Norovirus inquiry...

[ali24]

Hi Everyone,

I am in Ontario Canada, and every year around this time, it is the same story. People talking about how they have been hit with Norovirus and that death has arrived/worst experience of their lives/would rather have all limbs cut off, etc. Can people confirm that the experience is THIS treacherous. It is just terrifying to think that it could be that horrible. I am starting to work as an RN in the emergency room in a few weeks (I know, what was I thinking?) and can only imagine how many people will walk through the doors with Noro....eeek! Have any of you had it and not experienced such a world war III occurrence?

Thank you all so much,

A.

[lemontree]

Hi, what part of Ontario are you in? I'm in Toronto and have only ever heard of the odd isolated outbreak in places like nursing homes and whatnot.

I have had noro in the past and it wasn't fun (when is sick ever fun?) but I didn't vomit (although I was super nauseated). I had really bad diarrhea for a day and then my stomach felt "off" for about two days following. The worst part of it for me was the fear of vomiting. Like any other illness, it doesn't hit everyone exactly the same way. Some have mild symptoms, others have extreme symptoms, and everything in between. Don't let people scare you needlessly. It seems to me people enjoy exaggerating when sharing their horror stories. Just like when a first time mom is pregnant, other women are quick to jump in with their "horror stories" of morning sickness and delivery.

Take the proper precautions in your job obviously but remember too that many doctors and nurses and other hospital workers come in contact with noro all the time and they don't all always get it - not even most of them. If they did, there would be a huge shortage of healthcare workers available during flu season. That's not the case.

[shhhh]

It's not great. I'm sure there are quite a few people on here whose anxiety and phobia were triggered by it, myself included. That said, I'd much rather have Norovirus than food poisoning. It's much more short-lived and less unpleasant, on the whole.

As lemontree points out, not every exposure will lead to you contracting the virus. And, if you do get it, you'll likely develop immunity which would protect you for the rest of the winter season. It's really not so bad!

[ditchy_jon]

I have something similar to norovirus a few months back, without the Vomiting, however I can never be sure if it was Norovirus as I never had tests done. The answer is NO, its no where near the worst I have ever felt, its people who like to exagerate things. It is not very nice to experience and very unplesant, but to say they would rather have their limbs cuts off is a stupid remark from some people, considering there are people who actually have amputations. Norovirus is relatively mild in comparison to some of the really bad gastroenteritis symptoms, and its the only one that leaves zero if no very little complications.
Also I find it is best not to listen to people who claim they have norovirus unless they have been tested and it has come back positive. There are loads of different virus that cause vomiting and diarrhea, albiet Norovirus being the most common, they have no idea what is going on and alot of the time it can spread panic.

[emet-ana]

I have had norovirus a few times. You probably already know this but 90% of cases of gastroenteritis are caused by norovirus so most people have had it at some point in their lives.

I hate reading people's horror stories of their stomach viruses- sometimes stomach bugs are awful, sometimes they are mild.

I guess as you're in an environment where you're more likely to come into contact with noro sufferers you could perhaps ask your GP for an anti-emetic prescription so that you don't need to feel as fearful if it happens

[Domin]

Please remember, people rarely actually get their symptoms diagnosed as actual norovirus. There are many many many things that can cause bad nausea, or lots of toilet trips, and without a stool sample test or something similar, its anybodys guess as to what problem they are experiencing. What matters, is that in most of these cases (unless your very elderly or pregnant), pretty much all of these problems are self care problems and require the same methods of treatment. You keep calm, you drink water, and you look at the clock and think, whatever is going on, every tick on that clock brings the end of it closer.

No, norovirus is not as bad as what people make it out to be. Its worse than a flu for people like us, but thats because we're not rational about it. The people that post about their norovirus experiences online are coming from a particular perspective.
I know one guy who told me he would prefer the norovirus and for it to be done in the 24 hours it usually takes, than getting a week long flu. In fact, once it was over, he reported that he felt on top of the world and had the best meal of his life.
He laid in bed, took a few trips to the toilet a few times over about 6 hours, which was made a little difficult because he was tired, but he filled his time by watching silly cartoons. The next day, he was eating food again and his girlfriend comes to visit. They sleep together, they do normal things together. Does she get ill? No! Did he think I was crazy constantly asking him about it? Yup!

[hanarky]

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