My 9 year old son came down with a stomach virus on a Friday. He vomited every hour for 7 hours. He was able to keep down liquids and some crackers after that. He also started to complain about a bump on the back of his tongue that he says feels like it's about the size of a dime. Doesn't hurt just annoys him. I figured it was irritated from the vomiting and I can't see it when looking with a flash light. And on the second day the diarrhea started. By the 3rd day he still had diarrhea but he was eating and drinking normally and feeling very good. No more diarrhea after that. Now it is the 6th day and he is still eating and drinking well, had already returned to school on the 5th day, but a fever has come out of no where. This time it's 101. No other symptoms, but still says the bump on the back of his tongue is still there. So I'm wondering if this is something else he has caught or the same bug still trying to work its way out. I've never heard of a fever appearing 6 days after a tummy virus. Anyone else had a similar experience or could add some insight? No I hadn't taken him to the doctor since he seemed to be recovering very well and was acting well and okay.
Edited added:
He was "well and okay" because he was running around the house like his normal self. Had been diarrhea free for well over 24 hours before I sent him back to school and was eating normally, actually more than normal. Still is. And I should also clarify that when I say diarrhea, it wasn't every hour. It was twice. One on the second day and one very early on the third day. Not explosive, just very loose. For him if he is up running around and eating normal that is my cue that he is getting lots better. He is the type that if he is extremely unwell he shows it. By the way he didn't go back to school for a full day. Just a few hours because they had a short school day for an activity they had for kids and parents. I didn't see and still don't see an issue with him doing that considering he was up running around the house the 3rd and 4th days that I kept him home. My doctor doesn't have a nurse hotline by the way. If I call them it just says if it's an emergency to call 911. Not everyone has the same tools at their fingertips as someone else. Also, I don't agree it warrants a trip to the ER. He wasn't uncomfortable and I don't push fever reducer until he is. I wasn't looking for a qualified doctor's response on the Internet just some experience from other parents or insight. If I didn't care about my child's health I wouldn't even be doing that. Today the fever is gone and he is still eating great and up running around again. Since he had never ran a fever while showing symptoms of the tummy bug, I was just concerned as to why it showed up that many days later. Not an experience I had yet with a tummy bug. I'll still be calling the doctor on Monday. Thanks for your insight.
2nd Edit added:
I agree with the possibility of strep. I thank you both for those insights and you sharing your personal experience with me. Very helpful!
As mom's not trained in medical diagnosis, we cannot answer this question. Call the doctor's office for information and advice.
did he ever go to thr dr? yes or no, he needs to go now...or again.
lots of kids get stomach viruses. vomit. have diarrhea. fevers. tongues commonly display symptoms from a variety of illnesses.
he wasn't 'well and okay' before today. he's had a fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and the tongue bump.
why worried suddenly now?
why call the doctor tomorrow?
why is the tongue bump the one thing that makes you worried?
why not call the doctor today and at least ask?
there are so many, many things this could be. your doctor's help line will be of far more use to you than strangers on the internet.
khairete
S.
Could be he's caught something else right after getting over his first malady.
When we're weakened and recovering from one thing, we're susceptible to catching other things easily.
Back to back bugs are a pain but it happens.
Treat symptoms as they appear and keep him resting up.
Call your doctor's advice line soon as you get a chance (although if it's a virus there's nothing to do but wait it out anyway).
Keep his fluids up (chicken soup, etc) and let him sleep as much as he wants to.
It's pretty easy to catch a second virus when the immune system is already depressed from fighting the first illness. Or, the body is still fighting off the lingering effects of the first one - that's usually what a fever indicates, I think. I agree that you should call the doctor on Monday - and I'd consider keeping him home from school so he can rest and so he doesn't infect anyone else. That's usually how people get sick again - they're susceptible, and they go back into the Germ Factory also known as the classroom.
I'm not sure it's accurate to say he seemed "well and okay before today" since he had all those symptoms just a few days before. And if he's not be eating a normal diet, he's just not up to par yet.
Was he checked for strep? It can cause vomiting and fever. The sore throat can present in different ways. When I had it a year and a half ago my throat wasn't sore at all. It just felt like I had something stuck in my throat. I had a very small, short lived fever. My job requires me to be on an antibiotic for 24 hours before I can return after being diagnosed with strep. The day I stayed home I deep cleaned my living room. I didn't feel sick at all. When my son had it earlier this year we went in thinking it was an ear infection. His throat didn't hurt at all, but his ear and back of his jaw hurt. The only reason they tested for strep was because I had tested positive for strep earlier in the day. I pretty much had to sit on him to keep him from doing gymnastics on the couch when I stayed home with him.
The spot on your son's tongue may be a sign of strep. Strep usually sits high up in the throat on the tonsils and the pain isn't necessarily in the throat. It's entirely possible that he had a stomach virus first, but I don't think it would hurt to ask about strep.
You don't need to wait until Monday to call the doctor, call the 24 hour nurse line and speak with them.
Call the dr Monday? You need to get him to an er now. He also needs to stay out of school until he gets a dr release. He could spread it to other children or it could get worse or prolong for him without taking actual time to get well. It doesn't sound like the normal stomach virus so I wouldn't send him back until he gets a medical release if I were you. The school should be able to excuse the absences 6 days or more or whatever. I have two children so I have some experience. Wow. Please get him to a dr or emergency room asap. They can do lab work or whatever to get to the root of what's going on. Please care a little more about his health. Please update
I was going to say have the doctor do the tongue out ahhh test. I agree with Erica - could be a sign of a throat problem. I don't know about strep but I think swollen glands can actually show up as bump on the tongue too.
I don't know how that ties in with barf and the runs. Usually fever is what comes on with those in our house. Not so much afterwards.
I am one of those moms who keeps my kids home a full day after all signs disappear. Not because I'm overly cautious about spreading viruses (I get the OK from my doctor) but because my kids need a full day to recover without any signs. Otherwise they get run down again by thinking they can jump right back into stuff. Barfing and the runs for that long - he's likely very run down even if he appears normal. So he may have caught something else.
Good luck :)
Its an illness separate from the flu. A lot of times the catch something else after one illness because they are run down and their immune system isn't working well.
Give him something for the fever if he seems uncomfortable and make an appointment on Monday if he is still talking about bumps. Most likely the bumps are lymph nodes because they swell when there's an infection that the body is fighting.
