by Jack
It begins with a mild feeling of nausea. You think, perhaps it was something you ate, something that didn’t sit quite well. You expect it to pass, but then it gets steadily worse over the course of the next 12 hours.
By this time, you’ll probably be hearing a little gurgling noise in your plumbing – hint, be prepared to dash to the porcelain throne. Say hello to your new little friend, acute gastroenteritis aka the Norovirus! (Pictured above)
In your dash to relieve yourself, there may be a sudden moment of confusion when you wonder, should I sit on the toilet or stick my head in it? Answer: Carry a bucket so you can do both, because you will really, really.… want to do both! It’s like this autonomic reflex that kicks in and its telling your body barf and blast now or die!
Intermittent bouts of debilitating nausea, projectile vomiting and extreme diarrhea follow like clock work. Montezuma’s revenge has got nothing on the Norovirus. Noro is the pants down winner.
The upside is, this virus is relatively short lived, 3-5 days. The downside is you can get it again because there are many variants and it’s really contagious. The half-life of this little guy is about 15 days, so contaminated surfaces from clothing to counter tops become like tiny mine fields for the unprepared. While infected, you can try wearing a mask and dousing everything in disinfectant, but even then it’s a roll of the dice if you will control its spread. And consider yourself a carrier for about 4 days after symptoms subside. So do the right thing and self-quarantine whenever possible.
TREATMENT: Basically just let it run its course. Taking a diarrheic might help a little, but might actually extend the symptoms. Just let it blow through, flush it out…is what my doc suggested and drink lots of fluids. If you need nausea meds Zofran is the recommended pill. It works pretty good too, but your doc will have to prescribe it.
ORIGINS: On average, noroviruses cause 19 million to 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis in the U.S. per year, according to the CDC. The norovirus was originally called the Norwalk virus, after the town of Norwalk, OH, where the first confirmed outbreak happened in 1972.
Best and worst weight loss regimen ever. Hit me Christmas Day eve, right after the whole family left. Thought I was the only one in Chico who weighed less after Christmas than before.
Knock on wood, none of the family have it yet.
The overlooked (but essential to health) micronutrient molybdenum is key to treating norovirus. A chelated form of it, molybdenum glycinate, given as needed is very effective at treating the nausea/vomiting/diarrhea induced by norovirus.
“The upside is, this virus is relatively short lived, 3-5 days. ”
Silly me, up to this point I thought you were talking about what is going to happen in the House, with Nancy Parasite in charge..
Ha! Yeah, guess I should have clarified that part too! Thanks Harold.
Why aren’t you folk having a mild panic?
Norovirus is not an airborne thingy. My understanding is that it started with among the evacuees, but if the whole county is coming out in it, either, you all have very poor public potty hygiene … or … you need to look into your water supply. Seriously.
It’s not about toilet training or water supply Libs, geez. This virus first appeared in Norwalk, Ohio years ago and it spread from there. It’s a big problem because the virus is resilient! It can live on a variety of surfaces, like counter tops or even clothing for days and weeks. That increases the probability of infection dramatically and that’s what is causing us so much distress. If you work in and around the public in an outbreak area like Chico, you’re at high risk for contracting this bug. And yes, because of folks sheltering in close quarters after the big fire, it did spread like crazy. I was right in the middle of that and I’m surprise it only now caught up with me.
My, my … this is the first I’m seeing of certain political blindspots (i.e., I don’t want to see it, so … I don’t see it) wreaking havoc on your own safety.
“It can live on a variety of surfaces, like counter tops or even clothing for days and weeks.”
Yes. But how does the norovirus get from a countertop at the evacuee shelter to the countertop in your house? That is, Jack’s exposure makes sense. He was at shelters, and likely touched some norovirus.
Peggy’s exposure does not make sense, unless something, like water, is carrying the virus from place to place.
Libby, I went to the grocery store where I used my hands to push around a shopping cart. Then I brought those groceries home and put them on my kitchen counter before putting the items into my cupboard and frig. I also went out to lunch and shopped at CVS where I touched the counter and table.
Who knows where or how I got it. I carry a bottle of hand sanitizer in my car and use it after getting in. Apparently, it wasn’t strong enough to protect me.
Oh, god. You’re not one of those?
Consider that all that “sanitizer” has lowered your resistance to the buggies.
And my mother would be even harsher: “keep your fingers out of your nose!
Oh! And Happy New Year!