Illness symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can make you feel extremely sick and leave you bed ridden for days. These symptoms are extremely common, especially in children, and can be caused by a wide range of different illnesses. How long your symptoms last is often a solid clue to what could be causing them. If your symptoms are sudden onset, and you’re only experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, you likely have a case of food poisoning. However, if you’re also experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms like chills, congestion, a cough, or a fever, you likely have a case of the flu. Understanding the potential causes of your symptoms will help you treat them more effectively.
If you’re feeling sick and experiencing symptoms like nausea, diarrhea or vomiting, visit AFC Urgent Care North Bergen for rapid care. Our walk-in urgent care clinic offers rapid symptom diagnosis and treatment for many common illnesses and their symptoms - all on a walk-in basis at our clinic in North Bergen, NJ! Walk in today for same-day care, or schedule your visit online in advance using the button below.
Food Poisoning vs. Flu: Why These Illnesses Are Often Confused
Food poisoning and the flu are two very different illnesses, however, they can cause overlapping symptoms. Both food poisoning and the flu can cause you to feel seriously sick, which is why they are often confused. However, the flu is primarily a respiratory illness which affects your lungs, throat and sinuses, while food poisoning is a gastrointestinal condition caused by eating food contaminated by a virus or bacteria.
Diagnosing The Underlying Cause of Symptoms Like Vomiting, Diarrhea & Nausea
Food poisoning typically causes sudden onset of vomiting, diarrhea and nausea and can be accompanied by chills, body aches, stomach cramps and fatigue. While it is not very common, the flu can sometimes cause symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. These flu symptoms are most commonly seen in children.
If you’re experiencing sudden onset diarrhea or vomiting, but are not experiencing respiratory illness symptoms like a cough, congestion, a fever, or sore throat, you likely have a case of food poisoning. The flu is unlikely to only cause vomiting or diarrhea.
When to Go to Urgent Care and Treatment Options for Nausea, Diarrhea and Vomiting
While some illnesses can be managed effectively at home, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can be severe and lead to complications like dehydration. In most cases of food poisoning, symptoms will resolve within 48 hours. If your symptoms aren’t improving after 2 days, or you have additional symptoms like a fever, cough, or severe congestion, you should seek medical care because you could have a case of the flu. The flu can be treated with antiviral medications in certain cases, but antivirals must be administered within a few hours of symptoms starting for maximum effectiveness.
Visit AFC Urgent Care North Bergen for Convenient Walk-In Illness Care
When you’re feeling under the weather, receiving prompt medical care can significantly improve your recovery. Symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can be caused by many different conditions. Our team of board-certified doctors will be able to evaluate your symptoms and accurately diagnose the underlying cause so that you can treat them effectively.
We offer same-day care for patients of all ages at our walk-in clinic in North Bergen, NJ. We’re open 7 days a week, and have short wait times. We accept most medical insurance plans, and have affordable self-pay rates for patients without insurance coverage. To learn more, walk into the clinic for rapid care or give us a call at (201) 588-1300 to speak directly with a member of our team.
