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Kristen Hewitt

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Surviving the Stomach Flu

Healthy Living, Kids, Parenting

 

You know you are loved when your 2 year old brings you the throw up bowl, formerly known as the frosting bowl. Puke-ageddon is upon us.

 

It all started the night of Memorial Day. I returned home from working the Miami HEAT game at 1:30am and stumbled into bed. Two hours later I was startled awake by a screaming toddler choking in a pool of vomit in her bed. This continued for two nights, and along with a fever and persistent cough, we were sent in for a chest x-ray.

Then Thursday at 3:00AM it was my older daughter who woke me. She ran into my room with a hideous bout of the stomach flu that persisted with continuous puking for 9 straight hours. She required anti-vomiting meds, and is much better.

But this weekend unfortunately…it was my turn.

“Mommy, you throw up now please?”–Emy obsessed with Mommy being sick all weekend.

Honestly we’ve been lucky that we’ve never been hit with the stomach flu since having kids. Something is going around because a lot of my friends are in throw up hell as well.  And since I’m a newbie to vomit-ville (except for wretched morning sickness and after a few Jager shots in college), I thought I’d talk to a pediatrician at one of my favorite parenting websites Bundoo to find out what this is – and how to properly care for my kids.

Oh yeah and me.

Surviving the Stomach Flu

Here are some questions I had for  Dr. Sara Connolly, MD, FAAP Bundoo Pediatrician, and her
suggestions for a speedy recovery.
 
What are the symptoms of the stomach flu?
 
At any given time of the year, there are several stomach bugs going around—which is why they can be so frustrating and hard to manage. Norovirus, also known as Norwalk virus, are infections that are now the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (read: vomiting and diarrhea) in the US. 
 
In general, stomach bugs cause nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, stomach cramping, or any combination of them! If you are lucky, your child may experience the symptoms only mildly and only for a brief (24-48 hours) time period.
 
How can you keep your children hydrated when they can’t keep anything down?
 
Hydration is important for a couple of reasons. At its worst, dehydration can actually be life-threatening because it puts us at risk for total collapse of the circulatory system. Mild dehydration, the kind that comes after a day of vomiting or diarrhea, is not life-threatening but does make a person feel bad. It can actually cause increased nausea and resistance to drinking. It also can stress the kidneys.
 
The mistake most well-meaning caregivers make is trying to get a child to drink immediately after they vomit. When a child is actively vomiting, everything you give them will come right back up. My advice is that when the illness first starts, wait 30 minutes after vomiting to start fluids. Then offer an electrolyte-rich solution such as Pedialyte®, sip by sip, very slowly. The body is more likely to ‘hold it down’ if fluid is trickled in verses taking huge gulps.
 
How long does this illness usually persist?
 
A typical episode of uncomplicated gastroenteritis will last between 24-72 hours. However, even intense vomiting should subside after a day, allowing oral rehydration to begin slowly.
 
When should you call the doctor?
 
When you have little ones, a call to your doctor is always a good idea. Let them know when the vomiting started, how often it is happening, and if the is any fever, diarrhea or pain. They can help you decide if you need to come into the office, stay home, or go to the ER. As your children age into school years, an episode or two of vomiting will seem like less of a big deal and a call to your doctor will be for unusual pain, high fever, and neck pain associated with the vomiting, or vomiting that lasts longer than you are comfortable with.
 
Bloody diarrhea always warrants a doctor’s visit as does abdominal pain with fever without much vomiting or diarrhea as that can indicate a surgical issue such as appendicitis.
 
How long after vomiting ends should you keep kids home to prevent spreading this virus?
 
At least 24 hours, until they are eating comfortably, andwithout fever. Children with diarrhea are contagious much longer, so continue to wash hands thoroughly after the illness resolves. Chlorine bleach is your best bet for disinfecting your home against Norovirus.
 
What foods are best to introduce once on the mend?
 
The first step after vomiting ends is the introduction of liquids like Pedialyte®. Once those are tolerated for a few hours you can begin feeds. Start slowly, avoiding fried foods, anything heavy, and dairy. Fruit and grains are good choices. For diarrheal illnesses you can really feed anything. I recommend nutrient dense, high protein foods such as whole grain bread with peanut butter. The BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is not bad but doesn’t do a whole lot to give the nutrition that your child needs. For babies under a year, I recommend discussing re-feeding with their pediatrician. 

A big thanks to Dr. Connolly and Stephanie Winans at Bundoo for accommodating my request for an interview so quickly! This has been helpful advice for us this week.

