Please Help Me Figure Out What This Is!!

It could just be rotavirus (sp?) - they can take forever(!) to go away. But I would talk with a GI too, they would most likely run more stool tests - probably all 3, to rule out a parasite on top of looking for more serious causes. It's possible that his tummy just needs to be "rebalanced" with pro-biotics after having some sort of tummy virus.
The rash can be helped with an oatmeal bath like Aveeno oatmeal (it's a powder you add to the tub) and then a heavy layer of Neosporin and diaper rash cream. (This used to be the only thing that would clear my son up!)

Definetly take him to a different doctor to get a second opinon. Sounds like this has gone on a little too long and he could get dehydrated which is extremely dangerous.

Hi J.,
I have two thoughts. One is a stomach virus. My son had one off & on again for 3 weeks. He would have no symptoms for days, then it would come back with a vengence. I finally put him on a total BRAT diet, he was very unhappy with his food choices, but he did get better. I'm sure you know this, but BRAT is for bananas, rice, apples (which I also did end up eliminating just to be thorough) and toast. Basically, any bread or starch worked for him. I'll never know if it actually helped, but it can't hurt.
The other thought is strep. There is strep thoat & also strep in the digestive track. My son's friend had a negative throat swab, but then they did a rectal swab (fun I know!) and it came back positive. A terrible diaper type rash is associated with this & the symptoms tend to come & go.
Good luck with your son & your new baby!

I would follow the doc's advice and see the specialist ASAP to rule out anything more serious. I'm sure your pediatrician thought of virues and strep, etc. Any good doctor wouldn't miss those basic illnesses.

Sounds like allergies and possiby too much acid in his system. Call Dr laura precourt in plano - she is a chiropractor and applied kiniesiologist - she helped diagnose many allergies in our family. my son had seizures since he was 8months old - no one could figure out why or stop them - has has been seizure free for one year now. Also alkaline water will help with the acid in his system. Email me privately

Dr. Dave' is a wonderful pediatric GI doctor. Loved her! She took the time to establish a good rapport with my son plus answered all of my many questions. Her office is located in building 1 at Plano Presby. The phone number for her office is ###-###-####.

Good luck and hopefully you will find the answer to your son's illness soon.
D.

I do not want to freak you out. But have you thought this could be seizures? I coached a girl a few years back and she would have random vomiting spells. Every night she had them (her mother would tell me about them). And several times during the day. Turns out she was having very small seizures. She would seem totally normal between the episodes. Needless to say she is doing great now and is on meds and no more problems. Perhaps you could look into this...do some research or something. I sure hope you find out what the prob is so you can rest easy and have your adorable happy boy back :) good luck!

I would see a specialist and keep going to as many doctors as it took to get an answer. Good luck!

Follow the advice of your Pedi and call the GI doc MONDAY! There are many illnesses, sicknesses and syndromes that can occur in the GI system, which is why she referred you! I understand you are frustrated and concerned which is all the more reason you shoud do what the pedi instructed. I would not wait because if he gets worse then it's just going to be that much harder to treat, plus you'll blame yourself for waiting. He needs the care os a specialist now. When you call you will need to be insistent that he is seen sooner rather than later and be very clear about how long this has been going on. GI is one of the hardest specialties to get into quickly. If they schedule his appt for more than 10 days to 2 weeks out then you should call your pedi and have her call and speak to the GI doc directly to get him in sooner. Don't wait any longer. Hope you get the answer and he feels better soon. Good luck.

You may want to have tested for food allergies esp. wheat. He may need a gluten free diet. One of my adult friends was just diagnosed with it. She was dealing with sporadic vomiting as well.

Hi J., it does sound an awful lot like celiac disease:
http://www.celiac.org/cd-symptoms.php

Like the lady mentioned above, put him on a gluten free diet and see what happens. Fortunately this is becoming more and more common, so there's more food available for this special diet.

I would also recommend supplementing him with digestive enzymes and probiotics to help his tummy and digestive system get stronger. If you need some ideas of good brands that work and taste good for kids, just shoot me an e-mail.

Hope he feels better soon!

