03/08/2024
Gastrointestinal virus going around…please read my story. It’s important and meaningful 🙏. It’s long. My intention is to start a community conversation and hopefully give some relief to others.
Last week I came down with what I thought was one of my infamous GERD flare-ups.
The kind that puts me down for two weeks. I was terrified! My business could not withstand two weeks of lost business revenue. I thought I was surely done for. As a small business owner coming out of this no-tourism winter? Losing two weeks would absolutely be the end for my diner. Terrifying right?
Hmmmmm… then I started noticing symptoms that didn’t match up with GERD. GERD isolates itself to the upper GI and this was different. I was severely affected in both upper AND lower. Severe nausea and diarrhea. I had breif and mild fever that I only knew I had because of few mild chills during the night. Definably not GERD. YAYYYyY!!!
Ok great! Oh then the next symptom
I had was so weird. I had debilitating pain in my kidney area. (the right middle and lower quadrant of the back). Huh?
So! I started thinking about all of these symptoms, put together and realized that I personally know of 6 people in our community that have gone through the same with varying degrees of severity. In the last two months. One went to the ER where they ran a battery of tests ending with no diagnosis. She was given morphine and pain control meds. Told that she had a mass in her abdomen that needed to be looked at ASAP. (terrifying) Turned out there was no mass and advised that she should schedule psychical therapy for a pulled muscle. Huh? In two weeks though? Miraculous recovery… gratefully perfectly fine but confused and worried that it could happen again.
Two of the others resisted going to the ER because you know. That’s what 90% of us do.
Another friend was terrified that his ulcerated lower intestine was flaring up. That if he went to the ER he’d immediately be sent to surgery and under the knife. Terrifying right?
I read a concerned mother’s post about her children having severe GI issues. She was worried that a local business had given her children food poisoning. Awful right?
I also saw a community member mention that Norovirus is going around. Norovirus really dose go viral!!! Incubation time averages 24/48 hours… I’ve taken continued education on the microbiology of food related and viral illnesses. I know the Norovirus. This thing that is going around our community seems to have a 2-3 WEEK incubation period… from the first person I knew that had it to the second person, the third person and on and on. 2-3 weeks from exposure? Gahhhhhh!! I’ve researched this and cannot find where a 2/3 week gestation virus 🦠 exists or has been documented.
Thank you for taking the time to read this long post. I am feeling much better after letting my body rest and a lot of extra hydration. I’m open for business and will post current pics of my offerings. Grateful that even though I lost 3 days of revenue which hurts, at least it wasn’t two weeks!! 🙏
Grateful for each and every one of you. Please comment if you’ve experienced or know of another’s experience with this viral virus!! Everyone should know. 🙏
