It's not the flu. Flu is a respiratory illness.

The Norovirus is going around. It is intestinal.
It is a bug that usually lasts only 24 hours but it tends to really knock the wind out of your sails for a bit.

It's caught by touching contaminated surfaces, eating/drinking contaminated food water, or direct contact with an infected person.

Best prevention is to wash hands frequently, safe food handling and not sharing food or utensils.

yes sounds like the flu, I had it and had severe chills and fever you are contagious as long as you have fever, if you get the respiratory part with the bad cough you can be contagious longer due to the cough. You could get a script for tamiflu and start it immediately but it has to be started right away.
I pretty much lived on gatoraid, toast, vitamins and juices especially juices with banana in them to help keep potassium up.

flu does not have vomiting. definitely sounds like norovirus thou. i got it in the summer of 2006. there was an epidemic in the seminole co schools started by people exiting cruise ships sick :-( one night i kinda felt like i had an upset tummy, next morning i was sure i'd be throwing up soon but had to be on a jobsite. got to the jobsite and threw up :-( luckily i made it home and spent the rest of the afternoon throwing up so much that i almost couldn't catch my breath between. that is a classic sign of noro. after that i had the aches, chills, sweats & downstairs problems LOL (love your phrase lol). w/in 24 hrs i was much much better. ohhh BTW i had never had Pepto before that but DH picked it up for me when i called him from the jobsite. i did take 1/2 the bottle (more than rec dosage) and it pretty much stopped the vomitting and helped w/ the other problems. i now swear by it! i also had a bottle of childrens pedialite on hand and gatoraid from previously getting overly dehydrated on jobsites (orlando FL). this illness was soooo sudden and instantly intense that i completely avoid anyone who might have it, there are several gene variants so you can get something similiar again :-( hope you are recovering already! ~ liz

I agree sounds like the Norovirus or varient. I've had twice now..once when norwalk and once as Noro. Comes on suddenly, and is so bad. We called it the moaning flu the one time because the body aches were so bad you literally moaned out loud! You're probably not contagious anymore, but to be safe with all that's gone with DH, check with Dr first.

Vickey-mn

He's probably already been exposed to whatever it is.

We spent so much time in the hospital with my mom before she passed away. My poor sister got so sick early in the morning before my mom's funeral. She had to go through the entire service, mass, ride to the cemetery, luncheon sick to her stomach. I don't know how she did it - I would have never been able to. My other sister and I got hit with it later that evening but not as bad as she had it. It then went through just about everyone else in my household but again, it wasn't as bad, so hopefully if your DH gets it, it won't hit him as hard as it hit you.

My seventeen year old granddaughter got it and it held on for a week. Then her step dad came down with it. My other granddaughter caught it then her year old son and he had to be put in hospital for dehydration. It's really hitting us hard. At the hospital they said, not to drink any milk for at least three days after you think it has passed. He said, that could cause it to reoccur. We have been around all of them but so far it hasn't hit at our house. Hope you get to feeling better.

I had it too! Came down with it at 8pm on Friday & was running to the potty constantly for most of the 25 hours I had it. I am exhausted today-feel like a Mac truck ran over me!

Oh Dotmom. Take care of yourself. If DH could stay in the hospital an extra day or two, it would be best for both of you.

To be honest? Given the timing (probably 3-4 hours after your dinner), sudden onset, and intensity? It sounds more like food poisoning than anything else. If so, you may be down for the count for the better part of a week, but you won't be contagious, of course. So often, food poisoning is mistaken for a virus.

You probably want to check in with your dr. in the morning, to get an actual medical diagnosis, and to find out if it's safe or not for your husband to come home with you.

Thanks, gang. It does sound like the Norovirus. Upstairs and downstairs have settled down, and the fever and chills are gone. I just feel like a wet noodle, but I think the worst is over. If I continue getting better, I think Hubs can come home on Tuesday. Thanks again, friends.

To speak to Azzalea's comment that "food poisoning isn't contagious". I know that food poisoning that is caused by salmonella, IS in fact contagious and that the salmonella bacteria can be shed thru feces for a long time after being stricken. A person can even be a carrier of salmonella without being sick.

I do not off hand know which, if any, other types of bacterial food borne illnesses my statements apply.

Doctors' offices, hospitals, schools, etc are all prime places to pick up something undesirable. Even a grocery store is a pit of unsanitary conditions!

