I have a four year old with vomiting and diarrhea for five days. Took him to er and they said nothing was wrong. He can't hold anything down and has lost two pounds in a week. He also had ketones in his urine. Has anyone else had this problem? He doesn't act like he is sick he just throws up immediately after eating and then has diarrhea. They drew blood and said his labs were fine. I am very frustrated and worried.
Ketones I guess are present when your body is burning fat. I have four children in the home none of the others are sick. No carbon monoxide dtetectors. He is drinking clear fluids. I just got a scrip for zofram.
Getting a referral to a gastrenteroligist thank you for your help.
Ketones are just a sign that he is not eating enough. This makes sense considering he has been sick. Try eating the BRAT diet. This is easy on the system. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Not buttered toast though, butter is greasy and hard on the tummy. And clear fluids.
Lisa
Take him back to the ER, get a second opinion...at the very least he is getting dehydrated and I can't believe that they would not investigate further or recommend more diagnostics or more aggressive treatment. Sometimes ketones in the urine can be sign of diabetes.
Five days is an extremely long time for a stomach bug. I'd take him to a Children's Hospital Urgent Care or ER. Children are different than adults and sometime ER docs don't get it if they don't deal with a lot of kids.
Otherwise I'd have him on a strict BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce and toast) diet.
What did the doctor say about the ketones? I've not experienced a test for ketones in a routine check for vomiting and diarrhea. Sounds like he has a stomach bug. Keep him hydrated by giving him small sips of water, but stop feeding him so that his system has time to heal. You can try small amounts of broth or really soft easy to digest foods such as custard but not "real" food.
I wouldn't be concerned. Ketones can be in indication of an illness. Of themselves, they're not dangerous. I would call his pediatrician and ask when you should bring him in to see him if he doesn't get better.
My granddaughter had breath indicating that her body was burning fat during a serious asthma attack when I took her to the ER. I think they called it ketosis. They treated the asthma and the breath smell went away.
Your four year old probably has the stomach flu and the ketones will correct themselves once he's recovered. Losing 2 lbs. in 1 week in not something to worry about. He's not eating. He's losing water weight. He'll be fine. Call his pediatrician to find out more so that you can relax some.
I don't know what carbon monoxide detectors has to do with his illness.
Tell everyone what KETONES are.
Do you have other children? Do you have carbondioxide monitors in your home. Is he taking water and juice? What kind of solids are you giving him? I agree you need a second opinion, but am troubled that an ER would send a sick child home? Where did you take him?
Blessings....
Take him to a pediatrician. The er is looking for lifethreatening problems so their testing will be limited. Peds might look for things like allergies or celiac disease.
Ketones and proteins are common if your child had ongoing diarrhea. If your doctor were concerned about diabetic conditions, then he would also do a blood glucose to check for sugar in his/her blood levels.
Otherwise, if the child has symptoms of gastroenteritis along with the protein and ketones, it's not as concerning than having those lab results without those symptoms.
My daughter has had protein in her urine. Her Dr. recommended that she see a kidney specialist after her tested her first morning urine and it came back positive for protein. I would ask about seeing a kidney specialist so he can rule out kidney disease.
If the zofram doesn't stop the vomitting, please get a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. Perhaps there's something physical the bloodwork won't show and they would be more knowledgable of.
From what you've written, the sooner the better, as your son's probably in severe dehydration and his body's now eating itself for survival (the ketones show this) -- he's so young there's potential for future growth trouble/damage if too much longer this route:(
Good luck and let us know!:)
