What do you do when you get sick?

[JenniferInOhio]

As the season of viral illnesses is coming up, I'm just wondering what you guys do when you get sick with vomiting? I usually don't eat or drink for several hours ~ sometimes an entire day to keep from vomiting and let the "sickness" work itself out.

Now, having POTS, I know it's not a good idea to go without fluids. Do you guys just head to the ER and have them hook you up with IV fluids for a few hours?

[Guest Finrussak]

Hi Jennifer

As a lifelong owner of a 'nervous stomach' and a OI/POTS sufferer of the last 5-7 yrs that often has me vomiting whenever my heart rate is over 120...I totally understand. As for the ER I dont know about the hospital near you, but most ER's dont consider this an emergent thing and youll wait HOURS unless you are really dehydrated. What I do is sip very small amts and often of whatever my gut allows...sometimes its sweet gatorades, other times its gingerale ( canada dry brand has natural ginger flavor...or at least used to) that is flattened by using a fork to stir bubbles out.... Plus I have the additional problem of when I retch ( or cough or yell at my kids) abdominal muscles press on my vagal nerve in my belly cause my heart to PAUSE and/or brady down...try dealing with that while having the thing 'going around"!!! Im a sight...racing heart, retch, STOPPED heart, faint ( mid retch!!1) or racing heart again...

the nausea is helped by those bands worn on the wrist ( plain or electro stims), by candied ginger or even ginger tea or ginger capsules...you can even try accupressure...the inside of the wrist has a pressure point...find it by placing 2-3 fingers where the palm ends and wrist begins ( at the crease)...where the bottom finger ends and in the middle between the tendons..try to firmly press with a finger tip for 30-60 seconds...it sometimes takes a little moving a few cm here or there to find...but once you get it...relief!!!

I also use elderberry extract as for me it is a great viral fighter...flu viruses especially but it helps stave off many viral attacks...I use like a tonic and take it intensively during illness. Plus I have just bought and tried for first time that "airborne" you see advertised...my kid brought home a sore throat upper respiratory thing from grad school fri nite...and we drank the fizzy...it helped him and me!!! his URI is almost GONE and I never got it past a throat tickl;e!!! amazing stuff...

plus my dr just suggested that from now on everyone entering my home be gently reminded to either wash their hands or use a gel ( antibacterial)...a lot comes in with people touching stuff...I use the valid excuse of my 16 yo fragile immune system...plus I have a powder room conveniently near the front door....

hope any of this helps

[steph37822]

oops

[Sunfish]

i get nausea/vomiting from gastroparesis, thankfully relatively under control now, but whether from that or a transient bug, i am definitely more sensitive to dehydration than the average joe. if it's a day or two i'm usually stuck in bed - sipping as much as possible - and that keeps me not good but safe. if it's any longer i usually need IVs, but there are options other than an ER. some doc offices have the capability (unfortunately mine haven't...) as do urgent care centers. not the greatest, but MUCH better than ERs. the urgent care place near me in baltimore knew me and i generally didn't have too much fuss, and MUCH less wait than an ER (not to mention cost). unfortunately i've had times where i couldn't keep even sips down for days on end & have been hospitalized, but for short term things you're right that staying on top of the issue is the best medicine by far.

melissa

[Jenn202]

I get home IV Saline when I have a bug. I just went through a 3 weeks flu thie summer with diarreah and vomiting... If it were not for the IV fluids I do not know what I would of done....

I also kept drinking no matter what b/c I knew how important the fluids were to keep in me even if they werent there for long.