If you are vomiting, you need to determine if you have a stomach flu or if you have food poisoning. Determining what the cause of your vomiting is can help a doctor to identify what treatment, if any, you should undergo. When you are feeling nauseous and ill, it is also important to get medical help so you can be kept hydrated and watched for signs of complications. These are usually common symptoms that bring people into an emergency room. At Highland Park Emergency Room, our emergency medical professionals are available at all times to provide you with an accurate diagnosis.
Stomach Flu vs. Food Poisoning
Stomach flu, or gastroenteritis, can be caused by a parasite, virus, or bacteria. When you have the stomach flu, it is often accompanied by:
- fever
- chills
- aches
- abdominal pain
- diarrhea
Other symptoms can also occur. Food poisoning can have very similar symptoms to stomach flu, although a fever, headaches, and muscle aches are more likely to be signs of the flu than food 
poisoning. By contrast, physical pain in the belly is more likely to be caused by food poisoning than by stomach flu. Either way, vomiting can result in dehydration, complicating your condition.
Address Your Vomiting Symptoms
It is imperative that you go to a doctor if you have bloody diarrhea, if your stomach pain is severe, if you are throwing up blood, if you cannot drink or eat, or if symptoms persist. A doctor may run blood tests, urine tests, and take fecal samples, among other diagnostic tools. The goal is to find out if you have food poisoning or the flu and to identify the pathogens that are making you sick so you can be treated correctly. Highland Park Emergency Room have emergency board certified doctors available 24/7, including holidays, to provide treatment. Contact us to find out more today.
