** This may be a bit long, I apologize!**

Hi everyone,

I'm new here as a member (although I've frequented the site for years without registering). This is my first post, and yep, it's a good one! Worst fear for all of us has become a reality for me -- I'm just barely clinging by my fingernails to get through the next 2-3 days. First, a little detail on this predicament:

Started yesterday in the afternoon. I woke up, cooked my boyfriend and I some food, then sent him off to work. I myself was feeling fine, however fatigued which I blamed on us staying up late (which we do often). I took a nap, woke up, and then it dawned on me: I wasn't feeling very well (it's now 3:30 PM). My stomach--which I've become such good friends with!--wasn't giving me the usual cry for attention I've become so familiar with. I literally felt blah! Was it food poisoning? I doubt it; freshly bought eggs and toast, nothing to raise a red flag and I always check expiration dates! I distracted myself the rest of the day (or tried to) with television and internet.

I knew something was wrong when I started getting abdominal cramping. I had to use the bathroom not once ... but 5x in the window of 2 hrs. It wasn't severe, or anything to cause panic but very out of the ordinary for me (I suffer with consistent constipation, and yesterday it was a relief but alarming to be going so much for no reason). Still felt unwell. Around midnight boyfriend got off work (he was feeling fine, only hungry), so I cooked us dinner. I was still feeling sick, and couldn't finish my glass of wine albeit I did clean my dinner plate. We retired to bed after. Around 5 AM I woke up very thirsty, still feeling unwell. I finished a glass of water and my stomach absolutely churned. Immediately my anxiety flared up so bad I could hardly breathe. I ran to the bathroom, kept the lights off, and calmed myself down. It took an hr before I could regain my dignity, however I didn't v* although I felt close to.

For a moment I convinced myself it was in my head, or something trivial that I was blowing way out of proportion, seeing as my boyfriend wasn't sick and flu's are contagious. This comfort gave me enough leeway to inch myself back into bed and try to sleep...

...until around 8 AM this morning boyfriend woke up with diarrhea. An hour and a half later, without WARNING me, he rolled on his side in bed and v* right there on the carpet. I was on my heels and locking the bathroom door behind me the moment I saw him blanch. Then I broke down crying, realizing that yes, this is a virus, and yes, it does induce v*, not just a little tiny bug of discomfort.

Here are my questions if anyone could give some insight:

-Why are my symptoms milder compared to boyfriends?

-Will this get worse? It's been over 24 hrs and all I've been experiencing so far is stomach upset, frequent bowel movements (no diarrhea), fatigue, feverish (although thermometer says otherwise), and of course anxiety.

-Can stomach flu symptoms vary from person to person?

Boyfriend is fine (even went into work), although tired, and he only got sick once. I can't tell whether we really are sharing the same virus and I'm just made out of steel, willpower, and an absurd amount of self-control. I'm hungry but refuse to eat, and have been barricading myself at a close friends house (friend insisted I come over... how unusual!) because home reminds me too much of the ailment. I'm worried tomorrow I'll get worse. My last stomach virus was when I was 15 (I'm 23 now), and my symptoms then were a lot more severe.

What's the deal?

Thanks for listening.