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What Is Gastroenteritis?
According to Better Health Channel:
Gastroenteritis is an illness triggered by the infection and inflammation of the digestive system. Typical symptoms include abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. In many cases, the condition heals itself within a few days.
The main complication of gastroenteritis is dehydration, but this can be prevented if the fluid lost in vomit and diarrhea is replaced. A person suffering from severe gastroenteritis may need fluids administered intravenously (directly into the bloodstream via a vein – the setup is often referred to as a ‘drip’). Some of the causes of gastroenteritis include viruses, bacteria, bacterial toxins, parasites, particular chemicals and some drugs.
Let's take a look at Mayo Clinic's definition:
Viral gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection that includes signs and symptoms such as watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting, and sometimes fever.
The most common way to develop viral gastroenteritis — often called stomach flu — is through contact with an infected person or by consuming contaminated food or water. If you're otherwise healthy, you'll likely recover without complications. But for infants, older adults and people with compromised immune systems, viral gastroenteritis can be deadly.
There's no effective treatment for viral gastroenteritis, so prevention is key. Avoid food and water that may be contaminated and wash your hands thoroughly and often.
My Grueling and Excruciating Sunday Experience
After consuming my cup of coffee, I ate my breakfast (my dish was fried tilapia). After an hour, I was vomiting. I thought it might be because of the fried tilapia so I hurried to put 4 tablespoons of sugar in the glass, added water then stirred and drank it. I did this 4 times so that I could vomit everything I ate that was bad in my stomach and so that I could stop vomiting. For the record, I vomited 12 times. My first to the fourth vomit still had particles, but, on the sixth to twelfth, it was watery. To make matters worse, while I was vomiting, I was defecating watery poop along with corn-like sweat. What a grueling and excruciating experience, my abdomen hurts, and I'm weak and pale and also dehydrated as well. I was rushed to the ER near our place and they put a 'swero' or 'suero' on me so I could recover quickly. Thank you so much to my wife and the 4 angels who brought me to the ER.
Does Gastroenteritis Cause Dehydration?
Yes! Based on my experience. I was dehydrated because of diarrhea and vomiting.
Symptoms I Experienced
The symptoms are:
- Little to no urination
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Extreme thirst
- Dry mouth
- Sunken eyes
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Lack of alertness (my responsiveness is poor)
- Muscle weakness (when I was in the ER I can't walk so they put me in a wheelchair and I am barely able to speak and the nurses can't hear me)
- Watery Diarrhea (I experienced this from day 1 until day 3. Thank you to the nurses who cleaned me on my bed)
My Recovery
After 4 hours of being in the emergency room, a nurse came over and asked if I want to be admitted so that they will continue to help me in my recovery. I thanked them for their extraordinary service, but, I said I prefer to rest and continue my recovery at home since I can eat, and walk without support. I wanted to stay and continue my recovery in the hospital, however, I can't because we do not have a family to look after our kid. I just relied on God's help to strengthen me and bring my health back. Thankfully, I fully recovered after 6 days without any problem.
The Doctor's Prescriptions
Here are my doctor's prescriptions for Acute Gastroenteritis With Mild Dehydration.
- #15 Oral Rehydration Solutions (sachet): dissolve 5 sachets in 1 liter. After consuming this, I drank Gatorade and Pocari Sweat.
- #30 Vitamin C with Zinc: 1 tab once a day.
- #10 Metoclopramide HCI 10mg: 1 tab every 8 hours or as needed.
- #10 Bacillus Clausii: Drink 1 tubelette every 12 hours x5 a day.
The Culprit
According to the nurses and the doctor there were no findings in my lab tests (results are good) and my nasal swab test is negative. But for me, I think it was the fried tilapia because I forgot that it was cooked 2 days ago.
References:
- Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022, January 18). Viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/viral-gastroenteritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378847#:~:text=The%20main%20complication%20of%20viral,shouldn't%20be%20a%20problem.
- Better Health Channel. (2021, March 11). Gastroenteritis [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/gastroenteritis
- DiLonardo, M. J. (2014, February 3). Gastroenteritis (Stomach 'Flu') [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/gastroenteritis