Last year there was a stomach virus going around that kids had a hard time getting rid of. It struck my daughter. Every week (every Thursday or Friday, actually) she would vomit over night and sleep the whole next day. It seemed that whatever the bug was lingered and because of the irritation of all the vomit and pooping, it had an open door to attack again.

We saw the doctor about it and she said she'd seen several cases like this. What she recommended worked, but I felt a little weird about it. She admitted that ordinarily, she wouldn't recommend a diet like this, but it seemed effective. She said to give her starchy, greasy foods. French fries, potato chips, etc. The grease would coat her stomach and intestines and give them a barrier of defense against the virus. I was hesitant, but after 6 weeks of vomiting, gave it a try and it worked. I bought Ruffles and gave them to my daughter every day for a week and we didn't have any more trouble. My other kids also got the virus early on, but they seemed to fight it off more quickly. It was just some kids that were so susceptible to recurrence.

Have him tested for celiac disease. His symptoms sound a lot like the kids in our family- my son just had the diarrhea but my sister's kids were exactly the same as what's happening with your little boy. Being sensitive to dairy is also a sign- my son was as well until we took gluten out of his diet and his intestines had a chance to heal up. Now he can eat dairy again with no problem but we have to stay away from gluten *completely*. I've been diagnosed with it too, although I wasn't having the same symptoms.

The lifestyle can be kind of a pain but it's totally doable. Please contact me if you want to talk it over further- my son was 100% symptom free within 3 days of going gluten free. It was amazing, he's a different kid.

My first thought after reading this was celiac's. There is a form of celiac's where you can't have dairy.

Definitely call the Gastro doctor. I might also suggest a allergist - Dr. Ruff is FABULOUS!

Good luck!

I am going to assume the doctor checked for strept throat. Some kids just don't show the "normal" symptoms.....If she did check, was it early on? Has he developed any fever? If yes.....Possibly a second test is needed.

Poor thing! I hate to hear he has to go through such things. :-( My first thoughts are celiac disease or some unknown allergies. The doctor can do a blood antibody test to check across the board for potential allergies. Not sure why docs usually don't mention this, but they often do not! Must be some insurance or cost thing. Be sure to have them test for all common allergies plus all the foods you may even slightly suspect that are not common. I've heard a few stories from friends about docs being reluctant. Be strong. You need to know. Make sure the common ones like egg, wheat, dairy, soy, shellfish, peanuts, etc. are included. Not sure if they can test for gluten or not...don't think they can. That may be a separate celiac test, which I would definitely inquire about, also. Be strong and insistent. I would visit the gastro specialist his doc recommended, also. They could offer great info. Trust your instinct about things and be strong with the doctors. Ask any questions you have and express any concerns without holding back. You know your child best and always have his best interest in mind. Best wishes!

Hi J.!
Aren't sick babies scary?! It sounds kind of like the Rotavirus to me as well. My son had it at 9 months. I remember him having it for at least a week and a half, and we ended up having to take him to the hospital for an IV because he just couldn't keep anything in. The doctors told me that the one sure fire way to tell was that god awful smell. She told me it was the smell of the virus. We were advised to keep him on plenty of liquids. My husband and I both caught it, but only lasted in us for about 24 hrs. but they say it is way worse in infants. We also had to switch his milk because he became slightly lactose intolerant due to all the throwing up. But once we switched his milk, he was fine! Hope this helps a little. Good luck!! I hope your little man feels better soon!

hi J. i have to go with the stomach bug myself. My son had it at least twice last year....same symptoms too! thought it was gone and then WHAM...got it again! He acted fine even after throwing up....had diarreah too!!! Talk to the Dr. about potential stomach bug!!
sorry you have to deal with this....i hated it!!!
S.

Has he had ANY sniffles? or runny nose at all? Mucus can do this...it did with my son....on top of milk....ewww that was bad!!!
Good luck...sounds like there have been a few good replys...

Definitely call a GI, preferably one associated with Children's Medical Center of Dallas rather than Cook's Children's in Fort Worth. They are much better equipped to deal with liver challenges if that's what it turns out to be. Don't wait; do it today. Dr. Mittal is the liver specialist at Children's.

Good luck; please give us an update when you have more info.

M.