Stomach Virus Question

[kastorpollux]

I read on here that:
"The vomiting and even the diarrhea is a secondary response. It's your body's way, evolutionarily, to respond to an infection. It doesn't actually do anything to help you. (This is probably why, if you do something to stop the vomit response with anti-emetic drugs or sheer willpower the course of the virus is not any worse.) There is no need to “get the virus out of there” by vomiting as it’s not in your stomach anyway – it’s in your intestinal tract.
The brain may allow you to "not vomit" if you convince it to. While this is a fine idea when infected with Norovirus, it’s not if you’ve ingested a chemical poison.
"
If vomiting doesn't do anything to help us, why do we feel relieved after vomiting? And is there anyone out there with tips on suppressing vomiting without medicines?
Thanks (:

[hairyfairy]

I`ve read loads of times how vting is supposed to help clear the virus, but I think that people would rcover just as quickly without it. The only reason that people feel better after vting is that nausea is such a bad feeling that they`re just relieved tat it`s gone.

[kastorpollux]

Thank you

[CMM811]

I have read ALOT on the secondary nature...and firmly believe in it. There are loads of emets on here that have gone decades without v*ing and they have had sv* and there is always difference of opinions. Just like why some people v* with a high fever, or strep, or the flu. V*ing is a secondary response to all infections in our bodies...

[kastorpollux]

Does anyone know of any tricks to mentally inhibit yourself from vomiting? I've heard about anti-emetics but I don't want to wait until I have to vomit to take them or abuse taking them because I heard they become ineffective. If anyone can share any natural methods, it would be greatly appreciated.

[CMM811]

Does anyone know of any tricks to mentally inhibit yourself from vomiting? I've heard about anti-emetics but I don't want to wait until I have to vomit to take them or abuse taking them because I heard they become ineffective. If anyone can share any natural methods, it would be greatly appreciated.

Ginger is really good for n* and v*, there is sea bands, I don't know how effective they are. Some people say plain black tea helps with n* and v*. My mother in law SWEARS up and down by club soda and bitters (can be found in the alcoholic mixing drink area of supermarkets) she pours the club soda in and shakes some bitters in it. She said she drank it one time during the worst sv* that she had ever had and the n* was gone within 10 minutes of drinking it......... If I am n* I do mind over matter and I talk to myself and work through it. I have had severe n* and some gagging but I did not let myself v*. Take control over your mind and your body, and when you get calm your stomach can usually calm down too. If not anti emetics work, I keep everything on hand. But I talk to myself first and formost, I learned through many therapists to control my mind and my fears but it is also healthy to also when you are feeling scared or anxious.

[person54321]

Ginger is great, it's pretty powerful and cheap and easy to get. I prefer pill form, some people like the powdered teas (I find most of them way too sweet), some people like to slice raw ginger and put it in hot water with lemon. I also like ginger candies.

My biggest thing though, is being cold. I don't know why, but if I make myself cold and shivery, it works wonders. Whenever I'm feeling unbearably nauseated the first thing I do is go outside and every time I've done so, it's at least temporarily relieved the nausea. Couldn't tell you why. I don't know how well it would work with a SV or something, but the last few times I've felt obscenely nauseated I've gone outside and felt better pretty quickly.

[LouiseR]

I agree with that response, it's definitely more reassuring to think that way! Not everyone has vomiting AND diarrhea with sv, some have one and never the other etc so I don't think either are a necessary part of flushing out a virus.

I just think that trying to fight your bodies natural responses is gonna make you feel a bit ill and blocked up. Not letting yourself be sick is just gonna mean you won't get relief from nausea, but for us that is often preferable. At least v* is more controllable than d*, I can't imagine being able to hold that in, so lets be thankful most of us at least don't fear that!

I also do the cold thing, your body temperature rises just before you are sick so keeping it down definitely helps, I don't know if its just all in my brain but I think if i can prevent myself from getting a hot flush I wont be sick.

[lemonchar]

Totally agree with the secondary response theory. Noro usually works by inflaming your GI tract, so it becomes uncomfortable for your stomach to hold food. And that's all n* is: an expression of discomfort, and also a request from your body to not consume any food for a while, until it deals with the inflamed tissue.

