The Student Room Group

Diarrhea..

(Bit of an embarrassing subject) Anybody ever had it? I got a bit of a dodgy tummy from being on holiday and ive been suffering for the last couple of days. And because its the weekend i rang nhs direct and was told to starve myself for 12 hours..is this normal?

It sucks, because im really really hungry :frown: I havent vomitted, its just er the other end and really bad stomach cramps and im quite dehydrated but it seems like no matter how much i drink im not feeling any more 'less' thirsty..

I was also told i had to rest and drink loads and not go to my school prom tonight so im quite upset about that too :frown:

Also, im supposed to work tomorrow..i work in a hotel as a waitress and im supposed to be working 9 til 5 tomorrow and monday evening. But im guessing i cant work? I don't feel as ill as i did yesterday but ive still got it quite badly even though im not running to the toilet as much, but my boss is not very nice and hes gonna moan if i have more time off work (i demanded tonight off for my prom and now not going and i took 3days off before the holiday because i had a really chesty cough).

It kinda puts you off wanting to go to nice places when you come home feeling rubbish..guess its better to be ill after the holiday than during it though..:redface:

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Im going to vietnam for a month this summer, and in preparation for the diorrhea that everyone apparently suffers (lovely:redface: ) we've been told to carry a can of coke at all times. Apparently it stops it in its tracks so to speak....
i guess in that case it makes you constipated for a while though....depends which you'd rather i guess
Reply 2
i wouldnt of thought staving yourself would help.
i know drinking fizzy lemonade helps so buy yourself a bottle ot that and drink it.
i think tou should also drink some water too
you could also get tablets from tescos and stuff that while sort it out.
maybe eating things with fibre in it would help
i had that for a whole week and didnt eat a thing (managed to lose quite a bit of weight but felt faint so not good.. :p: ). If you're hungry have some boiled rice but nothing else, no sauces or dairy products. And drink lots of water so you dont get dehydrated - v important!
Reply 4
If you're not feeling better by tomorrow I suggest you call in sick - it can be very uncomfortable and embarrassing if you have diarrhoea whilst out in public. If you are worried about your boss, perhaps try getting a doctors note? I'm sorry you have to miss your prom but I really doubt you'd enjoy it if you went in this condition! :frown: Don't worry - I didn't go to mine either! :redface: (But for other reasons :biggrin:)

I think you've been told to 'starve yourself' so as not to 'fuel the fire' down there, so to speak :smile: Your tummy and intestines just need a bit of a rest from whatever it is that died down there :frown: I know what a nuisance it is feeling hungry but just try and hang on and hopefully you should feel better for it. I'm not too sure while you're feeling so dehydrated, I guess diarrhoea is quite liquidy (yuck :biggrin:) but just keep trying to drink!

And for the record, yes I have had it too! Not for as long - but I know it's horrible! My sympathies are with you!
Reply 5
I think if you've got diahorrhea then your boss will be understanding about you taking time off - you're not supposed to work in a food environment until you've had 48 'run-free' hours, as what you've got may be infectious.
It sounds like you have more than diarrhoea - probably a stomach bug of some sort, in which case, absolutely don't go to work. But it won't be serious, and starving yourself is quite normal. :smile:
Reply 7
Yes, actually, if you mention to your boss that you think you may have caught a bug on holiday, I'm sure he'll practically forbid you to come to work! :smile:
Reply 8
dani_88


Also, im supposed to work tomorrow..i work in a hotel as a waitress and im supposed to be working 9 til 5 tomorrow and monday evening. But im guessing i cant work? I don't feel as ill as i did yesterday but ive still got it quite badly even though im not running to the toilet as much, but my boss is not very nice and hes gonna moan if i have more time off work (i demanded tonight off for my prom and now not going and i took 3days off before the holiday because i had a really chesty cough).

DO NOT under any circumstance go to work. You are a health and safety nightmare at the minute. You need to be 48 hours sympton free before you can work with food.
Reply 9
Lol i was thinking about the food-handling thing too!

Ive never had a bad tummy bug like that before but i have heard that boiled milk(shudders) can stop diarrhoea and soothe your gut
Reply 10
I bought some of those immodium thingies from boots that are supposed to stop diarrhea in one dose and they didn't do a thing :frown: Nhs direct said there was a possibility it could be food poisoning.. Im not looking forward to giving a sample of 'it' to my doctor, thats got to be really embarrassing!

With regards to my boss, i know that theyre really really short staffed for tomorrow and although i know i shouldn't be working ive got a funny feeling hes going to make me.. (hes not very sympathetic!)

Ill give them a ring in a bit and see what he says. I demanded tonight off for my prom and didnt go so thats gotta prove to them im not "faking it" im just worried its going to look suspicious in their eyes because it 'is' my prom tonight and im supposed to be working early tomorrow.. :frown:

I didnt think fizzy lemonade was a good idea? I was told anything clear was ok though??
Reply 11
saoirse
Lol i was thinking about the food-handling thing too!

Ive never had a bad tummy bug like that before but i have heard that boiled milk(shudders) can stop diarrhoea and soothe your gut

The nurse at nhs direct said i should avoid dairy at all costs..something to do with it making me diarrhea worse :frown: Im just glad i haven't vomitted, i get really bad stomach pains on a night because im constantly going to the loo during the night and not half as much during the day.. i fell asleep sat upright last night because lying on my back and side felt like it was really hurting my tummy :frown:
Reply 12
thats what my mum gives me whenever i get an upset tummy and i just drink it all day for the next day or so and im usually fine.
lemonade is clear :p: well some lemonade is. i usually have sprite or 7 up or something
Well like you say if you ring them up now, when you're meant to be at your prom, then they'll know you're telling the truth. You wouldn't pretend to be sick and miss your prom, just to get a day off work! :smile:
dani_88


With regards to my boss, i know that theyre really really short staffed for tomorrow and although i know i shouldn't be working ive got a funny feeling hes going to make me.. (hes not very sympathetic!)

If he tries, then tell him what I've just said above. I'm a manager in the industry and I know you're not allowed to work.
Reply 15
BlackHawk
If he tries, then tell him what I've just said above. I'm a manager in the industry and I know you're not allowed to work.

Ok cheers :smile: Just better hope it clears up soon! got home on wednesday..its been quite a long time :frown:
Reply 16
Rang them.. They were not very happy at all :frown: had to leave message with recpetionist because restaurant manager was busy..which means my message is just gonna get passed on as "im sick" and not the full story..so they're probably not going to believe me.. i get that impression anyway because tonight was my prom night :frown: they make me so angry sometimes..
NHS direct have told you not to eat in the next 12 hours? I was always under the impression that when you eat, you only eat dry food because your body needs this.
Reply 18
NDGAARONDI
NHS direct have told you not to eat in the next 12 hours? I was always under the impression that when you eat, you only eat dry food because your body needs this.

Nhs direct told me to eat boring foods such as bread and pasta etc.. But the doctor on call who rang me up for a phone consultation told me they advise people to starve themselves...
dani_88
Nhs direct told me to eat boring foods such as bread and pasta etc.. But the doctor on call who rang me up for a phone consultation told me they advise people to starve themselves...


Ah right - dry foods is usually advised.