To go to A&E? I’m desperate.

[Havanawinter]

Early hours of Saturday morning (48 hours ago) I woke with the worst stomach cramps. I’ve been pooing liquid ever since, over 50 times a day. I can’t keep anything in. I haven’t been sick but I feel sick. It’s getting no better, the stomach cramps are indescribable, I can’t even lie down they’re so awful. I feel like death and I’m scared of dehydration. Do I call 111? Go to A&E? DH meant to be away in London for work tomorrow and I have 2 young kids by myself. I need help.

Sounds like Salmonella. The blood, does it just appear as a smudge when you wipe or in the toilet itself? I only ask as it could just be from broken skin/irritation from all the constant wiping.

Christ I’m a nurse and this is exactly what a and e is for. If you’ve genuinely been 50 times (and I’m not doubting you) and you have blood then you really need to go to a and

Don't go to A and E and don't use Imodium. Do get an emergency telephone GP app in the morning.
And you dh CANNOT go on his work trip.

How awful, I felt exactly like this when I had norovirus - liquid diarrhoea, awful cramps, would finish on the toilet then need it again before I got back to my bedroom. When a pharmacy opens send your hubby to get some dioralyte and some moist tissues (otherwise wiping so much can leave you very sore). For now try to sip boiled cooled water if you can. I would call 111 if you’re showing signs of dehydration. Hope you feel better soon!

Go to A&E.

You need to be seen by a doctor before your kidneys pack it in.

Tell the person manning the desk what's been going on. They will isolate you.

Ignore the frankly dreadful advice here to consider other people and the risk of passing on a virus.

Hospitals are for sick people, ffs. They're the place to go so that a doctor can decide what's wrong with you when you're having debilitating pain and constant diarrhea plus fever and shivering.

Drink plenty of water and you can make your own rehydration solution if you dont have dioralyte the recipe is on the internet

Your dh needs to stay home or find someone else to look after the kids,he cant possibly expect you to watch them when you are sick like this
Plus you dont want to give whatever you have to them

Also could be campylobacter. Not fun.

I'm an A+E Sister.

Go to A+E. You sound like you need some help. There will be people there with a lot less going on than you.

I had a woman yesterday that was recently diagnosed with hypertension so she bought a blood pressure machine. She tested everyone in her house and marched everyone in that was high. She insisted they were all seen and sorted. I triaged them all and tried to send them away. It was awful. Complete wasted time.

Go get sorted.

I had a diarrhoea bug for a week once, I really do have a lot of sympathy op. I must have spoken to my doctor 5 times asking for advice and they essentially said ride it out and try and stay hydrated. They advised not to take immodium either and let the bug pass.

It's savage!

How miserable. When I had campylobacter it was exactly as you describe. Sickest I have ever been. Dr didn't want me to go into hospital as I was breastfeeding so I stayed home and drank those rehydration thingeys, slept, took paracetamol for the fever. Took me 3 weeks to recover. I really hope you kick this more quickly than I did.

The range of advice on here is staggering- if anything like this happens I’ll definitely ring experts to find out! Hope you’re okay and btw make sure to get your dh to stay home

i would call the out if hours gp first but if you cant do that i would go to a and e.

i had the same recently - diarhea and stomach pain. The out if hours gp took it very seriously and i was admitted. Turns out it was a uti (i had no classic uti symptoms) but i needed to be in 2 days and then had two courses of antibiotics at home.

Point is you have no idea whats causing it - if you are in so much pain you cant lie down and you are bleeding i would try and get help tonight.

Blood isnt a run of the mill stomach bug, you need medical attention so please at least call 111. Hope you've got some advice or reassurance

Why would you take your bug to A&E? It’ll be full of people with low resistance - keep hydrating and take paracetamol- not everything needs to be dealt with in hospital. If it doesnt improve call your GP on Monday morning.

And get your husband to take over with the kids. You’re more important than his job.

Sounds like food poisoning. I have had it and the pain was so bad I truly thought I wasn’t going to survive. I went to hospital as I could not keep down any fluids and it was campylobacter.

Sounds like campylobacter nasty thing!

Have you had your appendix out, OP?

How are you doing now?
I used to work in a baby room in a nursery and for about 18months the stomach bugs we got were horrendous. We cleaned everything and we tried everything and we never isolated the cause.
I well remember the wretched misery of being so desperate for sleep but unable to leave the bathroom. Passing blood and knowing the management would be livid when I phoned in.
I don’t think it was ever as bad as you are describing though. If it’s not letting up at all you must phone the out-of-hours service.

I had campylobacter food poisoning and these exact symptoms- was traced back to a chicken burger in a pub! Was the only thing I’d had differently to the rest of the family. You should call gp in morning they will arrange stool sample kit you need someone to pick it up for you and then take it back. No way can you look after kids yourself if it is this, mine lasted 10 days.

On a practical note, how does someone with uncontrolled diarrhea manage to get to A&E and wait there for some time? I have nightmares about this sort of thing. I've had Salmonella in the past, and it would simply not have been possible without creating a sea of diarrhea on and around me, and that's something I never thought I'd type. A 'pad' would have been like offering a towel to a tidal wave.

I was tested and treated at home via my GP practice. It was accepted that I really could not leave my bathroom. I remember a follow-up phone call from a Public Health person, trying to narrow down the source, and antibiotics being supplied.

And yes, you need your DH's assistance today, @Havanawinter with medical care. And he needs to look after his family.

A&E definitely, this is what it's for, you could need antibiotics and a drip
GL x

I echo other pp advice, go to a&e it's what it's there for although with the amount of times you've been to the toilet it might not be very comfortable for you.
What did 111 say?
I've had food poisoning and it's horrific, hope you feel better soon x

I had similar once, think it was food poisoning. After about 48 hours it stopped. It was like an instant switch, I felt absolutely fine. Really hope same happens to you.

Sounds awful OP.
No advice but does sound a lot like food poisoning.
I hope it passes soon

Hi OP,
Big sympathies, I went to A andE a week ago because I couldn't keep anything down for four days and had diarrhea. My husband had to take me because I coukdn't manage by myself but then left for work once I was seen.
They gave me two bags or fluids and antisickness drugs which meant I turned the corner. Go to A and E if your symptons are not improving and you don"t feel you can cope. I also did a covid test before I went.