Whatever you had, I hope you're feeling better. Be *sure* you keep taking plenty of fluids. Having been seriously dehydrated a couple times, I know it's no fun, especially when you wind up having to have a couple quarts injected into you which can be an easily result. (I know.) With both ends "blasting" you really take the fluids out of your system, I'm sure you know. I don't think people realize what dehydration does to the body. They blame "the flu", "cold", "virus" or whatever else for feeling like you got punched in the gut when often it's a hydration warning. Sometimes it's hard to keep fluids down, (as you know!) but that's when you have to be extra careful. I tend to keep a bottle or two of water near me and sip a little ongoing. I think it's made a big difference

One thing I'm a firm believer in, is to get fresh air. This time of year places are closed up, furnaces running so much, especially this year, and the amount of fresh air is lowered. I literally go stand outside for a few minutes occasionally to get a breath of clean air. Dust, bacteria, germs and the like get recycled through the air and I don't mind the door being open a bit to get a little fresh air into the house. I also don't overinsulate and overseal my house. A little air leakage is healthy IMO.

While you're replenishing your fluids, keep up with your rest too. The body tells you what it needs and when it says rest! it knows what it needs.

Wash your hands often, wipe down phones, remote controls and other germ-grabbers (yes, even the computer keyboard and mouse!) and I'm sure you'll come through just fine.

Take care of yourself! Hope hubs is feeling better too! And make sure poor little Buster isn't starving! :)

Dotmom with all of your stress and running around with your Hubs it is no wonder you got sick. I would mention it to the dr just to be sure before you take him home but I think by Tuesday you will be fine.

Not sure if it is flu or food poisoning but from all of my Serve Safe/Safety classes I have had through the years they say that a lot what we think are stomach viruses really are food poisoning. I was surprised when I heard that.

Wishing you a speedy recovery~~~~~~~~

Oh I did not have any of the stomach issues I see you mentioned, LOL the upstairs and downstairs did not connect to my brain I guess, I just had the severe chills and fever and fatigue, my doc said mine was flu she sent me tamiflu but by the time I got it I did not take it since it was pretty late in the game.
My sister has something that is respiratory and has a very bad cough with it, been hearing of that one a lot lately.

I sure hope you feel better and your hubby too!

we all know we catch these things from touching contaminated surfaces but no one mentions how it gets from you hands into your body. I read an article a few years back during flu season and it said do not touch your face while you are out in public. It was hard learning to keep my hands off my face but it does work. I also wash my hands the minute I get in the door at home. It's been at least five years since I had a cold. And everyone needs their own tube of tooth paste. If I go shopping then have lunch, I use the antibacterial hand wash.

I got Pink-eye while DH was in rehab following 2nd open heart surgery. Dr. said (and I knew) it came from the rehab. Just want I needed in the middle of total stress.

if you're feeling up to it, give the house a once over, door knobs included, with a cleaner...as long as dh's dr's are aware of your illness and give it an ok, i do hope your dh can get home asap...you know how much better you recover when you're in your own home and bed...

is he going to have any aftercare? (visiting nurse, ect)

Well, gang, when I posted yesterday morning, I posted too soon. As soon as I ate something 2 scrambled eggs and 1 pc of toast) Downstairs went into action again. All day and into the night. I think I'm better today. I've had two cups of coffee and I;ll try some oatmeal in a little while and hope "things" will stay quiet. So far it is a go for Hubs to come home. He is feeling Quiet well and ready to come home.
May I vent for a minute? I was very worried about him when we had to call the ambulance, a week ago Saturday, and very concerned until he showed signs of being better. When he is is the Hosp. every day or even several times a day, he phones, being me this, bring me that, being me this, bring me that. I sometimes feel like I should just move the whole APT, there. He just wants things to be the same there, as at home.
As for Buster, Cynic. He has his usual places to sleep around the APT, but while Al has been gone, Buster has been sleeping where Al usually sits on the sofa. And believe me. my little guy isn't going hungry. I take him into the Vet for his yearly checkup soon and I'll catch the devil over Busters weight. I just don't think being a little over weight doesn't make you a bad person.....or cat. LOL

I am the mindset that you can catch anything and everything in a hospital. After having surgery for an abcess inside my abdomen where I had had surgery a few weeks before the abcess was discovered I developed septisis. It was really, really bad. I do not trust any of them, you have to be your own Dr. and question, question, question. If they have a Godlike attitude, I run as fast as I can! I sure hope you feel better!