Do I just have a bug or something funky? Should I see a doctor? Specialist?
June 8, 2010 7:05 AM Subscribe
Got back from a trip five days ago and stomach still isn't sitting right. Should I see a doctor? A specialist? Recommendations in the DC area? TMI and longer version below the fold.
I recently spent about five days in Tbilisi, Georgia. While my stomach was more or less fine over there, I've had diarrhea since I've gotten home. Since it started pretty much immediately, I don't think I have a parasite but my period started at about the same time so PMS symptoms could have easily mixed in. I just talked to my father and he's a little jumpy to begin with but he thinks I should have seen someone yesterday and that I should go to a travel doctor or someone fancy, not just my GP (my insurance is a decent PPO).
Wednesday I came home and went out to dinner with my husband. My stomach wasn't feeling well at dinner so I took most of it home. Thursday I worked from home and felt dizzy after eating a bowl of cereal. Stomach still wasn't feeling well. Friday I felt awful. Chills, headache, body aches, diarrhea. Gross. I spent most of the night in bed. I'm a relatively healthy person and that was the worst I've felt in a while. Saturday I felt better so I probably pushed myself a little too far and was tired/sore Sunday. Monday I was feeling better, had lunch with a friend, went running with my husband. Today so far I feel okay. Persistent diarrhea though since Friday it's been about once a day.
If you had asked me Friday if I wanted to see a doctor, I would have hobbled over but today, I think all that's wrong with me is that I had more diarrhea last night. At the same time, I'm getting a little concerned - it's been five days. I ate a normal dinner last night but lunch was salad and half a box of Saltines.
Questions: should I see a doctor? If so, should I see a specialist? If so and you're in the DC area, do you have recommendations? Thanks!
I recently spent about five days in Tbilisi, Georgia. While my stomach was more or less fine over there, I've had diarrhea since I've gotten home. Since it started pretty much immediately, I don't think I have a parasite but my period started at about the same time so PMS symptoms could have easily mixed in. I just talked to my father and he's a little jumpy to begin with but he thinks I should have seen someone yesterday and that I should go to a travel doctor or someone fancy, not just my GP (my insurance is a decent PPO).
Wednesday I came home and went out to dinner with my husband. My stomach wasn't feeling well at dinner so I took most of it home. Thursday I worked from home and felt dizzy after eating a bowl of cereal. Stomach still wasn't feeling well. Friday I felt awful. Chills, headache, body aches, diarrhea. Gross. I spent most of the night in bed. I'm a relatively healthy person and that was the worst I've felt in a while. Saturday I felt better so I probably pushed myself a little too far and was tired/sore Sunday. Monday I was feeling better, had lunch with a friend, went running with my husband. Today so far I feel okay. Persistent diarrhea though since Friday it's been about once a day.
If you had asked me Friday if I wanted to see a doctor, I would have hobbled over but today, I think all that's wrong with me is that I had more diarrhea last night. At the same time, I'm getting a little concerned - it's been five days. I ate a normal dinner last night but lunch was salad and half a box of Saltines.
Questions: should I see a doctor? If so, should I see a specialist? If so and you're in the DC area, do you have recommendations? Thanks!
IANAD either but I'd try probiotics and easy to digest foods. Rice, bananas, and work up to yogurt. Salad might be pushing it as greens aren't that easy to digest.
Most important tho is to make sure your fluid consumption is high -- and that you aren't getting dehydrated.
And it wouldn't hurt to make an appointment with your regular doctor. Or give it another 24 hours of simple foods and set a deadline to make an appointment if you don't feel better.
posted by countrymod at 8:07 AM on June 8, 2010
Most important tho is to make sure your fluid consumption is high -- and that you aren't getting dehydrated.
And it wouldn't hurt to make an appointment with your regular doctor. Or give it another 24 hours of simple foods and set a deadline to make an appointment if you don't feel better.
posted by countrymod at 8:07 AM on June 8, 2010
I think you have a much better chance of getting in to see your regular GP right away than you do of getting a timely appointment with a specialist who has never seen you before, particularly if your symptoms are more along the lines of "diarrhea plus feeling crappy, but it seems to be trending towards better" rather than "visiting the ER and bleeding out of orifices." Maybe you have some really incredible insurance, but the experience of my friends and family with PPOs has been that you generally have to wait weeks for the next available appointment with a specialist, even if you're calling up a dermatologist complaining about a growing mole that has started bleeding.
So, given all that, it seems to me (altho IANAD) like it wouldn't hurt to call your GP and book the next available appointment, hopefully for sometime this week, even if you continue to try to snag an appointment with a specialist.
