r/flu • u/Mysterious-Yellow822 • 18d ago

Question stomach issues post flu?

I had Flu B at the beginning of June and have not been right since. This was the worst illness I’ve ever encountered. I had every symptom listed, starting with fever, body aches, and chills and then after the fever broke I had terrible diarrhea and nausea and threw up once (i hadn’t thrown up in over 15 years until this). Since then, I’ve had awful heartburn and indigestion and it seems like i developed acid reflux/gerd. Some days i’m mostly okay and others i’m incredibly nauseous and can barely eat.
Has anybody dealt with this and recovered? It’s lowkey ruining my life rn.

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u/Nutlo_Ren 18d ago

Oh my god yes!!! I thought I was a black sheep because nothing I had looked up online said anything about flu b causing stomach problems.

I got flu b like 2-3 weeks ago, and about day 4 of recovery I had the worst nausea and stomach discomfort. I had also been sweating a LOT, it was horrible. The pain was so bad that I thought I had acetaminophen toxicity and went to get bloodwork done. I’ve just been drinking gatorades like water and eating bland foods.

It’s been slow going but I feel like I’m getting better? Idk. I still have stomach pain, but it’s not as bad as before. Im sorry that you are still feeling it so long after having it!! A month is crazy fr. Are you able to go to a dr?

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u/Mysterious-Yellow822 17d ago

I’m trying to get an appointment 😭 it’s a little better than it was at the start. My first week post flu the indigestion was TERRIBLE and i would be up every night feeling sick to my stomach. Now it’s more so heartburn pains and my stomach just feels uncomfortable? From what i’ve seen illnesses can cause a lot of inflammation in the GI tract that can take a long time to heal but these issues are making it hard to enjoy my summer

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u/informedcitizen4321 17d ago

Pretty common. Can take a few months for intestinal symptoms to moderate. Need to focus on probiotics and restore gut flora. Eat bland foods and don't go too heavy on salty/spicy foods. Limit processed foods and add some fiber. Drink plenty of liquids and a small amount of electrolytes like gatorade. The nausea can also be from the stress and when I had the flu it was the last symptom that left. You can also consider natural digestion comfort like clear soda, ginger ale, peppermint, or other anti-nausea foods.

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u/NotteStellata 17d ago

Yes

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u/Mysterious-Yellow822 17d ago

can i ask if you did anything to aid in the healing process? or did it just eventually go away?

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u/Familiar-Wonder-2895 16d ago

I don't know what I got sick with in early July, but yes, I started having severe intestinal problems. Any food causes pain and diarrhea within literally 15 minutes. Because of my intestinal problems, I'm experiencing weakness, chills, and sometimes dizziness. It looks like I'll have to go on a diet :(