Norovirus

[Eyak1971]

Just went through a spell of food poisoning around Christmas from a restaurant that I shall never return to. Went to the hospital by ambulance to the hospital due to extreme dehydration. And of course months later having to deal with repercussions with stomach issues. Question has anyone had norovirus and does it take longer for transplant patients to get it completely out of your body due to being immune suppressed? I thought avoiding covid would be my main problem around Christmas, not avoiding a restaurant worker who failed to wash his or her hands after using the restroom.

[Blue-Quilter]

I've had SO many infections since my transplant in October of 2019, including norovirus. My team asked if I had been on a recent cruise, since that is stereotypically where it comes from. I told them, No, I've never been on a cruise, so felt rather irritated that I got their disease without the enjoyment that should have preceded it! To answer your question though, yes, it took a while and a course of "gorilla drugs" to get over it. I think the meds were for two weeks, just a tad longer than the typical 10 day course, but since I work in food service, I had to stay home until I got a clean bill of health. I've had various stomach issues from before my transplant, some of which are worse now, as well as some new ones to deal with. It's hard to know which ailment gets the blame for "today's" issues, so I choose what I eat very carefully and still hope for the best day by day.

Like you, I thought covid would be my biggest concern since I was transplanted just before the pandemic hit. I managed to avoid it until April 2022 when I got the omicron variant, for which the symptoms are much milder than the original version, but it took me the entire month to get a negative test and be able to return to work. Transplant life has not been what I expected, but I am still alive and I'm grateful for that. I wish the same for you!

[Eyak1971 in reply to Blue-Quilter]

Thanks for your response. What medications did they give you?

[Blue-Quilter in reply to Eyak1971]

I don't remember the name, but before they prescribed it, they asked if I had good insurance, which I do. Without insurance, the med would have cost over $5500, definitely NOT in my budget!