Stop. Pooping.

September 22, 2015 6:16 AM

Help me with my time-sensitive medical question?

Hey guys (warning: a question full of poop!)

So, yesterday (Monday) at about 4:30 am, I woke up with a stomach bug. I vomited twice but mostly just had the runs, so much so that I went and got rehydrated at my doctor's office. I seem to be improving - the runs are looking less, er, runny and happening a lot less frequently. Plus I kept down some saltines and gatorade. I know this is all par for the course and I'll feel better soon. But I still feel pretty much like I've been hit by a truck. These bugs go away quickly but leave me feeling crappy (pun intended) for a few days.

BUT. The issue is that I am supposed to go out of town for Yom Kippur, which starts tonight and goes through tomorrow. I'm supposed to take a short 1 hour flight. The kicker is that I am slated to give the sermon tomorrow morning, probably at around 11. I've worked really hard on it for weeks and I'd hate not to give it.
I spoke to the airline rep and if I change my ticket to another flight today, I get a very inexpensive change fare. I would love as much time as possible to continue resting and feeding myself the BRAT diet. Doctor seems to think I can fly or do whatever I think based on my own comfort levels.

Here are the options I've thought about:
1) Fly later tonight (although flying on Yom Kippur evening is weird to imagine) - more time to recover? Although my gut (pun intended) is telling me it would be great to rest as much as possible today.
2) Fly at 7 am tomorrow - this would be doable time-wise but might be really hard on my recovering body. It's hard on normal people's bodies anyway. It will also be more expensive probably.
3) Just throw in the towel and stay home. I realize this may be the best option, health-wise, but it's a pretty big bummer. The whole thing is a really big bummer.

One other wrinkle is that most of the people I'll need to contact will be offline by about 5 or 6 pm today, so I need to let them know ASAP if I'm not coming. Maybe someone else can even read the sermon I wrote, if they're so inclined.

Thanks, guys. Y'all are the best.

posted by bookgirl18 to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

Throw in the towel. Tell people you're sick and don't want to inflict your ailment (whether by infection or just by having to deal with you being sick) on a plane full of strangers and your congregation. They'll understand.
posted by Etrigan at 6:18 AM on September 22, 2015 [10 favorites]

If you do decide to go, imodium (or similar generic) should get you through the flight and the sermon without pooping. You might have to take two, and to take them a while before you want to not poop. There's a deluxe version available in the UK with some extra stuff that eases cramping, too, but I don't know if it's available in the US.

It doesn't solve the problem of potential contagion, or of the strain that doing this while sick is going to put on your body. It's also not a cure, and it might ultimately prolong the time you spend sick, as all of the nasty poop is just hanging out inside you while you take this stuff, including whatever it is that's making you want to poop it all out in the first place. But if you decide your priority is to go and give the sermon, this is one practical way of getting through the logistics of doing that without pooping.

IANAD, etc.
posted by terretu at 6:26 AM on September 22, 2015 [7 favorites]

If this was caused by eating something I'd say it could be manageable but if this is a stomach bug then you really shouldn't fly.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:26 AM on September 22, 2015

Nthing the others who say you shouldn't fly if there's any chance this is viral / contagious.

Plus if you go and the flight dehydrates / knocks you back (which is pretty common), you could end up in no state to stand up and give the sermon anyway.
posted by Mchelly at 6:35 AM on September 22, 2015

If you decide to go: Imodium. Also, if it's only a one hour flight, it's possible you could cancel your flight and spend the change fee to go by train instead -- Amtrak has bathrooms and they are generally open to you.

But in general, I think it's kinder to you and your fellow passengers for you to stay home, rest, get better, and not infect other people. (There's been a nasty stomach bug like this going around in my town that killed one person and landed another person I know in the hospital for several days. These things can be v. serious for those with other medical issues.)

It sucks, but these things happen. And definitely ask if someone else can read your sermon.

Feel better!
posted by pie ninja at 6:39 AM on September 22, 2015

If you must go, I third the Imodium. I have food intolerances that spawn an unhappy GI tract, and used sparingly, it's magic stuff.
posted by joycehealy at 6:43 AM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would go and I would use Imodium. The doctor ok'd you to fly or do whatever you are comfortable with. If you are already feeling better, you will be a lot better by this evening. My plan would be to get on regular flight, get to where you are staying and rest. I would not fast if you feel you need the energy in order to give the sermon.
posted by AugustWest at 7:03 AM on September 22, 2015 [3 favorites]

As the doctor has given the ok, I'd actually go as soon as possible with the aid of Imodium, do my resting at the other end before your sermon so you feel as good as possible for that, travel back and then plan a few days of to rest and recuperate. Also plan as much of your traveling as possible to go as smoothly as possible. No last minute dashes, check bags so you don't have to be lugging that around the airport, whatever works best for you.. Make sure to ship fluids on the plane as your fighting two causes of dehydration.

Be carefulwith Imodium, I once took two, on the theory more must be better and didn't poo for a week.
posted by wwax at 7:12 AM on September 22, 2015 [8 favorites]

If you read the instructions on your box or bottle of Imodium, it will instruct you to titrate your dose: start with the minimum possible (half tablet or I think something like 5 mL of the liquid), and then take more after your next bout of diarrhea. If your next BM isn't diarrhea, you took enough the first time.

Personally I would fly as scheduled. Start your Imodium dosing well before the flight so you know you're at a good level, and bring a bottle of Pedialyte to drink on the plane. Practice really good hand hygiene if you have to use the bathroom on the plane, but ideally you'll be able to last an hour.
posted by telegraph at 8:55 AM on September 22, 2015

I think your condition will improve quickly. I bet with another night's sleep you'll feel 2x better. You could go and if you're feeling sick, just back out of giving the sermon.

Your body has been through a lot. You're probably sore and tired, and your digestive function needs to get back to feeling on track. But the worst of it is really over.
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:46 AM on September 22, 2015

Response by poster: thanks, all - not threadsitting, but one quick update: I've eaten many saltines and the runs seem to have stopped running! Just the general exhaustion/not having eaten any food part is still crappy. I don't want to make myself sicker.
Flight's scheduled for 8 pm.
posted by bookgirl18 at 9:50 AM on September 22, 2015

Use lots of hand sanitizer, and you should not infect anyone else. I cared for someone with a similar bug recently, we were both conscientious about hand washing & sanitising - and no one else in the house (not even the 2 year old) got sick.

Shana tova!
posted by jb at 10:17 AM on September 22, 2015

Immodium is very effective. My food of choice for this is ginger ale, bananas, and saltines. There's a strong chance that you have had food poisoning, so think about what you ate.
posted by theora55 at 11:10 AM on September 22, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Hey gang,

In the end, I opted not to go, mostly because I was barely able to walk and stand, and because I was able to not fast (oops) and drink much much Gatorade/munch on saltines in the privacy of my own home rather than inflict my needs upon people I don't know very well.
But thanks everyone for the advice - especially the Imodium, which. Yes. It works.
(Plus someone else was able to read my sermon after all. So at least it got read.) :)
posted by bookgirl18 at 5:26 PM on September 24, 2015 [2 favorites]