Ogden, Utah 'Standard/Examiner'
That a friend on FB posted a little while ago, seems whatever is ripping my insides to shreds is tearing up others here in Baltimore also because there have been quite a few "me too" comments and e-mails I've received.............:
OGDEN -- Hospital emergency rooms and physicians' offices have been flooded with patients experiencing a quick-striking stomach virus.
The bug, commonly called "stomach flu," causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, fatigue and head and muscle aches, say health experts.
"We are seeing a significant number of people with this, but that always seems to happen this time of year," said McKay-Dee Hospital trauma nurse and critical care coordinator Kayleen Paul. "People are telling us that it seems to last longer, though, and I can verify that in my own family."
Paul said it's unclear whether people are getting re-infected with a new batch of virus or whether the original virus is just more virulent and longer-lasting.
"Stomach flu is what we call gastroenteritis," Paul said. "It's an inflammation of the stomach and small intestine. Although bacteria can cause gastroenteritis, the vast majority of what we are seeing is viral, caused by viruses, and the big majority of the viral cases are caused by norovirus."
Ogden Regional Medical Center and Lakeview Hospital also are seeing a number of patients with the bug.
"We've seen more than average over the past few weeks," said Ogden Regional Medical Center ER physician Val Rollins. "These things are seasonal and can come and go at almost any time. One to two days is typical for most people, but it can drag on for weeks with some people."
Lakeview Hospital ER physician Matthew Feil said it's normal to feel queasy for a short time after a stomach illness, because of the natural balance in the gastrointestinal tract being compromised and trying to return to normal.
Besides being re-infected or being infected with a more virulent strain, inadequate hydration can cause the bug to linger, Feil said.
"Also, the cells lining the GI tract must have time to get back to normal, so to speak," he said. "There is no cure, just a matter of staying hydrated and allowing it to run its course. If one is unable to hydrate adequately on their own, then IV fluid is needed."
Paul said the virus is highly contagious, so if you have it, stay home. Drink plenty of fluids. Water or half-strength juices are best, say all three experts. Get plenty of rest, take over-the-counter, non-aspirin pain relievers for fever and body aches and remember, antibiotics will not help you recover if the illness is caused by a virus.
Handwashing is the best way to prevent both the bug and spreading it to others.
"Scrupulous handwashing or sanitizing is absolutely essential," Paul said. "The good news about norovirus is that it is relatively easy to kill. What a wonderful thing handwashing is. It's cheap, easy and can protect you from respiratory diseases, stomach diseases, germs, pus, viruses, dirt and many other bad things. Now we just need a chocolate-flavored soap."
If a family member is sick, be sure their bedding, towels and dishes are kept away from other family members and thoroughly washed in hot, soapy water.
If you aren't feeling better in a reasonable length of time, or if your symptoms are severe, see your doctor.
"This is important, because many dangerous medical diseases can present the same way," Feil said.
The real killer is the damn 'calm before the storm - sneak attacks' when you think it's pretty much passed........and then you have the reasonably normal urge to pass gas, and suddenly realize that you absolutely MUST get to a bathroom before you do, because if you don't their is a 90% certainty you are REALLY going to regret not doing so immensely! Sunday night at Jenn's was no big deal, get up out of the chair and take 20 steps.
Saturday, Monday, Tuesday nights and mornings and Wednesday morning was a different story. Up, rip off the sleeping shorts and tee shirt and very carefully put on the 'non-religious' shirt and shorts (un-'holey'....lol) and very delicately slip into a pair of old raggedy sneakers I use for slippers, taking every care not to bend or compress the stomach area too much. Then...unblock the door, slip out of the shed and re-latch from the outside and in a non-intentional parody of a 'power walker' hurry over to the gas station or Giant, depending on the time. (For cleanliness and sanitary reasons the Giant is preferred....there is a foul smelling drain that is directly below the plane your nose is in when sitting on the throne and 'assuming the position', and the time and effort needed to make the seat 'sittable' is quickly eating away at the time left before nature takes it's course....violently!) The operative word is...'clench'.....................lol! Once the cycle re-starts, it goes on for 3-8 hours.
I have had no vomiting or severe cramps, (other than extremely low in the abdomen that are from delaying a needed release of a sudden gas buildup), and the muscle aches usually associated with the other symptoms did not appear until last night, though the tiredness has been steadily accruing. The worst part is the feeling better and the 180 degree change in seconds.
I've been trying to rehydrate steadily and continuously with water and a DIY Pedialyte concoction using Powerade Zero as the base and added electrolyte, minerals, and vitamins in drops and powders from a friend who is well versed in natural pharmacology....no, truly, the real thing! (okay so she is also one of the finest hydroponic horticulturists I've ever know also, but I've not partaken of any of THAT type of crop for....???.....damn over 10 years! wow! hadn't realized it had been that long......but the reasons for that are purely voluntary and a story for another day.) Knowing what to eat, and having a limited menu to select from....it's near the end of the month, funds are running low to non-existent, ... makes things a bit difficult.
WOW....ya know...I've said it before, call it God, call it fate, call it kismet, call it karma.....but serendipity and synchronicity happen to connect and conjoin way too often to call it coincidence. As I typed in that last sentence in the previous paragraph my friend whose daughter swims competitively and practices at the swim club across the street from the coffee shop walks in and tells me that she was sharing some of my story and my book of poetry with her daughter the other night and her daughter, (they wish not to be named), started throwing her change into a piggy bank and wanted her mom to give it to me, and kept asking 'why haven't you given Dave his money?'. Well due to circumstances and schedules we have not seen each other for a week, but today my friend walks in and in the process of catching up we find out that her daughter went through the very same stomach virus and had the same range of symptoms I am having.....and that it lasted nearly 3 weeks because of the sneaky nature of the bug and the appearance of being over it....and then...........WHAM!
That's kinda freaky....but in a good way....lol. So now I've got a few more days bus fare and meal money, and a 'warm and fuzzy' shield surrounding me generated by the quietly decent people out there who in their own small way, one by one and one on one, counteracting the abuses and abominations committed by the asshats like Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Crazies.
(Depending on when you read this, you'll have already read the post and link following this one, {or you'll have to check back in a little while...it will be new to you folks}, about these idiots planning to show up at the funeral of Ryan Dunn of "Jackass".....and a related link to a story earlier this spring about a town who stalemated the bastards when they came to disrupt the funeral of a local hero killed in Afghanistan.
I'll be back tonight.
Later.........................Dave
