Has anyone had experience with this bug? My 10 month old developed a fever which lasted about 36 hours and vomited the first night (his first barfy illness). The next day he was much better, no fever and eating lightly but now on the 4th day he is not eating solids, drinking some formula and vomiting every night at 6pm. He had a runny nose on the first day but that is gone. I have been to the pediatrician on the first bad day and she said it is probably a viral thing and to treat symptoms as they come up. He is not in terrible shape but sure is less perky than his usual and it worries me that it is dragging on. Has anyone out there experienced anything similar? Is this normal for a stomach bug in an infant? How long did it last? We think he was actually teething the first day of this as well. Thank you in advance for your experiences and support.
Many thanks for all the excellent, thoughtful responses. How lucky I am to have you all for a resource. Finally today we have turned the corner and now our baby has eaten some solids, is smiling and playing more like himself. I eventually got the same bug myself and now I know a little of what he was experiencing. Interestingly, I too have been feeling the worst with it at 6pm every night just as he did. I think it is just something about the life cycle of this bug and our own biorhythms. For him it was 6 days of misery. After trying Pedialyte liquid and pops, apple juice, water, the only thing he would drink besides a little formula was sips of flat flavored water from a cup. We also had to limit the amount of formula to only an ounce at a time because if it was more than that, it would just come right back up. With your good advice, we made sure to keep him hydrated and looked for signs that he wasn't. I know we will have to go slow to start him back to more solids because I think his stomach is really sensitive right now. And we have pushed back our plan to start daycare by a couple of days to make sure he is out of the woods. I hope to never meet this nasty bug again although I am hoping his immune system would now recognize it and know what to do. And thank you also for the advice on my own AI disorder. I am busy researching it and am definitely making some lifestyle changes to try to keep this beast at bay. Thank you all for helpful and comforting responses. K.
This is the "bug" that is going around right now. My baby, myself, and all my girlfriends and their kids have all had it.
1)Make sure he is NOT getting dehydrated. Lethargy is one symptom of dehydration. Or of just being sick.
Check his fontanel (soft spot on top of his head)... is it concave or normal? This can also indicate dehydration.
Concentrate on giving him formula/liquids... don't force the "solids" since he is vomiting and his stomach is probably still needing to heal.
2) if any "new" symptoms occur, take him in.
3) if fever recurs, take him in
4) Make sure he does not aspirate anything into his lungs if he is still vomiting..AND, check him at night to make sure that when he is lying down/sleeping... that vomit does not choke him or make him cough/aspirate.
5) make sure he is having enough wet diapers.... if not, this can mean he may be dehydrated.
6) with vomiting or diarrhea, don't expect him to eat in "full" amounts... the body has to adjust and can't take in as much... feed him in tablespoons. Little at a time, in spurts, and then stop. Then, every few minutes, or every 1/2 hour, try again. Same for liquids and/or water. IF he does not want to eat, then don't force it.
7) If you are concerned about him, just take him back into the Doctor. Even Doctor's sometimes have to "re-adjust" their initial eval., and or if the illness is not clearing up.
8) yes, with viral things, you have to ride it out... but that does not mean doing nothing. The danger here with a baby or child, is dehydration, as well.
9) He is not his usual "perky" self because he is still sick.... sleep and rest is the bodies natural way to heal and recover... make sure he is getting his naps, and regular sleep at night. Wake up and comfort him if he wakes during the night.
10) Don't give him over the counter med's unless your Doctor recommends it AND tells you what dosage is proper.
11) Stomach "bugs" can be anything... a common virus, Rotvirus, Flu or other things.
At the least, your Doctor should give you specific instructions as to how to alleviate his lack of liquid intake, or food intake... usually the "BRAT" diet is recommended....BLAND foods, a little at a time, starches, plain broth soups etc. You could also try and make some chicken soup for him from scratch... then, just give him the "broth" of it... so he can drink that in. Either feeding it to him with a spoon... or, a straw if he is able to suck a straw... straws are sometimes easier.
ASK your Pediatrician about what you should be giving him.
Stomach bugs take time.... but since you are worried it is dragging on, just call your Doc and take him in. USUALLY, Doctor's have you take the baby back in, in a few days for a follow-up anyway. At least that is what our Pediatrician does. Especially for babies.
