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Originally Posted by rebeccarr  Weird. I thought Gastroenteritis and Influenza (flu) were two different beasts. |
They are. "Stomach flu" is just a lay term for Viral Gastroenteritis, it really has nothing to do with influenza. And Gastroenteritis is just a general term for inflammation that causes vomiting / diarrhea.
There are a lot of viruses that can cause the "stomach flu". Rarely are they specifically tested for or diagnosed when a patient gets sick. Instead a general diagnosis of Gastroenteritis or "Stomach flu" is given. Most run their course in 24-48 hours. Occasionally a patient will become sick for a longer period of time and the doctor will want to do more testing. When my son had rotavirus he was sick for over two weeks.