Stomach flu is a general medical term for a range of different viruses and infections that cause severe stomach upset; one of these viruses is the rotavirus, and it’s one of the most common causes for what people refer to as “stomach flu” – and doctors call gastroenteritis.
The condition can cause several other medical problems at the same time and could lead to severe dehydration or time spent recovering in hospital if you don’t visit a doctor soon enough. It’s important to spot the symptoms and report these to your doctor if you suspect that you might have picked up stomach flu.
Common symptoms of the disease include general stomach upset, moderate to severe diarrhea, nausea and pain the stomach or lower back; you might also experience vomiting, fatigue, fever and swelling at the same time.
Here are 8 general symptoms of stomach flu that you should watch out for.
1. Abdominal Pain
The first symptom that makes people think there might be something wrong with their bodies is the abdominal pain that’s commonly associated with picking up a stomach flu infection. The abdominal pain can happen suddenly, or it could happen in what feels like waves throughout a long period of time – and it can also happen to vary in intensity.
The abdominal pain usually persists for as long as the infection itself does, and you can expect this symptom to precede many of the other ones on this list, including a generally upset stomach.
For soothing abdominal pain associated with gastroenteritis, there are many over-the-counter medications available to control stomach cramps and the associated pain.
With an already upset stomach, there’s a good reason that you should reach for painkillers that could upset your stomach further – ask your doctor or pharmacist to recommend medication they’ve prescribed with success for associated stomach pain, and make a follow-up appointment if your symptoms continue or get any worse.
