Tell-Tale Signs If Your Stomach Problems May Actually Be COVID-19

Stomach problems are known as some of the first signs of COVID-19 but with the overindulgence that came with Thanksgiving, it may be hard to know if you were just overly stuffed or you caught the coronavirus.

According to a report by Forbes, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea could come before any respiratory issue like cough and fever is someone was COVID-19 positive.

Results of a study published in March by the American Journal of Gastroenterology suggested that stomach problems could arise to a subset of early infections.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in July that some 59% of patients had at least one gastrointestinal symptom.

So how can you be sure your upset stomach is just from too much turkey?

Here are some signs that could tell you if your stomachache is actually related to COVID-19:

You're Experiencing Multiple Stomach Problems At Once

Ann Messer, MD, a family medicine physician told Best Life: "stomach ache without any other symptoms is pretty unlikely to be COVID."

The expert opinion was followed by Seema Sarin, MD, the director of lifestyle medicine, who said digestive or stomach problems like nausea, vomiting or diarrhea are likely linked to the coronavirus.

If these symptoms come along with stomach aches, bloating and gas-which are common if you're overstuffed-you may want to get tested for the coronavirus.

You Can't Smell or Taste Anything

When talking about coronavirus symptoms, it has become common to talk about the loss of the sense of smell and sense of taste.

These two senses usually come hand-in-hand. In fact, loss of taste is linked to the sense of smell by an estimated 95% of the time, reported Healthline.

So if someone loses their sense of smell, it's usually accompanied with loss of taste or will shortly be followed by it.

During an occasion with a distinct smell of cooking different dishes for the dinner table, it is a red flag if you can't smell anything getting cooked while everyone is busy in the kitchen. The same thing goes with that much food getting stuffed in your mouth during the occasion.

Sarin added that the loss of these senses would be "unusual" if you just overate.

Stomach Distress Started Before You Even Ate

If your stomach problems were related to eating, it only seems natural for the pains to come after eating and not before.

Leann Poston, MD, a licensed physician and medical advisor, told Best Life that stomach aches during Thanksgiving usually start with no symptoms prior to dinner.

After that, people start to experience discomfort in the upper abdomen with indigestion and heartburn.

The Pain Starts Days After Thanksgiving

If your Thanksgiving-related stomach distress was really just from eating too much, it would be strange for the discomfort to start days after.

But the coronavirus usually takes days before it starts messing with your body.

So if you experience an upset stomach around two weeks after Thanksgiving, it's more likely to be the virus.

You Didn't Follow Safety Precautions

Seeing extended family during Thanksgiving dinner, especially if they live far is already a heightened risk in itself.

If one person in a party was COVID-19 positive, there is a chance for everyone else in attendance to catch the virus.

The risk if further heightened if precautions like social distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing were not taken seriously.

If your family fell short in following these precautions, it's easier to be on the safe side and quarantine for two weeks to avoid any more infections.