Good luck,
Susan
Is there any chance there is something in your home or something the two of you have been exposed to. With your sudden autoimmune disorder and his on going tummy problems maybe your doctor can order a blood test to check allergies and toxins in your system. I don't know that mold would cause stomach problems but I do know it will cause onset autoimmune disorder. Good luck I hope you both feel better soon.
My one-year-old's stomach virus lasted 8 days. Fluids are key. And if there is diarrhea then also some bottom cream that will protect your child's skin. Sorry you are going through this... another friend of mine is on day 4 with her daughter. Take good care of yourself too, so that you stay healthy. Best of luck!
That is a tough one, and especially because he's starting daycare. I would keep him home until he's better, the daycare facility would want that too (to prevent the spread of the mystery illness, IF it's contagious).
Have you started him on any new foods, formula, snacks? It "could" be a food allergy/intolerance...and since it is at dinner time, is he eating something different at that time? Hmmm, is he cutting any major teeth with excessive drooling (sometimes makes their tummies upset)? Peds are always in a hurry to call something a virus, when they don't have any obvious symptoms.
That's all I can think of, I wish you the best with YOUR own health and hope the mystery illness improves for baby.
:)
When were the last vaccination shots? If they were within two weeks of when this started then your baby is having reactions from it. You can email me directly if this is the case and I will give some suggestions of what to do.
Not fun and I am sorry you are going through this. Autoimmune problems with you raises a big flag too. Please do not get the flu shot.
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Hi K.,
Two thoughts come to mind. It is unusual that your son is vomitting at the same time each day and not throughout the day or at different times. This suggests that he may be eating something around noon - 2PM that is contaminated and you're seeing a response to food poisoning. It's kind of odd that he only vomits once, though.
The other thought is that your son has developed a temporary lactose intolerance. This is not uncommon after having a stomach bug. If he's drinking formula early in the day, the inability to digest the milk sugars can make him feel nauseated and bloated so that he doesn't want to eat solids later. The problem compounds with each bottle you give him, until he reaches a threshold at which he vomits. Then, the process starts all over again. You might try switching to a non-dairy based formula for a couple of weeks. You can also give him yoghurt to help restore the intestinal bacteria that help to digest dairy products (mainly because they suck up much of the lactose themselves and process it). Activa is particularily rich in several different live cultures.
I hope your son is feeling better soon, and that your AI disorder is manageable and not serious. BTW, no causal link has been established between environmental factors and many autoimmune disorders. Do some research using reputable scientific and medical resources to learn more about your diagnosis. Patient advocacy websites are a good place to start looking for information if you don't have a medical or scientific background, as are sites like WebMD and Yahoo Health (health.yahoo.com). Beware of sites that try to sell you something. They often are presenting pseudoscience or use scare tactics to get you to buy their products, which often do nothing.
Once you know what's really going on, then you can investigate alternative treatments. Alternatives to mainstay standard treatments tend not to be tested with scientific rigor and can range from useless to dangerous. Some can be truly effective, however, but you should use them in addition to standard treatment, not instead of. Once you have gained some control over your illness, then you can consider weaning yourself off of medications and rely on alternatives alone or in part.
My son got his first bought with the stomach flu at around 10 months old too! All we could do was hydrate him with Pedialyte, give him lots of starchs to settle his belly and avoid meat proteins until the upset tummy had subsided. We visited the doctor on the first day of vomitting and after the fourth day of upset tummy because it was so bad, I was changing his diaper every 20 minutes. He gave us a prescription for the upset stomach, and a list of foods to give during that time. Wish I could find it, cause I would just send it to you. It was stuff like bananas, white rice, yogurt w/out flax, crackers, white toast with no butter, pasta...stuff like that.
I would call and speak to your doctor's nurse, or just go on in. I am notorious for just taking my son in, and usually follow my doctor's rule of thumb...if it lasts longer than four days bring him on in.
My son's stomach flu lasted for 7 days with symptoms of upset tummy, restlessness and lack of appetite...mostly it was just awful to see his discomfort. But, I think with anything it's a good rule to get into the doctor if it doens't seem to be going away on it's own, even if you are treating the symptoms and trying to maintain comfort the best you can.
Good Luck.
It's possible the bug is gone, but the effects are lingering. My kids had such sensitive stomachs that it took days to get over. I usually had to keep them on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) for 24 hours afterward and limit milk (formula too) to lactose free for 48-72 hours. Seemed their stomach just needed a little recovery time. This may help you. But, considering the age, you should check in with your doctor today (Friday) before the weekend kicks in. Good luck.
