Minor but annoying health issue rant

[Javakoala]

Okay, I'll take the blame. This most likely started because I made sausage gravy with milk past its expiration date.  It smelled okay and tasted okay, so I used it.  About three hours later, I go to loft an air biscuit. Not air. So I run to the bathroom.  I feel okay otherwise. I go to bed.

I get up the next morning and feel a little sore and achy, but then I sleep on a futon, so it goes with the territory.  I go to work and about three hours into my shift, I feel like someone has kicked me in the gut, I have something lodged in my  throat and I have chills. Lovely. So I take sick leave and go home where I take a three hour nap and wake up feeling like Raging Bull has just used my stomach for a speed bag and I'm now running to the bathroom.

I push through the evening and around 10 that night, the chills have gone, the cramps have eased up and other than being more fluid than bulk, I'm feeling okay. So I get up the next morning, go to work and about three hours in, I'm worse than I was the day before. I looked so miserable that my new supervisor was going to drive me and my bicycle home, but her boss told her she couldn't and that I'd just have to get home as best I could.  I get home, fall on the futon, fight the urge to vomit because I'm too fatigued to even think about moving and konk out for about two hours.

When I wake up, everything feels fine except for the fluid propulsion, so I eat a sandwich, figuring what's the worse that could happen?  I throw up?  Nothing happens. I feel fine. My girlfriend brings over some Pepto and I feel fairly fine.

I get up the next morning (Wednesday) and I can feel my stomach is still a bit wonky. By this time, I'm out of sick leave and will have to use annual leave if I don't go in, but I know I can't keep going to work and then leaving, so I stay home and ride my bike over to an immediate care place. Before I left, I ate another sandwich, and was having no problems or issues the whole way over. I finally see the doctor, explain what is happening and he tells me to stop eating the sandwiches and use the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, cooked apples and toast). And definitely get some Imodium and stop using the Pepto.

So I ride back home, walk across the university campus across from where I live, catch the bus to Walmart, buy food I don't want and don't like and also buy some Imodium.

I come home, eat some rice and within 20 minutes I'm feeling worse than I had and I'm planted on the john. But, hey, I took the Imodium, so it'll all be okay, right?

I noticed my belly was feeling kind of itchy just a little while ago, so I lift my shirt to see what the problem is. I now have a rash. Why?  Because of the Imodium, which is also causing my stomach to plump up and is increasing the stomach and bowel issues that it was supposed to stop.

Moral of this story:  If you are okay doing something, even if it isn't what the doctor ordered, keep doing it. Your doctor, just like the local weather people, may have less than a clue about what is going on than you do.

[ghouck]

Here's what I do: When I have a stomach issue, I go get a 12" subway sandwich and eat the entire thing. Then i drink loads of water and gatorade. For me, the sandwich seems to plug off my guts so the fluids have time to soak in, and being fully hydrated really helps for me.

For bronchitis crap, I try and hydrate myself throughout the day, or at least keep myself from getting too dehydrated. When I get home, I take some nyquil and a shot of tequilla. about 20 minutes later, I take a hot shower, and keep making it hotter and hotter for as long as I can. Then, I get out and bundle up in a warm blanket and go to sleep. If this is done right, I feel like I'm going to pass out from being too hot due to the shower, and when I sleep, I sweat and sweat and sweat. If all goes well, I wake up and need another shower because I'm all sweaty and slimy. I take a shower, rehydrate, and go to bed, usually feeling 100% better in the morning.

[3mnkids]

sorry you are feeling bad and i hope you get to feeling better soon. Dont use expired milk anymore     Maybe its just me but my cut off is 2 days before it expires. I cant go by smell because milk stinks to me anyway.

[The Burgomaster]

sorry you are feeling bad and i hope you get to feeling better soon. Dont use expired milk anymore     Maybe its just me but my cut off is 2 days before it expires.

I'm with you.  Sometimes, I won't even drink it if it's one day past the expiration date.  I know that's the last day stores can sell it, and the milk is probably still good, but I still have a problem once the date has passed.

[Javakoala]

Like I said, I know I mostly likely brought this on myself, but, man, if everything serves a purpose, what is all this extra crap about?  I think I learned about the milk thing by Monday evening.

And, Ghouck, I do something similar when I get a cold or flu like problems.  You basically push the body's heat factor up to kill the virus.  I know I'm better when I break that kind of sweat where you feel slimey and your body feels like it does after a hard, hard workout. I may have to try the booze angle, just for fun.

