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What's the physiology of a stomach bug?

I'm not sure that's worded right, but I want to know how the virus actually causes stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. What does it do that causes so much irritation?

Posted - June 5, 2017

Responses


  • It's actually a series of bugs that act like a pinball machine on steroids. Not a pretty site. 
      June 5, 2017 1:47 PM MDT
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  • 46117
    There is not just one. 

    I suspect you mean something like this though.

    http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestinal_bacterial_overgrowth_sibo/article.htm
      June 5, 2017 2:04 PM MDT
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  • 22891
    probably cause the bug is in your stomach so its bugging you
      June 5, 2017 5:53 PM MDT
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  • 16240
    Both your body and the parasites are competing for the same resources. Your body tries to expel them, hence the vomiting and diarrhoea. Undiluted gastic acid burns both the oesophagus and the large intestine, causing pain.
      June 5, 2017 6:26 PM MDT
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  • 2327
    It should be called "Intestine Bug", because that's the place all of the pain is. The stomach is just a hollow organ that smashes the solids up to liquid, located in the upper-left of the abdomen. 

    The small intestine pulls violently. It has to rid itself of the virus as quickly as possible. It shoots the rejected source in both directions, the way out thru the poop chute (lol), and the way it came from back in to the stomach, esophugus, throat, and eventually in to the toilet (if you can make it in time). The biggest problem is dehydration because the body is losing too much liquid. Sore ribs is another unfortunate booby prize. Ugh! :(
      June 5, 2017 8:04 PM MDT
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  • 7919
    Good points. Thank you.
      June 6, 2017 1:18 PM MDT
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  • well... the virus uses the lining of your alimentary canal as a host, and it replicates very rapidly by, literally, hi-jacking your healthy cells there. subsequently and quite without meaning to, it's replication and life-cycle processes cause inflammation which leads to severe irritation/illness. your immune system response is responsible for some of the ill feelings and effects as well, but healthy older children to middle aged adults will heal rather fast after a varied response to the initial illness onset. the biggest threat during gastroenteritis caused by a virus or a food-born illness (which is when bacteria, not a virus, is proliferating in the alimentary canal) is dehydration, affecting mostly the very young, the very old, and the immune compromised.

    best remedies in the acute phase: electrolyte drinks, activated charcoal tablets, rest. the acute phase is 1 to 3 days for the majority of healthy persons. in the case of food poisoning, colloidal silver orally is remarkable at stopping the illness very quickly.

    after that, the BRAT diet should suffice until fully recovered.

    it's ridiculous how many lives this illness claims per year. modern medicine says soda and crackers. maybe some otc fever reducer once you can keep it down. all these things make it worse. electrolytes are usually only mentioned for very young children, but they can help anyone rapidly losing all their nutrients.
    This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at June 7, 2017 9:43 AM MDT
      June 5, 2017 9:30 PM MDT
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  • 7919
    Ah, I think you caught something the others didn't with the host/replication/ inflammation thing. Thank you!
      June 6, 2017 1:20 PM MDT
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  • sure thing. =)
      June 6, 2017 1:30 PM MDT
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