diarrhea?

[SlightlyJaded]

Woke up feeling clammy hot/cold this morning with real stomach twisting cramps. A bit like bad period plus wind plus food poisoning. Have had diarrhoea all day - about 10 times (sorry if TMI), mild nausea (no vomiting but no appetite) and feel exhausted. I've stayed in bed all day and kept hydrated with DH and DC checking in on me.

I've followed the rules, been careful but have had to go to big London Supermarkets regularly, and pop into office twice since Christmas.

I've heard that diarrhoea can be a Covid symptom and I'd ride it out but I am supposed to having an emergency dental appointment on Thursday as I have nerve pain and am abscess.

How likely is this to be Covid really? Did anyone else start with upset stomach? Trying to decide if it's reasonable to keep my appointment if I feel well enough.

I’ve had these exact symptoms since Sunday and had a covid test today, so will find out in a few days. I decided to test because a few months ago a colleague had covid and diarrhoea was the first symptom.

I wouldn’t go to a dental appointment with any kind of stomach bug, to be honest.

Would you mind updating your test result when it arrives?

The toothache is horrendous but I don't want to be a selfish idiot.

Bumping this hoping to hear from anyone else that's had a gastro bug recently OR had diarrhoea as a first symptom of Covid.

I called the dentist and told them I had been experiencing upset stomach and mild nausea and tiredness for 48 hours and did they think I should cancel my appointment tomorrow, and they said it's 'up to me'

I don't feel much like going to the dentist as I feel pretty awful, and if the toothache wasn't so bad, I wouldn't hesitate to cancel. The possibility that this could be early Covid is another factor. I've read that up to twenty percent of people get an upset tummy, but I've not seen much about that on here and no idea how robust that stat is.

Anyone?

Just get a test, that’s the only way you will know, people have had all sorts of symptoms including upset stomachs, not everyone gets the most obvious symptoms.

My mum had COVID in April. She is an asthma sufferer. The only symptoms she had were sickness and diarrhoea. This was before the testing systems we have now and it was wrongly diagnosed as norovirus at first. She was very ill for three weeks and the only ‘traditional’ symptom she had was the fever.

I had a terrible stomach a few weeks back, cramps, diarrhoea and nausea. shivers and mild fever, aches and pains everywhere. I tested negative, so I think it was just a tummy bug!

I would advise getting a test. It can be a symptom and then you will know.
I would cancel your appointment though even if the test was negative. I work in a hospital outpatients and would not be allowed back to work until 48 hours clear after a stomach bug incase of spreading it.
It would be sensible to avoid the dentist where you may spread a bug even if it is not covid.
Hope you feel better soon.

Just get tested - it can affect any organ in your body, the three symptoms listed are ones that most people usually have one of.

My GP suspected covid in march when i had diarrhea, vomitting and fever - I developed a cough weeks later. At the time they told me in younger people they weren't always seeing a cough. GP ran the covid hub in a major city.

My friend has been like this since the weekend, she had a test yesterday but it was negative so must be nasty stomach bug doing the rounds too.

Yes, my niece started out with gastro problems.

I started with Nausea Sunday night, no appetite, headache, aching limbs. Monday morning I felt worse, but same symptoms, I went and got a test. Monday night very very sick, down to green bile, sorry TMI. Middle of the night diarrhoea, non stop. Tuesday morning, test came back negative and felt a little better. Now i just have an upset stomach. I think it’s Norovirus. I thought it was the start of covid as I think we’ve all been brainwashed but there are other things too. Hope you feel better soon.

Unfortunately it could be Coronavirus. You need to test tomorrow or you may miss the testing window.

I've been extremely careful too, and still caught it.

Even if it is a stomach bug, I think it would be irresponsible to go to your appointment tomorrow. You wouldn't want to pass Coronavirus or stomach bug on.

Also had gastrointestinal symptoms when positive for Covid. Definitely get tested, it's not worth the risk of passing it on.

I just got an email from the Zoe app offering a test tomorrow based on symptoms entered today and yesterday. Going to do that first thing and see if my dentist will give me stronger antibiotics for the abscess without going in.

Thanks all.

I'd still be interested to hear about incidences of gastro only Covid as my googling has suggested it's as many as one in five cases, but I haven't really come across any (and I know loads of people who have had it).

You can buy metedinazole (spelling?) on the internet, I’ve bought it for dental abscesses when I have been too ill to get to the dentist. Proviso is that I have been prescribed it before and I know I’m not allergic to it.

DH and I both had diarrhoea, but not as first symptom.

It went:

Day 0: cold-type symptoms (stuffy nose,sneezing)
Day 1: cough
Day 2: (one day only, and only me): fever
Day 3+: diarrhoea

Fatigue also throughout, seemed to get worse after 2 or 3 days, stay the same for about 10 days, and then start to improve.

Diarrhoea lasted about a week.

My Aunt had it and her only symptoms were diarrhoea and fatigue.

I do wonder if sometimes people test positive after they have symptoms like diarrhoea but the diarrhoea was unrelated to the covid, and they would have otherwise been an asymptomatic covid carrier.
In either case worth getting a test.

I hope you get your abscess sorted soon op.

I had severe diarrhoea and nausea for about a week when I had Covid. My initial symptoms were bad joint aches, minor temperature and headache. I didn't get 'classic' symptoms until I was 4 or 5 days in.

I had similar symptoms & my results were negative.
If you have an abscess / infection this could be making you sick.

In the interests of completeness...
Test: negative
Dentist: Via video call
Stronger antibiotics prescribed

Must just be a random bug. Which is still quite interesting to me when I consider how careful I've been.

The usual covid test wouldn't necessarily show if you had covid or not without respiratory symptoms according to a lancet article.

Antibiotics always give me the runs though so if you were taking them it was probably that - didn't realise you were!

Just to update, OP, my test was negative and I feel much better (5 days after first symptoms) so I think it was a stomach bug/norovirus type bug.