I also think of v*ing like scratching an itch...it feels better to scratch an itch, so I scratch every time I have an itch. For some people, n* is like an itch they can scratch by v*ing. That's how I try to understand friends and family who v* with every headache, chest cold, overindulgence, and hangover.

And there have been times when I've been super n* but refused to v*, mostly because I remembered it's not necessary for me to do. On a bad hangover morning I once did sun salutation yoga poses & breathing (embarrassing but true) and it relaxed my body AND got my mind off the n* temporarily. A little Dramamine didn't hurt either

[luvinmybaby07]

I do the cold thing as well. Also I always keep a mint based gum on hand as that quells the n* and eases my stomach. But I have rituals I do that take my mind off of it, I usually only take my meds as a last resort when it is extremely bad. But I have a select few movies that I have to watch as well as I have to lay in bed on my back with my head a little propped up and I have to have my shirt pulled above my tummy, then I cut the fan on the highest setting no matter what time of year it is and I let it make me really cold and I have water beside me I will sip when I am at the brink of my n* because you know how it is a gradual feeling with n* it's like a wave and when it hits the top of the wave I sip water and it goes away, if that makes sense. Along with deep breathing when I start getting n* it eases it as well. I avoid bathrooms at all cost no matter how bad I have to go until I haven't been n* for at least an hour or so, and then I run in and out not wasting any time lol. And I stop talking and luckily my husband knows how I am so he doesn't continue to try and talk to me when I get like this lol. I think you have to just find something that works for you. You have to really pay attention to your body and how it responds to the things you are doing.

[Kazzia]

I like the scratching an itch analogy! It seems so true.

My CBT therapist once said to me that no one can stop themselves v* and that it's a reflex action in the same way someone bashes your knee when your legs are crossed - it automatically jumps at the touch of that nerve.

I'm in two minds. I do believe my therapist in a way as three times in the past 18 years I've felt super n* and gagged/retched because of it. And I felt like I couldn't stop it happening, with all the willpower in the world.

However, on those occasions nothing came up so I didn't v*. On the latter occasion my stomach was FULL. I had eaten a huge meal and had loads of hot chocolate like an hour or two before. I explained that episode to my mother over the phone (well I say explained, I was having the worst panic attack ever) and she said "well it seems like your body doesn't really know how to be sick anymore". It made no sense, my stomach was lurching into my throat and I was dry retching, but the stomach contents were staying put. Maybe I have super sphincter muscle control? Who knows. I'd like to think I have but as much as I fight n* to the death, I still feel that I will never have 100% control of it.

[Sar11]

I do the cold thing as well. Also I always keep a mint based gum on hand as that quells the n* and eases my stomach. But I have rituals I do that take my mind off of it, I usually only take my meds as a last resort when it is extremely bad. But I have a select few movies that I have to watch as well as I have to lay in bed on my back with my head a little propped up and I have to have my shirt pulled above my tummy, then I cut the fan on the highest setting no matter what time of year it is and I let it make me really cold and I have water beside me I will sip when I am at the brink of my n* because you know how it is a gradual feeling with n* it's like a wave and when it hits the top of the wave I sip water and it goes away, if that makes sense. Along with deep breathing when I start getting n* it eases it as well. I avoid bathrooms at all cost no matter how bad I have to go until I haven't been n* for at least an hour or so, and then I run in and out not wasting any time lol. And I stop talking and luckily my husband knows how I am so he doesn't continue to try and talk to me when I get like this lol. I think you have to just find something that works for you. You have to really pay attention to your body and how it responds to the things you are doing.

I do the exact same things in the exact same order, how strange!! Must be a way of calming your mind down and therefore calming your body down?? Nice to know i am not alone in doing this! x

[luvinmybaby07]

:-) Wow it definitely makes me feel like less of a nut knowing I am not the only one that has such ritualistic ways. It's funny too because my husband knows now, all I have to say to him is "It's movie night." and he knows and usually sets everything up for me so I can just lay there and start the calming process. I have a feeling I will be doing this alot the next week because I read an article about Norovirus going around bad and I am going to a concert in Liverpool with my hubby tomorrow and the thought of being so close to a ton of people and the fact I am staying in a hotel for 2 nights when a bug is going around is freaking me out, I have been shaking since I have read it.

