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Adult patients discharged with diarrhoea and vomiting

Patient information A-Z

Diarrhoea and vomiting

  • This is extremely common and is usually caused by an infection. Antibiotics are not normally helpful for this sort of infection.
  • It is important to keep drinking fluids. It is better to drink squashes than water. You should try and drink a little fluid often.
  • You are extremely infectious. You should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after every time you go to the toilet. You should not prepare food.
  • You should not return to work until 48 hours after your last vomit or episode of diarrhoea.
  • You should eat only if you feel hungry and should try light, plain foods such as bread. You should avoid rich, fatty foods as these will make you feel worse.

We advise that you observe the following for the next 12-24 hours.

Non-urgent advice: Do:

  • Rest quietly.
  • Drink plenty of fluid.
  • Wash your hands regularly.

Urgent advice: Return to the emergency department if:

  • You vomit blood.
  • You pass blood from your back passage.
  • You have a fainting episode.
  • You become so light headed that you can’t stand up.

Please telephone your GP or NHS 111 should you have any worries or concerns following discharge from hospital.

We are smoke-free

Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the hospital campus. For advice and support in quitting, contact your GP or the free NHS stop smoking helpline on 0800 169 0 169.

Other formats

Help accessing this information in other formats is available. To find out more about the services we provide, please visit our patient information help page (see link below) or telephone 01223 256998. www.cuh.nhs.uk/contact-us/accessible-information/

Contact us

Cambridge University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
Hills Road, Cambridge
CB2 0QQ

Telephone +44 (0)1223 245151
https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/contact-us/contact-enquiries/