Actually... by
Neshomeh
on 2013-02-12 19:44:00 UTC
Reply
[miscellaneous medical trivia soapbox time!]
"Flu" and "stomach flu" actually are two different things, and in fact, what people call "stomach flu" is not even the flu at all! "Flu" is short for influenza, which is an infection caused by a strain of the influenza virus. It is not generally characterized by vomiting. There are lots of different strains, some more dangerous than others—you've probably heard of some of them. Generally speaking, though, the influenza infection itself is not what kills people, but rather secondary infections like pneumonia that strike while their bodies are weakened. That's why it's usually more dangerous to young people and old people, who are already more susceptible to infections.
So-called stomach flu, on the other hand, is a colloquialism referring to gastroenteritis, which is inflammation of the lining of your stomach and intestines. It can be caused by like a gazillion different things. Food poisoning is indeed one of them. Your body reacts to the inflammation by trying to expel whatever is causing it, and fun times are had by all.
And now you know! {= D
[/soapbox]
And yeah, do feel better, and keep an eye on those use-by dates.
~Neshomeh