Last night in urgent care the doctor told us my daughter has the Rotavirus. He wasn't that concerned since I've kept her well hydrated. She was vomiting and had diarrhea all last week. This week the vomiting went away, but she still has two diarrhea diapers per day and has lost some (water)weight. She's had diarrhea for two weeks now. I tried the BRAT method (banana, rice, applesauce and toast) and she is an extremely picky eater, so this was really no help. I would appreciate advice from other mom's that had kids with the same virus or know of anything else I can do to make her better.
Thank you moms who replied and especially Beth for suggesting lactobacillus! I talked to the pharmacist at Target and he directed me to the aisle where they stock their vitamins. My daughter's bowel movements are back to 'normal' and the diarrhea stopped a day and a half after I gave her the lactobacillus. I'm still mixing it in her milk once a day, but her energy level is back and so is her appetite!
Hi-
I believe in popsicles and freezie pops - they saved my son when he had pneumonia.
Pedialite popsicles are recommended but do not taste as good.
Good luck!
My son had that when he was 8 months old. He was vomiting a lot the first day, and I was giving him pedialyte but he couldn't keep it down. A nurse told me to give his stomach a 12 hour rest to settle down, then start him on pedialyte again. 1 oz the first hour, 2 the second hour... and slowly work it up so that he keeps it down. I did that, and he SEEMED to be getting better. He was keeping it down with no problem, and the diarhea was almost completely gone. I didn't give him much else that day.... and right before bed his temp was 101.5. He got a tooth, and I know that is too high to be teething, but since he was better all day I didn't get too worried and just gave him tylenol. When I woke up the next morning, his temp was 106, and it turned out he was severly dehydrated. I took him to the ER right away at 5 am when I noticed the temp (Christmas Eve too!). He had to have an IV and I was told that with Rotavirus most children get so dehydrated they have to be hospitalized.... and I have read that on the internet too. The IV got fluids back in him... the diarhhea started back up (10 times a day!), and lasted a couple weeks. It is supposed to take a long time for Rotavirus to go away, and longer if you can get fluids moving through them. The more diarhhea they have, the faster it is coming out of their body. I know it is not fun to deal with those diapers, but thats what they need to do to get rid of it. I had a huge thing of vaseline and put a thick coat on him after every diaper, and his skin never got red at all. Good luck with this, I know it is not a fun one to deal with!
My son has had this twice now and he has developed a temporary lactose intolerance each time. It has to do with the bowels getting inflamed. Anyway, we had to take him off dairy and slowly reintroduce it. I can't remember how long we were off it. Something like 3 days completely. Do you have a Pediatrician you could call and ask how to do this? It truly worked for us. And keep trying the BRAT diet. We snuck the baby rice cereal into whatever we could to trick him. I've found the bananas work best the absolute best for us. Good luck and I hope you have a fast recovery.
My son had this when he was 4 months old and had it for 2 months. He only had the "poops" part of it but he was miserable. The only thing we could do was let it run its course. Just really push the liquids thats all. Its terrible that we cannot do anything else for our children, because they feel so crappy but it is a virus and it will go when it wants too. Good Luck!!
Hi Linda,
My daughter just got over the stomach flu last week and had diarrhea for 14 days. When she was ill we gave her pedialyte. She would only drink the unflavored type and had to be at room temp. Maybe your daughter would like it.
My daughter had this, and even my hubby and I had a it from her a bit. It's horrable. The worst is the pain in your stomach and in your bowels.
We had to do the same thing...let it run it's course.
But, you don't need much to keep hydrated. About 2 tablespoons of water an hour will keep her hydrated. A good sign is that she's going to the bathroom (pee or poop). We ate small cups of ice chips,...they sort ot teases the tummy into thinking it doesn't have lots in it, so you throw up less, and it keeps you hydrated. As soon as she was able to keep fluids in, we pushed pedialite like crazy. Grape tastes the best, less salty tasting. She didn't eat much, toast, cracker, etc...nothing heavy. As long as you keep her hydrated, she'll eat alot and gain more weight when she's feeling better again.
Oh, Linda, I feel for you! I can STILL remember the smell. My son had it and it lasted for 5 weeks, but like another poster, he only had the poopy part so that was a bit more manageable. If that part continues for you, you might want to get a box of the cheapest diapers you can find, since you're probably changing them so frequently. The big thing docs worry about is dehydration, so if that's not an issue for you, you're doing fine. One thing to look out for, is a NASTY diaper rash. It was the only time my son ever got one, and it was bleeding and raw for weeks. I remember thinking I wish we would have been prepared for that and that we would have tried harder to prevent it--nothing like changing 3 diapers an hour, and having to hold down a screaming kid while doing it. Hang in there...it will eventually go away.
Linda, if your daughter is still having diarrhea, it's because her body is still trying to eliminate the virus from her body. Keep her hydrated and keep trying the diet, with possibly adding in yogurt to help replenish the 'good' bacteria. Also, when my son (and I) had it last summer, it was accompanied by VERY painful gas. Keep an eye on your daughter, and think about giving her anti-gas or a pain-reliever as this may also help improve her appetite.
Wish you the best,
S.
keep a close eye one her.
my son had it last year; we thought we were keeping him hydrtated, when in fact, we just weren't keeping up with the diarrhea. they get dehydrated much quicker than we think.
he became very lathargic and just wasn't himself at all... and I became concerned. We did end up in the ER and giving him fluids with and IV. don't want to scare you, just want you to keep an eye on her fluids.
oh and you will never forget that 'special smell' that is rotovirus!!! WOW! by the way, once in the hospital, my husband picked him up (my son was in a hospital gown) and I was just in the middle of trying to tell my husband that his diaper wasn't covering his.... he pooped all over my husband!!!! lol! everywhere... I swear to you within a half hour he was feeling better, he was acting more like himself - it was as though he had pooped the last bit of the virus out! hope that made you smile a bit.
good luck, she will be fine.
Go to your pharmacy and ask for the packets of lacrobacilis (spelling is wrong but sound it out and say it and they will know). You can get it without a Rx but they keep it in the fridge behind the counter. They are little packs (like single use crystal light) that you can put in her drinks, applesauce etc. It puts the good bacteria back into her body. That is what the ER Dr. told me when my daughte had it. I keep it on hand now when we have GI problems in the house.
Good luck.
My son and I both had Rotavirus twice last winter. While talking to our pediatrician, she said that the diarrhea can last more then a month. It's just something you have to let her body go through. You can always try Pedialyte, we had to dropper feed it to my son for several days the first time he had it.
On a positive note, each time your daughter gets it, it will be less severe.
Rotavirus is horrible - but you should be on the tail end of it. You are lucky to only have 2 diarrhea episodes/day. We had about 10 during the worst part. Both of my kids also lost weight but put it right back on again after a few weeks. We also used the BRAT diet but neither of my kids were very interested in eating. We just made sure that we gave lots of water, pedialyte, etc. Hang in there!!
