Sickness

[Carrollee]

Hi everyone

Hope today is a good one. Just some advice please. Have had a sickness and D bug since Tuesday night/wed morning. Think it's norovirus. Been pretty bad. Vomiting gone but D bit still here, have been able to get little bits of food in to take steroids but not sure of anything else I should be concerned about. Drinking but probably not enough. Wasn't very good on the steroids before this they were making me feel ill and depressed! Any bright ideas would be gratefully received.

Keep smiling I will if you will cc 🤒😎🤒😷😝

Oh am on 18mg pmr/GCA

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Enough fluids not to become dehydrated are probably even more important than food with the pred. You need to be sure the pred stays down for about an hour and a bit to be sure it is being absorbed.

But if you have any doubts about having absorbed the pred call the doctor and ask for injections - you must have enough and after being on high dose your body won't be making a lot, if any. If you feel very rough over the weekend don't hesitate to call 999 and tell them you have been on long term higher dose pred - just in case you develop an adrenal crisis which is a possibility that can't be ignored and dehydration is a risk factor:

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/enc...

You have got company at home haven't you? Again - just in case.

[Carrollee in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks. I think they are getting into my system as I am getting the usual zonked out feeling after 2-3hours of taking them. I will be on my own as my visitors are leaving this afternoon. They went dine with it first and feel terrible to have given it to me but it's just one of those things. I cleaned and bleached and boiled everything but to no avail so was nicely exhausted when it arrived. Haven't had much sleep at all so am feeling much of the things listed. Will keep drinking. Does it matter what I drink? I was concerned about the food aspect as I had stopped taking Zantac back in January and didn't want any stomach problems. The antacids were messing up my digestion big time. Anyway thank you fir taking out the time to reply and hope you are ok at present. Your health system sounds awesome over there in Italy. All the best cc 🌻

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Carrollee]

If it is norovirus it is awful to try to avoid. There was a major panic here at one of the hotels a couple of years ago - a child arrived with it, sneezed/puked in the dining room and 2/3 of the guests went down with it overnight! You can imagine the local hospitals with a load of Italians in that state - didn't occur to them that staying safely in their already contaminated hotel room was the best thing they could do!

What to drink? Anything that will stay down and maybe good old Lucozade would help if you can stomach it. it worked when we were kids didn't it! I suppose being admitted to hospital makes that aspect easier - sometimes a lot to be said for a drip...

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Carrollee, I do sympathise - I had norovirus some years ago caught from a neighbour who had just been discharged from hospital. PMRpro has given you lots of good advice, but do try and increase your intake of water as you mention that you're probably not taking enough. Arrowroot biscuits can help to settle the stomach and the sports drinks are also very helpful, I do hope you feel better soon.

[Carrollee in reply to Celtic]

Thank you Celtic am feeling rubbish but was a bad patch before this. Will start drinking for England immediately!!! All the best to you and yours cc. 😷😎