[Jack]

Sorry to hear you're feeling bad Java, hopefully you'll be better soon, once you quit following the doctor's advice    Watch out for pancake mix as well, my cousin sent me an email about how expired pancake mix can actually kill you.

[Zapranoth]

Whenever I get a GI bug (that's viral), I ease off food for a bit, keep up the water, and drink most of a bottle of pepto-bismol immediately.  I ignore the little plastic cup on top of the cap, and just drink 1/3 or 1/2 of the bottle, first.  Later, I drink more of it.

For most GI bugs that I get, that'll head off most of the diarrhea and minimize cramping and vomiting, although I still usually feel crummy for part of a day.

The pepto is a good antidiarrheal because it makes your gut a more hostile environment for viral replication.  Imodium slows down gut motility, which is helpful for stopping diarrhea but that's about all it does.  If you have an infection that creates a toxin (like c difficile) then that can actually be counterproductive.

That's what I do.  My immune system is fearsome, and I don't get sick often, but when I do that works well.

[Paquita]

Yikes!  Sounds like you had a wild ride!  I hope you get all better soon.

I had a similar situation when I ate undercooked bacon.  I remember while it was coming up thinking "I feel terrible but it was totally worth it!".  I don't think I'll be doing it again though, especially since the girl at work told me I could get brain worms from raw meat, even if it's not true, brain worms are just scary.

[Javakoala]

I don't get sick very often and I eat stuff that terrifies common folk.  I don't get this kind of thing but once every 10 years or so, but this was the worst I've had.

Imodium is going on my list of "I'm allergic to this" meds, of which it is the only one.  I'm glad the rash started after two doses. If I had really built that crap up in my system, I'd have been in the hospital.

And screw the doctor, I'm getting better and it ain't from eating applesauce.  Although, some nice cheese toast will be very tasty with my dinner tonight.

Still, I'm leery of eating my M&Ms.....for now.

[Javakoala]

Yikes!  Sounds like you had a wild ride!  I hope you get all better soon.

I had a similar situation when I ate undercooked bacon.  I remember while it was coming up thinking "I feel terrible but it was totally worth it!".  I don't think I'll be doing it again though, especially since the girl at work told me I could get brain worms from raw meat, even if it's not true, brain worms are just scary.

Brain worms are no problem.  Just saute them in some unsalted butter with a hint of garlic and a dash of rosemary....oh, sorry, I'm drooling now..

[Javakoala]

Lesson learned today:  If you have a GI virus issue, and you think your stomach is A-OK, you're wrong. 

I ate some chocolate and thought I was going to have to call an ambulance.  I'm sure the neighbors heard me groaning and crying from the pain.

So, it's back to easy-on-the-stomach foods.  Well, easier.

Say a prayer for me every time you flush a toilet.   

[Jack]

Say a prayer for me every time you flush a toilet.   

Okay, will do 

The guy I play golf with had some sort of virus once, and the doctor told him to take some over-the-counter medication.  He broke out in these horrible swelled up spots.  Looked like an infected zombie or something. 

[venomx]

I don't know what hit me, but last night right after my last post, I barfed ... and had a bad headache ... ehhh I feel alot better now though, maybe it was from the heat? I was out side around noon it was 98*

PS I hope you feel better Javakoala.

[Javakoala]

Say a prayer for me every time you flush a toilet.   

Okay, will do 

The guy I play golf with had some sort of virus once, and the doctor told him to take some over-the-counter medication.  He broke out in these horrible swelled up spots.  Looked like an infected zombie or something. 

It sounds like he took Imodium.  Rash is one of the side effects.

Pretty pathetic that we make medicine that causes as much if not more problem that what the meds were designed to clear up.

[Allhallowsday]

Like I said, I know I mostly likely brought this on myself, but, man, if everything serves a purpose, what is all this extra crap about?  I think I learned about the milk thing by Monday evening.

And, Ghouck, I do something similar when I get a cold or flu like problems.  You basically push the body's heat factor up to kill the virus.  I know I'm better when I break that kind of sweat where you feel slimey and your body feels like it does after a hard, hard workout. I may have to try the booze angle, just for fun.

How old was the milk...?  Z'okay, rhetorical question, but must point out that that's why they have expiry...    Not all of mankind's annoying BS is useless.   

Man oh man did you tell your doctors about the ...milk?