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.

This does sound like Salmonella, I had it and felt like I was going to die. I would get yourself to A & E pronto. You’ll def need help with the dehydration. Huge sympathy to you.

A&E. Why mess about with your health?

How are you OP?

Did you manage to get some hydration sachets? Or some Imodium?

I can see how even getting to A&E would feel impossible if you need the loo every few minutes.

For this I wouldn't go to a and e and I would imagine diarrhea at a and e would be awful for you.
Call 111 lots of water and it sounds like a bad bug. Water will flush it out.

Sounds like salmonella poisoning. What did you eat yesterday?

You need fluids and rehydration salts. Water or clear fluids like flat lemonade. Keep drinking to flush your system through. Call 111 and ask for advice.

Incidentally Salmonella is a notifiable disease, so you need to be tested and if positive, you need to provide details of the pub to the authorities, so they can be checked.

Pharmacist would be my first call to see if I could get some medication for the diarrhoea and some of the sachets for dehydration. I don't see you getting anything different in a and e... sounds like a really nasty bug. If you start passing blood etc then I'd ring 111 but I don't think A+E is the right choice for right now unless you get worse. Do you have anyone can watch the kids for you tomorrow/ do the school run etc or can DH take carers leave

I would've thought if it was food poisoning that you'd be vomiting all the time. I really feel for you. I think I'd be calling my GP though rather than going straight to A&E and see what he or she says.

Sounds exactly like when my husband had campylobacter, he was passing fre-flowing blood before he agreed to go to A&E, where he was admitted and kept in isolation for 5 days on antibiotics and hydration fluids. If you're passing blood, then don't try to deal with it yourself, you need medical assistance, especially if you're that dehydrated.

Call 111 lots of water and it sounds like a bad bug. Water will flush it out.

For the second time, this is bad advice. Water will not flush out a serious virus or appendicitis or diverticulitis.

If you drink too much though it will flush out stuff you actually need and make you iller.

I really hope you are getting some medical attention, OP. I agree with PP that it could well be campylobacter or salmonella poisoning.

I honestly think that an OP could post about a broken leg and someone would say 'sounds like Covid.'

Sounds like campolabatica (sorry can't spell it!) From the chicken burger. I had it when I was about 14 from chicken and chips in a pub. I was not sick but had green bloody poo and had to wear thick sanitary towels as leaking constantly inbetween the toilet trips. Not one for A&E but you definitely need a doctor to the house. I was ill for over a week and was literally bed bound. The pains were horrendous and worse than labour. I don't eat chicken out now at all. Please get a doctor ASAP

Hope you're feeling better OP. That sounds grim. Personally I'd call GP first rather than A&E just because of the wait/constant going to the loo will make A&E difficult.

At this stage you don’t know if it’s food poisoning etc so I’d avoid Imodium and let it take its course but the vital part is electrolyte replacement - make double strength diahoralite and sip it regularly , don’t drink loads of plain water as that will just flush more electrolytes

if your dehydration isn’t under control and you start to cramp in legs / hallucinate get urgent medical attention

Like others I had diarea for about 3 days with covid. But my test came back negative for first 3 days. I only trusted as after 24 hours, my “bit of IBS” didn’t stop ( normally last only 4-6 hours) and I started to get a temperature, shivers, and feel exhausted. So clearly not IBS.
so, could be covid still even if negative test at first.

on the other hand could be any number of other things too.

keep hydrated . Get rehydration salts. Call 111 if last more than 48 hours.

This is the worst thing she could do , need to actually slow down on fluid intake and make that intake high in electrolytes

Food poisoning doesn't always involve vomiting.

I had a bad case of salmonella (traced to KFC) and didn't vomit once. All other symptoms as per OP's description, but not as bad (no blood, in my instance).

I'd be going to A&E now if I was OP - that amount of pain, coupled with the symptoms, needs seeing.

I would've thought if it was food poisoning that you'd be vomiting all the time.

No - I had salmonella years ago and I only vomited once and that was when I tried to drink something other than water (think it may have been lucozade). Like the op I was hardly ever off the loo with liquid diahorrea and if I so much as changed position in bed slightly I had to rush there again.

I was ill in bed for about 5 days (a GP came out to me twice) and then in hospital for a week.

Phone them again plus try phoning your GP this morning and asking did an urgent phone appointment.

Please seek immediate medical help op.

I wonder on here who is actually medical and who’s not to be giving out such weird advice.
go to a and e. I’m a nurse, you possibly need iv fluids and maybe antibiotics!
dont wait until you go into hypovolaemic shock or your kidneys pack up.

Have you not even tried ringing your doctor? (I have speed read the posts but must have missed it, if you have).
Do not go to A&E the last things they need in a hospital are stomach infections.

Bad advice

I'm not medical and I know if you're pooing bloody and have had diarrhoea for 48 hours you seek urgent medical attention because there's a serious need for it and a risk of dehydration or being really poorly from excessive blood loss... because I'm not an idiot... unfortunately it seems there are lots of people who are 🤫

Omg OP I’m so sorry, hope you feel better soon and that your husband takes all this more seriously!

OP I really hope you're OK. My colleague had something similar and he collapsed from dehydration. The ambulance rushed him in and he was there for over a week.
xxx