Fair warning. This thread discusses gross bodily functions.
This past weekend, I was at Fort Dix, NJ for Army Reserve duty. Things were going well and I was getting in some nice runs. Saturday afternoon, I got in a nice 8 mile run and then went to dinner with some buddies. During that dinner, I started getting mild abdominal cramps. I thought I was just hungry and figured it would all go away after I got something to eat. Well, it did go away initially. Then, throughout the evening, the pain would come in waves about every 5-10 minutes. It would last a minute or so and then go away but each time, it got a little worse. Finally, the pain had me doubling over and I told the guy driving that I needed to go to the hospital.
The first thing they did was stick an IV in me and give me drugs for the pain. As a pharmacist friend of mine likes to say, "drugs really are the answer" and they sure as hell worked to stop the abdominal pain. A few quick tests and a CT Scan revealed nothing out of the ordinary and the ER doc thought I might just be constipated. To my everlasting gratitude, nothing was open at 1:00 a.m. that allowed me to buy any laxatives because at 2:00 a.m. Saturday night/Sunday morning the gusher started. From that point until roughly 8:00 p.m. Sunday evening, I was in the bathroom 22 times. That included the 500 mile drive from Fort Dix to my home and having to stop about every 45 minutes. I managed to sleep through the night on Sunday but awoke on Monday to more of the same.
That lasted about half a day and finally started clearing up Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, I felt waves of nausea sweep over me but I avoided repeated trips to the latrine so I thought I was getting over whatever had infected my innards. Wrong. Today has been a repeat of Sunday.
Naturally, I haven't run a step since Saturday nor have I eaten much food. The only positive development is that I have dropped about five pounds. I have no idea how this unintentional taper and weight loss will affect me in Boston. What I do know is that I will be eternally grateful that I decided long ago to treat it as a victory lap rather than as a race.
I'm pretty sure I got whatever virus this is from my three year old. I had to leave work early last week because she had diarrhea and was throwing up. In fact, the poor kid ended up in the ER on Saturday because she was starting to become dehydrated. I honestly can't recall any time she was this sick nor can I recall having intestinal problems of this magnitude since I have been an adult. Whatever we got, it is some seriously nasty stuff. Blech.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
Reminiscent of that recent colonoscopy, huh?
Train smart ... race smarter.
Chasing Muses
Maybe Abdi has the same thing.
You had gastro. :-( Very common in my field of work, unfortunately. I missed 4 days of training this cycle because of it. DRINK WATER! Lots of it! You will be a little weak today and tomorrow, but you should be in fine form on Monday. I was wondering where you were... Good luck and take care of yourself!
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Ouch, Brad. Feel better.
Damaris
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SheCan
Oh, my, that sounds awful, and I hope you're completely better by Monday. Well, at least you were tapering, but still, the timing pretty much sucks. Take care of yourself, and hopefully you'll be 100% in time. Good luck to you!
Cherie
"We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. " ---- Shasta Nelson
YAYpril - B-Plus
Yikes. Feel better.
KillJoyFuckStick
Six paragraphs to say, "I've got the shits."
You people have issues
Uffda
Yeah, Gastroenteritis. My wife and I had this over a Christmas stretch a few years ago. It actually gave my wife a bit of PTSD - she's now extra-super clean.
- Andrew
#artbydmcbride
Probiotics! and lots of water
Runners run
Fitness Jogger
So sorry you went through this.
DH got this a few months ago while we had friends over for a weekend. We all ate at the same restaurants and the same food at home so we have no idea how he got it. He started vomiting in the middle of the night and was ill for about three days. The rest of us were fine-lots of hand washing and wiping down everything he touched.
He lot about 8 lbs but didn't have to race.
I hope you do well in Boston. Good luck!
Healed Hammy
I would blame George Bush. Ever since he cratered the economy, the Defence department is seriously lacking funds for proper food and building sanitation. Then there is the Fort Dix issue (I have spent many a night there) that Gov Christie just loves to ignore. Could be Norovirus or food poisioning, but then others in your unit were likely to have come down with the same.
Hope you feel better, best of luck in Beantown, I'll be watching the streaming vid all day.
I didn't get past this line:
"Fair warning. This thread discusses gross bodily functions."
When someone yells for me to duck, I don't turn around and ask from what.
I didn't get past this line: "Fair warning. This thread discusses gross bodily functions." When someone yells for me to duck, I don't turn around and ask from what.
Funny, that's what hooked me in.
Village people
I didn't get past this line: "Fair warning. This thread discusses gross bodily functions."
I have and have delivered six kids, it takes a lot to gross me out.
We have had a few bouts of this, not fun. Sorry.