Diarrhea as first symptom

[7Lilliput]

Hi
Am in the moderate risk category and have been isolating other than to go walking with my 2 young children a couple of times a week over quiet fields/woods.
We did the driveway street party for a couple of hours on VE Day keeping our 2m distance throughout.

Last night I came over with awful stomach cramps and had about 4 bouts of bad diarrhoea out of the blue. No temperature, but have woken feeling quiet achey and not quite right this morning. Am now panicking as I’ve read that Diarrhea can be first symptom of Covid.

Was wondering if anyone who’s had it has any experience of this, or am I just looking into it too much!

[ButterflyBitch]

I think I may have had it but obviously not tested so can’t be sure. I had a bit of an upset stomach on and off for a couple of days then had a really tight chest (with no cough) sore throat and headache. After a day or so I started with an intermittent cough which wasn’t too bad. I also felt quite tired. After 5 days all my symptoms got worse. Coughing was still intermittent but had coughing fits that left me short of breath, was absolutely wiped out fatigued and didn’t get out of bed for 4 days. After that I started to feel better but took about 4-5 days to feel normal again. At no point did I have a temperature though. It was very weird. I probably would have thought it a normal bug but the fact my chest was tight before I started coughing and even though I wasn’t coughing much was weird.
If you do become poorly then rest as much as you can and obviously if you feel really poorly then get medical advice.

[Zem74]

Thanks so much for your reply. I suppose it’s a case of waiting and seeing if anything comes next.

I feel like usually I would write it off as something I’d eaten but seeing as we’ve all been eating the same meals and only eating at home no takeaways etc then I can rule that out!

[AvocadoPrime]

I cannot really answer your question but I have had a bad stomach and now the dry cough which is intermittent, no temperature but feel tired. So I don't know either. I hope you feel better soon.

[ButterflyBitch]

The thing is, even if you’re at risk you still might not be that poorly. If you do get poorly then get help. I know it’s scary but you’ll more than likely be fine even if you do get ill.

[Purplewithred]

Can you self-refer for a test - gov.uk website, they can send you one?

[Porcupineinwaiting]

Yes diarrhea can be the first symptom. Its rarely the only symptom though, so if it is COVID you can expect others to follow it. It's just a matter of wait and see.

[MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously]

If you haven't been in contact with people, is it not more likely that you just ate something a bit iffy? I wouldn't worry just on the basis of an upset stomach

[EachandEveryone]

Im off work with Diarrhea this is my second day. It came out if the blue and no other symptoms. Two people off work with the same thing. I think its a bug.

[MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously]

I think it's natural for muscles to ache after a bad upset stomach

[TheVanguardSix]

I'm exactly in the same boat. Four days of just running to the loo. Lots of severe, doubling-over type stomach pains last week leading up to the diarrhea. It's one of the worst bouts I've ever had. I have a tight chest- but I also had a spontaneous artery tear in March which brought on a heart attack and cardiac arrest, so I am more mindful of having a second tear and heart attack. The tight chest throws me because it's new (the post-heart attack chest pain I had cleared after a month). I thought maybe my heart meds were upsetting me, but I think it would be weird to finally have a reaction to meds now, weeks after starting them, when I hadn't had any reactions before.

[Zem74]

Thanks so much for all the responses.

Crazy how much all of this plays havoc on your mind. Normally I wouldn’t think too much into an evening of upset stomach but during all of this you feel like anything could be a precursor to Covid!

I’ll watch and wait!

[Zem74]

Ah sounds like you’ve really been through it @TheVanguardSix wishing you better soon!

[HRH2020]

I think average incubation is 5 days for covid so might be a bit quick from Friday.

My first sign of suspected covid was cramps for 24 hours followed by the runs. Temp started 36 hours after that followed by other symptoms.

[CrowdedHouseinQuarantine]

I also had diarrhoea but I was thinking of seeing whether I had a temperature,
if i stayed at home for 2 weeks on a just in case, I would have to ask my working dd to do the same, which would be an awkward conversation.
i had a weird tummy for a week but nothign else

[RufustheLanglovingreindeer]

Friend of mine has been ill and paramedics called

No covid symptoms and she was tested for covid at the time...but the first question the paramedics asked was do you have diarrhea

She rang the doctor yesterday on the advice of the paramedics and that was the first question he asked as well

She wasn’t asked about coughing or fever

[Zem74]

@Rufus that’s really interesting

Can I ask what symptoms she had that were bad enough to call paramedics?

[RufustheLanglovingreindeer]

zem

She had been feeling dizzy for a few days, collapsed at school and had a panic attack

The school rang The paramedics

[Zem74]

Ah ok. Hope she’s ok now

Did she test positive?

[Broadwayb]

My first symptom was diarrhoea. It lasted about 5 days and was accompanied by awful stomach cramps. It wasn’t huge amounts of diarrhoea like you normally get with a stomach bug though, it was small amounts several times per day, horrible cramps and the smell was horrendous. The day after is just about stopped I had one episode of very high temperature but only for a couple of hours. Then felt ok for a couple of days, followed by tight, burny chest and sore throat. I never had a cough.

[RufustheLanglovingreindeer]

No she didn’t zem

Apparently it was the blood prick test which they said was only 90% effective...but probably effective enough

But yeah i think she’s on the mend, been ‘signed off’ work

[hamstersarse]

I was never tested for Covid but was tested for every other cause of diarrhea back in late Jan - so negative for salmonella, norovirus, rotavirus and parasitic infection. I am pretty sure by a process of elimination that it was Covid and I had also been to the Alps!

I got sudden diarrhea and it was instant every time I ate something for about 5 days and I felt a bit rough but was continuing with doing stuff, then on day 5 got a high fever for maybe 24-36 hours and was in bed wiped out. I had a pretty 'sensitive' gut for about a week after that but felt OK-ish.

I have read somewhere since that some people get the virus in their chest (cough) but for some people it is able to travel to their intestine (le shits)? No idea whether that is true.

[EachandEveryone]

I rang the helpline at work today and they said if theres no other symptoms stay off for 24 hours. Im only getting cramps and the rins. I can get swabbed at work but i feel like i would be wasting their time. Ill reassess tomorrow.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

My family tho k I've had it too. Temperature and feeling aches then horrendous diarrhoea for a week.

Make sure you have some rehydration powders and paracetamol in OP

[MRex]

Just an an alternative tale, DH picked up a gastric flu during lockdown and I got even milder symptoms of it a day later. There was just one thing he'd eaten the day before that I hadn't (not washable) so we concluded that it was passed on via the food. No fever, no coughs etc. So it might not be covid at all. Either way, you may feel better if a neighbour can buy you dioralytes and if you avoid lactose for a bit.

[Tartan333]

I had bad stomach cramps and diarrhoea over 2 nights accompanied by night sweats, a tight chest, slightly breathless when walking and then a sore throat developed then symptoms eased. This was over about 7 days. I don't know if it was covid or not but I have read up and diarrhoea seems to be a common symptom. I don't understand why the nhs is only listing a temperature and cough as main symptoms. It seems much more varied.