[person54321]

Hotels are not as scary as we think. My mom travels at least twice a month for work and stays in hotels every time and she hasn't been sick in 20 years. And she's not genetically resistant to it in any way.

[sage]

While it's good to reassure yourself that vomiting isn't something adults do very often at all, let's not lose track of reality. The problem is not vomiting; the problem is anxiety. It's not worth wasting your energy on how to prevent vomiting because you'll still be anxious and thus you'll still have a phobia. Better to focus your energy on how to prevent anxiety/panic.

[luvinmybaby07]

Yea I have stayed in hotels alot over the last couple of years being that my husband is military and we travel alot and have yet to be sick from them, matter of fact I don't think I have ever gotten sick after staying in a hotel. I usually love them lol.

[Sar11]

:-) Wow it definitely makes me feel like less of a nut knowing I am not the only one that has such ritualistic ways. It's funny too because my husband knows now, all I have to say to him is "It's movie night." and he knows and usually sets everything up for me so I can just lay there and start the calming process. I have a feeling I will be doing this alot the next week because I read an article about Norovirus going around bad and I am going to a concert in Liverpool with my hubby tomorrow and the thought of being so close to a ton of people and the fact I am staying in a hotel for 2 nights when a bug is going around is freaking me out, I have been shaking since I have read it.

Sorry to hear that you are feeling so shaken up, i am the same myself tonight (my dad V* right in front of me yesterday) so i will be having my own "movie night" later. The problem is we cant let it stop us from doing anything that we want to do, i wont have it dictate my life like this, i can't. You should really just be able to enjoy this concert (as i am sure you will once your there)and not have to worry about it.
I think its really sweet that your husband sets it up for you, its nice that you have someone who is so understanding. it really is weird that we do the same things, like you i thought i was the only one! Have a great time at the concert and hotel.

[kastorpollux]

This may sound disgusting, but maybe the reason why we are forced to v* if we have the stomach flu is because the infection is in our intestines right? Our intestines digest food and if they're malfunctioning there is no way for it to digest food and fight infection at the same time... So the only to deal with the undigested food is to v*?
Ah I don't know :/
I wish the n* wasn't so horrible with the sv*

[summerdazies]

When you have a stomach virus, you vomit because the irritation of your gastroinestinal mucosa sends a signal through the vagal & enteric nervous systems, which in turn activate the vomiting center of the brain with chemical signals (mostly serotonin and dopamine I believe, if the cause is originating from your gut. If it's motion sickness then the mediating agents are histamine and acetylcholine. I think.)

You feel good after you vomit because of a chemical release of endorphins. (I suppose it would also feel good to have the nausea relieved, but I don't really remember because it's been more than eleven years since I last vomited. I was also nine years old and rather sick, so I don't remember very well.)

[emmalinda]

i've read that one of the ways that some virus's work is to actually, purposly make the body v* to 'spread' itself and to contract to other sources. its how it multiplys or 'survives' in other words. thats why the symptoms come so suddenly and theres no time to react or stop it from happening somehow. i think you can battle the v* reflex but its extremly hard without some medications

[summerdazies]

i've read that one of the ways that some virus's work is to actually, purposly make the body v* to 'spread' itself and to contract to other sources. its how it multiplys or 'survives' in other words. thats why the symptoms come so suddenly and theres no time to react or stop it from happening somehow.

It's sort of a natural selection thing, if you think about it.. imagine a virus that didn't cause symptoms in which it was expelled so that it could be "caught". It wouldn't be all that easy to catch, wouldn't effectively, as you said, spread itself. It's not that the virus has an intention, just that the ones that caused the hosts to vomit (and propagate the virus) survived better and are therefore with us today... joy... >_<

My high school bio teacher told us a story about walking down a street with a friend one day when suddenly the friend said "I don't feel good" and promptly vomited. My teacher said all she could think was "that virus is a triumph of evolution."