It was viral

Or at least I think it was.

In the middle of proctoring my second exam of the day, I suddenly thought of how I wished I could sit down, lay my head down on my folded up sweater, and take a nap. I don't feel that in class except when I am sick.

Also, when I got home, I realized I felt cold, so I took my temperature: 99.8. Which IS elevated for me, because my normal temperature tends to be on the low side of normal. Later in the evening it was up to 101.1, which freaked me out slightly and drove me to take an antipyretic, though I am generally of the belief of letting low fevers run their course, because they can stimulate the immune system.

I did also look at the two suspect food items. One contains corn bran meal, as well as several other insoluble fibers (it is one of those breakfast-bar things, which I have been using as psuedo-desserts). I have had problems with corn bran in the past. (Quaker, I think it was, used to make a cereal what was pretty much JUST corn bran, and while it tasted good, the last time I ate it, I concluded my digestion couldn't handle it). The other item contained "konjac gum." I only knew konjac from the shady ads in the back of some women's magazines: it's sold as a supplement to make you "feel full" so you don't eat. (Again, apparently: a fiber). Konjac is known scientifically as Amorphophallus konjac; it is the plant with the big ugly flowers that are reputed to well, have the shape of a phallus, as the genus name says. So they are a big draw in botanical gardens and such. (Not-so-fun fact: an overdose on konjac diet pills can lead to intestinal blockages)

It's in the arum family. I do have to be EXTREMELY careful of any new plant food I try these days because I can have unexpected reactions to them.

I still think this thing was a virus, but I am covered in hives this morning, so I can't tell if that was the result of having a fever (that happens to me sometimes) or the exposure to the konjac, or a little of both. I am throwing out the food with the konjac in it out of an excess of caution (it was a frozen imitation cheese cake and was not very good). The breakfast bar things are individually wrapped so I will just bring them here and leave them in the break room; people with less suspicious stomachs than I have will finish them off.

I slept for about 9 hours last night, and I frankly felt when I got up like I could have slept for a few more - which is also good evidence of this having been viral. (When I had Norovirus, once I got past the random bouts of vomiting, I found I couldn't stay awake for more than 15 minutes at a time for about a day after. The good thing was that I was on Christmas break so I didn't miss anything and my parents were there to keep me supplied with water and Gatorade and broth)

I'm still a little sore this morning. It seems like it's the large intestine, particularly the descending colon (had to consult an anatomy chart for that) that hurts. But now it feels less like an intense pain and more like a dull pain, like something's been irritated for a while and has to get back to normal. I think I'm going to stop worrying. (Last night, I was wondering: "Could this be some kind of freaky hernia? Could part of my intestines being strangulated?" but I think the pain would be a lot worse if it were)

(Okay. Merck manual online tells me the pain is in slightly the wrong place for an inguinal hernia, and also that they are quite rare - though not impossible - in women. And also that there would be a bulge, which I think would still be perceptible, even given that I have a bit of a potbelly)