Alternatives to Pedialyte

If you don’t like Pedialyte (full of sugar) or your kids won’t drink it,  you can always make your own homemade electrolyte tonic. Just add 1/8 tsp of unrefined salt to 8 ounces of water…and you can add some elderberry syrup for flavor. Also, Mommypotamus has several great flavors and recipes on her site!

And no…I will not be using the throw up bowl when I make frosting in the future. No matter how many times I’ve washed it…it still permeates the smell of puke. Oh the joys of parenthood….

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Comments

  1. Divya N says

    I have regular bouts of stomach flu and what really helps me is ORS – oral rehydration solution -. add one teaspoon sugar to one glass of water with a pink of salt as I puke when I drink electrolytes. Once I am steady I graduate to watery buttermilk or lemon juice before moving on to plain bread or curd/yogurt rice

    Reply

  2. Jenny Hills says

    Oh so sorry you were all sick. I have to laugh at the throw up bowl. I’m pretty sure we all have one. I need to remember the Pedialyte alternative. My son refuses to drink that stuff, it’s such a waste of money because I end up throwing it all away.

    Reply

  3. Jennifer Humphries says

    Blech, I am so sorry. We had this about 3 weeks ago and all 6 of my family members were vomiting in the same 24 to 48 hour period. It was horrible! Great tips and so happy you are all feeling better. BTW- good plan on throwing out the frosting/puke bowl 🙂

    Reply

  4. Jessica Allen says

    The stomach virus is the WORST. It’s been horrible here in Texas and our entire family got it for Christmas, then I got it again for my birthday! Gah! Glad your family is better and hopefully you won’t have to deal with it again!

    Reply

  5. Echo A says

    We had the plague come through our house this year too! Everything smelt of vomit and apple juice. We use empty ice cream buckets as our puke buckets! I hope you are felling better!

    Reply

  7. Lindsey S. says

    Oh no!!! The stomach bug is the worst!! We had it last weekend… I treated myself to getting my hair blown out for a wedding to avoid getting ready with toddlers and babies grabbing at my feet….. Got my hair done, felt great, walked in the door to throw my dress on and leave for the wedding….. and PUKE CITY EVERYWHERE!!! So I spent the next half hour cleaning my son’s puke…pretty hair and all. Can’t win! Thanks for your tips although hopefully I won’t be needed them anytime soon!

    Reply

  9. Lauren Tamm says

    Best idea is to make your own pedialyte! We do that at our home. I’ve used a splash of orange juice for flavor in the past. Great idea to use elderberry syrup…would’ve never thought of that!

    Reply

  11. Bev Feldman says

    Oh no, sorry you had to go through this! I just had my first bought of the stomach bug since becoming a mom a few weeks ago. Thankfully it happened over the weekend, so my husband could take care of the baby, and no one else got sick, but it was awful. Thanks for the tips, and glad you are all feeling better! Stopping by from the Mommy Monday Blog Hop.

    Reply

  12. Monique says

    Bummer. I’m glad that’s over. Thanks for the tips on coping with the stomach flu. Thanks for stopping by the Creative Style Linkup.

    Reply

  13. Creative Dream says

    Thanks for the tips. Sorry you had such rough days. I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams, starts on Fridays 😀 Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party.

    Reply

  14. Patti Tucker says

    UGH. It seems as if this is making it’s rounds throughout the country, even in San Antonio (Go Spurs Go!…sorry, that was totally uncalled for). Love the breakdown of advice and happy to read that bowl is now no longer used for anything but puke. Ah, motherhood!

    Reply

  15. Jill R. says

    I am so sorry your adorable family was ill. The stomach flu made its way around here in the spring… I would not wish that experience on anyone. We now have a bright colored icky sicky bucket… it was used to store legos until one frantic moment…. ah the memories.

    Thanks for sharing the helpful info, I love the alternative to pedialyte.

    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

    Reply

  17. Carrie says

    The stomach flu with kids is NO fun. We’ve had it a few times, and of course everyone gets it. It’s the worst! Thank you for this…I actually learned something helpful about offering liquids to the kids after they throw up!

    Reply

  18. Libby O'Malley says

    It’s a total drag to be down and out with the “floop” (flu) or “dumbmonia” (pneumonia) as my five-year old refers to them. FYI, something that a friend of mine has created to help track this stuff in a family is an app called IckyTrack (available from the Apple iTunes store). It’s really helpful when you need to hand off a child from parent to parent or daycare provider so that everyone is in the loop about what meds were taken, when, symptoms, etc. Highly recommend it!

    Reply

  19. kat says

    Soak the puke bowl in vinegar, it will neutralize the smell :).

    In the future, spraying the bowl with cooking spray (like Pam) and putting a little water in the bowl will help.

    Reply

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