Doctors are seeing more stomach flu cases in the Boston area. Here's what to look out for
BOSTON - In a new feature called At the Clinic with Dr. Mallika, she tells us about some of the trends she's been seeing her urgent care clinic.
This week, Dr. Mallika says she's been seeing a number of patients with the stomach flu. Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, belly cramps, fatigue, muscle aches, and fever.
Symptoms usually resolve within a few days, but the biggest risk is dehydration. If you get a stomach bug, the best thing to do is rest your stomach by avoiding all solid foods, caffeine, alcohol, and dairy products, and instead take frequent sips of what we call "clear liquids", that is, liquids you can see through such as sports drinks, rehydration solutions, ginger ale, popsicles, Jello, and clear chicken broth.
Once your nausea has subsided and you're feeling hungry, don't go back to your regular diet. Instead, choose bland foods like crackers, toast, plain pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes for a few days. If you can't keep any fluids down, you're not peeing as much, you have severe belly pain, bleeding, or high fevers, get to an urgent care or emergency room.