For what it's worth: my partner had similar gastrointestinal distress after returning from a trip in South America. He visited his regular GP, who gave him some antibiotics, and it cleared right up. The doc didn't seem too concerned about figuring out exactly what it was--more of a "let's see if we can kill it with regular drugs and worry about what it is only if that doesn't work."
posted by iminurmefi at 8:43 AM on June 8, 2010
So, given all that, it seems to me (altho IANAD) like it wouldn't hurt to call your GP and book the next available appointment, hopefully for sometime this week, even if you continue to try to snag an appointment with a specialist.
For what it's worth: my partner had similar gastrointestinal distress after returning from a trip in South America. He visited his regular GP, who gave him some antibiotics, and it cleared right up. The doc didn't seem too concerned about figuring out exactly what it was--more of a "let's see if we can kill it with regular drugs and worry about what it is only if that doesn't work."
posted by iminurmefi at 8:43 AM on June 8, 2010
This happens to me every time I return from Africa or South America. I must have a really sensitive stomach. Last time I went to Guyana it took me about 10 days to be totally right again. You can be really careful about drinking the local water (I brush my teeth w/ bottled water), only to be felled by a stray piece of lettuce. Next time I visit the third world I'm staying away from ice cubes too!
IANAD.
posted by BobbyVan at 8:45 AM on June 8, 2010
IANAD.
posted by BobbyVan at 8:45 AM on June 8, 2010
This happens to me every time that I travel to the Caucasus.
I'd suggest some probiotics and wait it out.
posted by k8t at 9:11 AM on June 8, 2010
I'd suggest some probiotics and wait it out.
posted by k8t at 9:11 AM on June 8, 2010
PS, you didn't drink the water, did you? Even for teeth brushing...
posted by k8t at 9:12 AM on June 8, 2010
posted by k8t at 9:12 AM on June 8, 2010
I would wait another day or two, stop exercising and exerting yourself, and eat the BRAT diet mentioned above (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast). Make sure you are hydrated. If you're not better in another day or two, make an appointment with your regular doctor for Thursday or Friday. I doubt you need a specialist at this point.
In my experience, it's very common for this stuff not to show up until after you are back home.
posted by bluedaisy at 9:19 AM on June 8, 2010
In my experience, it's very common for this stuff not to show up until after you are back home.
posted by bluedaisy at 9:19 AM on June 8, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks, all. My GP has always been pretty good about making time to see me when I need him so I'm not too worried about being able to get in (though I probably should make an appointment out of courtesy).
k8t, I am writing an instruction book of what not to do while traveling (brush teeth with tap water, drink things with ice cubes, not to mention get passport stolen - best trip ever!) I told my father that I ate salad and he said, "Why don't you just slit your wrists?"
So when you say try probiotics, what is the best way? I know they're in the yogurt that makes you poop but I'm not sure that's ideal right now. Thanks again.
posted by kat518 at 10:10 AM on June 8, 2010
k8t, I am writing an instruction book of what not to do while traveling (brush teeth with tap water, drink things with ice cubes, not to mention get passport stolen - best trip ever!) I told my father that I ate salad and he said, "Why don't you just slit your wrists?"
So when you say try probiotics, what is the best way? I know they're in the yogurt that makes you poop but I'm not sure that's ideal right now. Thanks again.
posted by kat518 at 10:10 AM on June 8, 2010
At any health food store or Whole Foods-type store you can get acidophilus capsules that contain a lot more of the same cultures that are in yogurt, but which are far more likely to be live cultures than much of the yogurt (in the US, at least). They've helped me in such situations, and if I eat them with easily digested crackers, bananas, etc., I find they really do help.
posted by ldthomps at 11:45 AM on June 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ldthomps at 11:45 AM on June 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
Definitely don't use the yogurt that makes you poop--milk products aren't the best idea right now.
You can go to a pharmacy or health food store and get probiotics in capsule form.
posted by skyl1n3 at 11:48 AM on June 8, 2010
You can go to a pharmacy or health food store and get probiotics in capsule form.
posted by skyl1n3 at 11:48 AM on June 8, 2010
Yeah, in the Caucasus specifically, drinking the water isn't a good idea.
The capsules that ldthomps recommends are a good idea.
My significant other got over his parasites from Armenia after about 2 months. I've been there on and off for years, so I'm not as affected anymore.
posted by k8t at 4:02 PM on June 8, 2010
The capsules that ldthomps recommends are a good idea.
My significant other got over his parasites from Armenia after about 2 months. I've been there on and off for years, so I'm not as affected anymore.
posted by k8t at 4:02 PM on June 8, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Did you have any different dairy products? Local cheese, milk, yogurt?
Occasionally I find this happens for me - different bacterial cultures. The last time, I resorted to taking a couple days worth of antibiotics (left-over from something a month earlier) and the problem went away.
Or - low-grade food poisoning from somewhere you ate, something you drank.
posted by jkaczor at 7:41 AM on June 8, 2010