GP said to DH "Don't eat for 48 hrs" Opinions please.

[IloveBanff]

My husband has had several bouts of diarrhoea over the last few days. No nausea or vomiting just diarrhoea after eating. He had to see the doctor about something else this morning and so mentioned this problem too.
The doctor suspects gastro-enteritis and told him not to eat anything for 48 hours and it should clear up. He has taken that to mean solid food and was about to make a chicken cup-a soup. Surely that is as bad as solid food as it will 'feed' the bacteria (it contains glucose syrup, milk protein, maize starch, chicken and potato). He has bought some Dioralyte so that his electrolyte balance is ok, but which of us is right regarding the cup-a-soup? Shouldn't he be having clear fluids?

I've no idea if this is current advice but I was brought up that the best way to treat gastroenteritis was a water only diet for 48 hours. Water, nothing else. I resorted to this for a bad bout last year, introducing easily digested foods and probiotic drinks on the third day and it worked for me.

Thrower

BIWI "What's the point of going to the doctor if you're going to ignore his/her advice? "

It's not a matter of ignoring the doctor's advice. My husband took the "don't eat anything" very literally and thinking well you don't eat soup you drink it and he didn't agree with me when I said having a cup-a soup wasn't a good idea.

I therefore started this thread in the hope of showing him that I was right in saying that the cup a soup wasn't OK. It has worked as he has read the replies and not had the soup, so thanks everyone.
Clear fluids it will be.

I had a stomach bug recently and was left with nasty diarrhoea every time I ate even after the virus had cleared. I bought some probiotic tablets from Holland and Barrett, one a day for 30 days is what the packet recommended and I take my last one tomorrow. They contain all the healthy bacteria you should have in your gut to digest food. These are wiped out by constant diarrhoea, so it makes sense to replace them. Maybe just try 24hrs of clear liquid and then get your hands on some probiotics and start on fruit, veg and meat. Carbs initially made me feel very heavy so I ate less until I started feeling better.

Having recently had the norovirus - two things I was ok with was soup and plain rice. I don't eat cuppa soup because it's revolting. I'd say a 70 year old would be better off having something than nothing if he can keep it down.

I'd go to the supermarket and get some fresh, bland, vegetable soup and see how he responds.

My husband took the "don't eat anything" very literally and thinking well you don't eat soup you drink it and he didn't agree with me when I said having a cup-a soup wasn't a good idea.

The logic behind the don't eat regime is that you deprive the bad bacteria of calorific nutrients to feed on and basically starve them to death. So don't eat means literally water-only. No soups, juices, drinks like bovril or anything else.

Thank you ColdFeet. It's good that probiotics are available in tablet form as there's no way my husband would eat yogurt of any kind, live or not.

He says he'll be fine with water for a couple of days and after that we'll be very careful. We will keep a note of what he eats so we know what does and doesn't cause a problem. Very grateful for all the advice. I can't believe this thread is 'Trending'!

He could have chicken, beef or vegetable stock. For more flavour could simmer the stock with onions and other veg and then strain them out.

Distraction and rest is probably the best thing to stop feeling too hungry, although he might not feel too hungry if he has been so ill anyway. So a good time to watch those films and boxsets he's been meaning to watch and catch up in any good reads.

HerOtherHalf Exactly! That's what I told him! Honestly, anyone would think he was a bit thick sometimes.

I'd just drink water and weak tea (no milk). Anything else will feed the bacteria.

Yes, he'll force himself to sit about playing on the Xbox, reading and watching TV.
Not all at once though.

My son had persisten diarrhoea once & turned out to be food poisoning caused by chicken. He needed special antibiotics to clear it up

DH had this and starved himself for 24hrs, but it made no difference, then again.

He is on immunosuppressants, and not exactly fat, so we followed the NHS advice, and he had bits of toast etc then immodium after a week. That stopped the diarrhoea but he is still not well so we are on bland food, fish rice an veg, not too much fat and not too much spice. And prebiotic powder. And early bedtime.

If it is a virus he has caught, his body needs to fight it before it is going to go away completely and that will take time.

None of us knows what the OP's husband's condition is. None of us was in that treatment room. So it's massively arrogant (not to say possibly even dangerous) to assume that we, random internet strangers, know better than the doctor who was diagnosing his condition.

Stupid and foolish.

Except the OP writes that the Dr suspected gastroenteritis. So it's probably safe to assume that the doctor's advice is based on this, in which case his advice is outdated. Advice for the treatment of gastroenteritis is pretty straightforward and recommendations made by posters aligns with NHS and NICE guidance, so no I don't think that it's arrogant to assume that the Dr is outdated in this instance as his advice contradicts Current medical guidance for the condition OP says the Dr suspects.

In what way is following current evidence, NICE and NHS guidance stupid and foolish? Doctors are individuals, and as such are certainly not infallible!

NICE guidance is that fluids including fruit juices and soups should be taken as well as small bland meals as appetitive dictates. Over 60s are at particular risk of dehydration
cks.nice.org.uk/gastroenteritis#!scenario:2

I'd just drink water and weak tea (no milk). Anything else will feed the bacteria

Bollocks. You need to eat/drink during gastroenteritis to maintain enterocyte (gut cell) health. Otherwise you increase the risk dehydration and of a breakdown in the gut barrier and further bacterial invasion. Hence the NICE guidance above.