Being “out of commission” for two to three days is no fun, and hearing “oh, it’s just this thing that’s going around,” is no consolation.
Julie Guidry, a mass communication senior, said she was sick for two days “throwing up constantly” with a nasty stomach virus that has some students wondering — what is this thing that’s going around?
“I get the sniffles like everyone else, but I never get sick like that,” Guidry said.
Dr. Timothy Honigman at the Student Health Center said he has seen numerous cases of gastroenteritis, or the stomach virus, through triage — people with no appointment who come in sick — in the past two or three weeks.
The symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and in some cases, fever on the first day, he said.
People who never get sick, Guidry said, like her boyfriend, Kevin Hebert, are catching the virus and are getting extremely sick.
“There’s no hope for anyone,” she said, “even if they never get sick.”
Jay Ducote, a political science senior, missed three days of school because of the virus, “which sucked,” he said.
“It started off with diarrhea, then vomiting ensued; then I went back to sleep, woke up, more diarrhea, vomited again,” he said.
Ducote and Hebert are roommates. Guidry got sick last Tuesday, Ducote got it Wednesday and Hebert got it Friday. Now, Guidry’s brother is sick after spending the weekend with her.
“We claimed our apartment to be a quarantine zone,” Ducote said.
Aside from the misery of vomiting and diarrhea for two to three days, some experienced dehydration and muscle fatigue for a few days after initially being sick.
In some cases, intravenous fluids had to be administered because the student was dehydrated, Honigman said.
Gentry Hanks, a Latin senior, had to seek help at the health center because of severe symptoms.
“I had to get an IV to get rehydrated and a shot in the ass,” she said. “It is evil.”
Unlike Ducote, Hebert and Guidry, Hanks does not know anyone who has had the virus but suspects she got sick from working at a local restaurant, she said.
Brooke Bonanno, a psychology senior, said she brought her roommate to the emergency room Monday because she was vomiting uncontrollably.
Even though her roommate has stayed upstairs and Bonanno has stayed downstairs, she said she still is afraid she will get sick.
Joshua Borne, a psychology junior, said his twin brother just called him saying he missed school today because his stomach hurt.
“He was having all the problems,” Borne said.
For people who are exhibiting symptoms, Honigman said to be careful of what they eat and drink. He recommended drinking clear liquids and eating soft foods, such as plain pasta, bread, soup and bananas.
Because this particular virus is spread through saliva and person-to-person contact, a good preventative measure is to wash hands thoroughly, Honigman said.
There is no vaccine for gastroenteritis, and there is no treatment to kill the virus itself, Honigman said.
Although many students on campus have had experiences with the virus, a psychology freshman, Jericia Sheri Dugas said it was the first she had heard of “the bug.”
Honigman said the virus is a “frustrating thing for health providers because there is so little we can do for the patient.”
Even though there have been many cases on campus, Honigman said this virus is typical for this season, just like the flu.
“However, if you know someone who has the bug, stay away,” he said.