24hr. Stomach bug.....WOW!

[FWDbuff]

Around 1900 this past Weds night, while at work, and about 2 hours after we ate the meal (spaghetti and meatballs...) I started to feel stomach pains. I made my rack up around 2100, and went to sleep. I woke up for watch at 0100, and still had the pains, so I took a few swigs of Pepto. Didnt help. Got off watch at 0300, went back to bed and tossed and turned the rest of the night. Got up at 0700, jumped in the shower, got dressed, and headed home. Stopped to put gas in the car, and WOW.....Puked 5 times. Got myself together, went inside and bought a ginger ale, and sipped it slowly as I drove home (2hour commute). Had to stop twice to find a toilet, and once more to puke 5 more times!

Could not hold down ANYTHING! NOTHING! No water, no warm giner ale, NADDA! I had fluids of various viscosities issuing from every orifice on my body! I had it from about 1900 Weds night to about 1900 Thurs night......It came and went like the wind. I have NEVER experienced anything like this in my life! After conversing with others, I find that 4 other people I know had it. Same symptoms, same time frame, everything.

To anyone else who may catch this: Don't stray too far from the hopper, and don't try to nurse yourself with "Mom's Helpers" (I.E. warm ginger ale, gatorade, etc....It DON'T WORK!)

[LeuitEFDems]

We had this bug going around by us last week, my EMS parter I was working with on Christmas day got it. Lots of patients in the ER with it too...looks nasty..knock on wood, I haven't gotten it.
Hope ya feel better.

[42VTExplorer]

Had somethin' like it too a week before I left for Europe. It sucked.

On the Monday before we left I started puking like no tomorrow. Tuesday morning I got up and...well breakfast came back up through wear it entered. Lunch did the same thing. Get up Wednesday morning and felt fine.

Weird.

[SAFD46Truck]

My cousin who is a cop in West Palm Beach just got over that same bug I think, it took him about a week to fully recover. I knew it must be bad because it was the first time in his law enforcement career that he ever had to go home sick and call off sick the next few shifts.

[Firefighter1219]

I had the same thing happen to me a few weeks ago. I had problems on both fronts, and felt very week for a whole day. The symptoms had completely reversed themselves within 24 hours. I know quite a few people in this area who have had the same problem recently.

Have fun with it, guys!

[Weruj1]

knock on something I have been bug free...........

[fftrainer]

Just got over the same thing as did my wife.

My father-in-law actually ended up in the hospital for some IV fluids his body got so out of wack from it. While he was there, there were at least a dozen people in the ER waiting room with the same thing (don't go near that bathroom, huh?!?!

And like you said, next morning.... What stomach bug? I was starving and felt fine!

Knock on wood that you don't catch this one!

[PFD109NFD107]

No stomach bug here......... Maybe it was the meatballs.

[Dave1983]

Same type of thing happened to me about 8 years ago. Reported for duty at 0700 and by about 1000 was felling like crap. I climbed in bed till about 1130 when I decided to get up and eat, maybe that would help. It didnt. By 1300, I had it coming out both ends. After about half an hour, I made it out of the bathroom and wondered into the office. One of our medics was at the desck, took one look at me and said "sit down before you fall down". He checked my BP and it was like 70P. Long story short, they started two IV's, put me in an ambulance and I spent 3 days in the hospital.

Up till that time I had never had a flu shot. You can bet Ive been getting them since!

Dave

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

This "bug" has been going through the Massachusetts Fire Academy like a wildfire...

[blueeighty88]

Good, then I'm not the only one who spent New Year looking in to a bucket, and this year it wasn't b/c of all the "Purple Smurfs".
Only thing I drank was water b/c that's all that tasted the same when I ralphed it back up. Tried gatorade, that just made me puke more, 7up that came up into my nose. YECH! I feel like death on a soda cracker.

[Medic162]

I caught it last week also. I think my monster in law might have been passing it around my house during Christmas. Had family in from as far away as Greece and literally half of us wound up with at least 24 hours of misery. Don't dismiss this one, it sucks!

[Dave404]

Sounds familiar - Bunch of fire fighters (mostly chiefs, deputies) were taking a course (35 in the class). After the second days lunch they started to drop like flies 31/35 within hours were projectile out of both ends. They thought it was food poisoning, but turns out it was the NORO - VIRUS, better known as Norwalk Virus. Brutal symptoms last 1-4 days. After the puking stops you are still infectious for 48 hrs.

Ill see if I can dig up our warning sheet!

Thankfully I missed that course - I geuss from what I heard it was crappy anyway!

[Dave404]

Good morning.



This past weekend we had an episode of a gastro-enteritis which hit 30 of 35 participants of the Incident Command Course in Black Diamond. It is believed that this was a result of a norovirus or Norwalk. This is the same as the virus which hit the Calgary Drop in Center and affected almost 300 people. We sent out a package last winter on Norwalk. The norovirus is similar. There is a document on the shared drive which describes the signs and symptoms ( severe vomiting and diarrhea ). Please be aware this illness is in our area. It is very uncommon to be called for this unless the patient becomes dehydrated which is more common in young children. I believe we transported four cases last year, but the hospitals saw many more. Treatment is fluids and maxeran appears to work very well on the nausea ( much better than gravol once they have started vomiting ). Infection control consists of wearing gloves and goggles – no mask is necessary because this is transmitted through food or body fluids. Was your hands immediately after taking off your gloves and re-glove for cleaning the unit. All surfaces which come in contact with body fluids must be cleaned with a 10% solution o bleach ( this includes tourniquets, BP cuffs stretchers, etc ). If clothing is contaminated, wash with soap and hot water. Do not share cooking or eating utensils with anyone who has the symptoms. It usually lasts 2 days and is infectious up to 5 days.



We have also been notified that there are a number of cases of Pertussis (whooping cough) in our area, especially the south. This is an acute bacterial infection of the respiratory tract. Infective material is respiratory secretions. The initial catarrhal stage has an insidious onset with an irritating cough that gradually becomes paroxysmal, usually within 1-2 weeks, and lasts for 1-2 months or longer. Paroxysms are characterized by repeated violent cough; each series of paroxysms has many coughs without intervening inhalation and can be followed by a characteristic crowing or high-pitched inspiratory whoop. They frequently end with the expulsion of clear, tenacious mucus, often followed by vomiting. The foregoing symptoms may be associated with typical cold-like symptoms including runny nose and headache. A person is infectious from onset of the initial catarrhal stage, noted above, to 5 days being on treatment with medication or 3 weeks after onset of paroxysms if not treated. Incubation period is typically 9-10 days; with overall range of 6-20 days.

Donning a mask in addition to the obvious gloves and goggles is indicated if assessing a patient suspected of whooping cough. Communications staff will be asking a question bout cough on card 26 and will notify crews of suspicious illness, but infection control rests with you.

If you experience these symptoms or suspect having whooping cough, see a physician. You should not be on duty until minimum 5 days on medication.

Links to CHR and Health Canada websites with more info on whooping cough and Norovirus.

http://www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/hlthconn/

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/diseases



Thank you to the Calgary Health Region and Calgary EMS for this information.

[gracie449]

Wow.

Our teenage daughter got hit around the second week of December and was out of commission exactly as described -- 24 hours of being unable to hold down anything and then perfectly fine the next day. It was spooky. She rarely gets sick, and she was as sick as I have ever seen her and yet was perfectly fine the next day.

Handwashing, handwashing, handwashing is in order. Make sure to wash your hands and not to share dishes, drinking glasses and utensils. I followed all these procedures (the caretaker gets to handle all the 'fun stuff', LOL), and the rest of us didn't get sick, thankfully.