Please be warned: The following column contains words of a somewhat nauseating topic. Here goes…

On the eve of what was to begin my new year of healthy eating, I went to sleep with a bit of a stomach-ache. I just figured I ate a too much at the family gathering I had just hosted and would be fine in the morning. A few hours later, I awoke with a strange sensation. “I think I’m feeling nauseous,” I said to myself as I started swallowing uncontrollably.

As the late-night minutes dragged on, I realized the nausea was not going away. I

definitely knew what was coming next and pretty soon I was making deals with a higher power. “Please, o please, if I don’t throw up and you let me fall back to sleep, I promise to not eat twelve chocolate-covered peanut-butter-crunch cookies in one sitting ever again.”

When that didn’t work, I started mentally noting everything I ate in the past 24 hours and completely blaming everybody who made something I had eaten. “It was probably Jim’s taco dip,” I thought angrily. “I wonder how long that sour cream sat out?” “And who knows what were in those meatballs that Aunt Sally made?”

Of course, like a good (but extremely queasy) hostess, I worried about my guests from earlier that evening and hoped none of them were experiencing this much fun at 2:00 a.m.

As I begrudgingly hugged my porcelain friend that I thankfully cleaned only a few hours beforehand I thought, “Did something I ate just not agree with me? Was it food poisoning? Did I have the stomach flu? What exactly was the difference?”

Upon recovery, I called my good friend, Wheeling resident Gene Chang, M.D. Gastroenterology Fellow at Lutheran General Hospital. He set the record straight.

“Food poisoning usually occurs when there is a pathogen in the food, whether it was left out too long or from people who prepared the food but didn’t wash their hands. It grows and incubates in your gut where it can affect your stomach, colon or small intestine.”

“Depending on what type of bacteria was in the food, one can get sick from as little as one to six hours after eating or as much as ten days later,” notes Dr. Chang. “Even though you may think you got sick from the food you just ate, it could have been from the meal you ate yesterday.”

Chang states, “The stomach flu (gastroenteritis) is caused by a virus. It is basically an inflammation of your gastrointestinal system and can last a few days to a few weeks.”

So, how in the world do people know which ailment they had when symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and even a fever can occur in both food poisoning and stomach flu?

“Food poisoning is an attack with a sudden onset. There may be intense abdominal pain, but once you get sick you feel much better,” cites Dr. Chang. “The virus which causes the stomach flu is usually less severe but is more likely to linger. Many times people mistake one bug for the other and even if you bother getting tested, you’re usually better by the time you go to your doctor.”

Chang points out that the biggest mistake people make when they get sick is to stop eating and drinking. He advises that whether you have food poisoning or the stomach flu “you need to maintain hydration and nutrition. It’s the most important thing you can do for your body.” Gene adds, “Once you are unable to maintain hydration you can spiral down quickly, so drink liquids with electrolyte replacements such as Gatorade.”

Dr. Chang stresses for people to watch for certain alarm signs such as blood, high fever, continual vomiting and not being able to keep oneself nourished and hydrated. Those displaying such symptoms should seek medical attention immediately.

What about when you feel that something you ate just didn’t agree with you? What is that? “It could be an allergy, a little food poisoning or a little touch of the stomach flu,” says Dr. Chang. “It could also be from an overwhelming amount of a certain food or drink that your stomach can’t handle. Most often, people never know what it is.”

Hmm… I guess I’ll never know exactly what made me sick that night, although I have a strong suspicion it was Cousin Frannie’s chicken Hanukkabobs. I’ll definitely keep a little Gatorade around for next time. (By the way, no one else from my party ever came down with any sort of stomach bug. Phew!)

That’s all for now. If you know someone or a group of people who should have a column written about them, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

© 2005 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois