Not Medical Advice: The stomach virus, also identified as the "stomach bug, the 24 hour virus, the stomach flu," and just simply "the bug," comes in really quick and causes a lot of discomfort when it does. Because it's a virus, there is no magic pill that can take it away, however there are some home remedies that can make those long 24 hours a lot easier to deal with:
Avoid Food
* When you have a stomach virus, ingestion of solid food will only make the condition worse. There are actually some specific beverages and foods that should be avoided. Examples of these include greasy foods, dairy products, orange juice, caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea and soft drinks, and alcohol.
Rest
* When you have a stomach virus, you are going to feel run down and weak. If you try to keep on doing your everyday routine, you are going to end up worse. Just rest and lie down as much as possible.
BRAT
* When you first get the stomach virus, you are going to have little appetite if any at all. However you still need some nutrients to stay as tough as you can. When the virus is at its most awful, do not eat anything for a few hours. Once the bouts of diarrhea and vomiting are a few hours apart, start to eat easily digestible, light foods. For your diet, follow the abbreviation "BRAT," which stands for bananas, rice, apples and toast.
Fluids
* Due to all the diarrhea, vomiting and sweating that can occur, you run the risk of becoming dehydrated, which can be very dangerous. To prevent this, you need to drink fluids, however they should be consumed slowly.
Prevention
* Once you are healed from the stomach virus, there are several things you can do to avoid it in the future. Always wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, do not share food with anyone who has the flu and do not come in contact with any body fluids of someone who has the flu.
Learn how to avoid the stomach flu on your next cruise at The Huffington Post.