My husband was up at 3 in the morning today, vomiting and blasting high-powered Liqui-Poo ™ out of his arse for half a hour. He became very dehydrated so we went to the hospital, where he got an I.V. and a diagnosis of the Norwalk Virus.
He’s recovering now, but I now I’m worried about me. This is why: I have a HUGE phobia about vomiting. It’s probably my worst fear. If I had a choice between puking and breaking my arm, I’ll take the broken arm. Really. It’s that bad.
So I’m wondering how worried I should be about getting sick. Is it guaranteed that he’ll pass it on to me? If so, what’s the incubation period of the virus? Does vomiting ALWAYS occur with it?
Here’s what I’ve got going for me:
-I’m a frequent hand-washer
-Haven’t puked since I was 7; I’m now 25 (knock on wood here)
-I disinfect doorknobs, handles, kitchen and bathroom surfaces regularly
Keep him out of the kitchen, insist he wash hands often and after using toilet, etc.
Norwalk Virus was the cruise ship problem with 116 cases, Jan. 9, 2005
* Norwalk virus infection is an intestinal illness that often occurs in outbreaks.
* Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses are increasingly being recognized as leading causes of foodborne disease in the United States.
* The viruses are passed in the stool of infected persons. People get infected by swallowing stool-contaminated food or water. Outbreaks in the United States are often linked to raw oysters.
* Infected people usually recover in 2 to 3 days without serious or long-term health effects.
* To prevent Norwalk virus infection: 1) wash hands with soap and warm water after toilet visits and before preparing or eating food; 2) cook all shellfish thoroughly before eating; 3) wash raw vegetables before eating; and 4) dispose of sewage in a sanitary manner.
I believe that was a little poop joke. He will pass it in that it will be present in his poop. He’s not saying he will certainly pass it on to YOU, necessarily. I think.
But, yeah, what spingears said. The primary transmission route for Norwalk is fecal-oral, if I remember my last viro class correctly. Good hygeine is the key.
We just went through this in our house. There are 2 3-year olds and a 4 year old with my wife and her sister. All of the kids are at various stages of potty training, so the fecal contamination possibility is sky-high. We are in southern Ontario and it raced through our house in mid-December.
My nephew was the first to contract it on Tuesday, then my SIL on Thursday, my daughter on Thursday, son on Friday, wife on Saturday and me on Sunday. Everyone (except me) had the same course of symptoms: 12 hours of vomitting, followed by a day of runny-bum and a couple of days of overall malaise. Gravol was of no help once the vomitting started. We tried both oral and suppository. It seemed that you could only ride it out. I managed to get by without the vomitting. I, like Anti-Vomitting Goddess, am extremely put-off by throwing up. I started taking Gravol at the slightest inclination that I might be coming down with it. I think I had one Saturday morning and Sunday morning.
TMI warning (but helpful nonetheless)…before you sit on the toilet with this affliction, coat the necessary exposed tissue with Vaseline. The prevention of the burning ring of fire will greatly ease the suffering.
It’s always nice to meet a fellow emetophobe, AFGoddess… haven’t since you were 7? Good for you! I haven’t since I was 11 or so, and I’m 27 now, but I’ve really only had the fear since I was 14… Anyway, back on topic…
Norwalk is indeed fecal->oral. If you’ve got two bathrooms, keep him out of the one that you’ll be using for the next few days and don’t go in the one he’s using. Keep insisting that he wash/sanitize his hands constantly, and “washing” means 15 seconds of vigorous rubbing under hot water w/soap, not “just enough to where all the fingers technically got wet”. You’re probably familiar with all of this, but: [ul]
[li]Keep washing your hands too![/li][li]Don’t touch your face unless you’ve just finished washing (and drying – hopefully with a towel from outside the bathroom) your hands. [/li][li]Don’t eat any food that he has prepared[/li][/ul]
I’ve been told (and YMMV, obviously) with a Norwalk-like virus that once the symptoms subside, he’ll still be contagious for approx. 72 hours… if that window passes and you’re not sick, you’re most likely out of the woods.
I hope this helps – a dread of vomiting is a miserable thing to have, but good hygiene can keep you well, in addition to keeping you from getting other illnesses too.
Yup. Still contagious until 72 hours symptom free.
If he does vomit, that’s another source of infection (droplet spread via projectile vomiting is a way that it spreads within hospitals, especially Emergency Department waiting rooms).
While he is infectious (and you might be incubating) you should both avoid unnecessary contact with the elderly, small children and the sick.
The good news is that if you do catch it you’ll be immune for about 6 months.
So far, so good. My tummy was feeling a little oogy today, but that could be anything from lack of sleep to my cup of too-strong coffee this morning.
The night he was sick, I dressed up like an astronaut and dumped Lysol all over everything. Then for the next couple days I washed my hands constantly and wiped off all the doorknobs, handles and taps in the house with Lysol too. I’m hoping that will have killed anything that might have invaded me.
This is just an IMHO, AFG, but if you’re worried about getting sick you should really cut down on the disinfectants. Don’t make your house too clean. Like you, I’m pretty paranoid about barfing, but I don’t go around disinfecting doorknobs etc. I am picky about food hygiene, but that’s about as far as it goes.