Information Needed on Rotavirus

My 13 month old just got over it as wll. We were in the hospital too! What worked for me as instructed by the hospital was to give her 2-3 ounces of pedialyte/juice every 30 minutes. I did this after the first time we were admitted and it worked great! She started eating more but still has severe diarrhea so I stopped and was just pushing fluids as much as possible, by day 12 we were back in the hospital! When we came home I followed the 2oz every 20 minute rule until one day after the diarrhea stopped...I was not going to put my princess through that again! Eventually it just stopped and she wa like new although we had about 4 pounds to put back on! I am sorry that you are going through this...I hope he is better soon!
Serena
P.S.
Like other posters said, be careful, my husband ended up with it as welL!

I just got my 2month old vaccinated for that. It's an oral vaccine, which I thought was unusual. If he's not eating because of nausea there's a suppository for that that works great. Just keep trying and good luck.

Rotavirus is the worst! The diarrhea can last about 14 days. When my son had it, it lasted about 10 days. You are hopefully nearing the end of it but if it doesn't stop soon, you should call the doc again. If your son likes yogurt, try giving him a couple of spoonfuls at each meal, the active cultures help regulate the stomach and may help with the diarrhea.

Good luck!
L.

Hi K., my daughter got it last year.
it is aweful. all you can done is keep them hydrated.
water,jello ect... we spent 4 days at childrens hospital.
(she's a diabetic) it is no fun.
she caught it there when we found out 4 days before
when we found out she was a diabetic. some one had it there
and gave it to alot of other kids.
Hers didn't last that long. i would see the doctor again.
it is cause from not washing your hands after going poop.
that what we were told. so if you child is in school kids sometimes don't wash. hope this help some. L.

HI kell,

May daughter got the same, she was in hospital for three days for dehydration. Try as much liquid as child can take. Its tough but not so dreadful, take care.

Also the virus is infectious so be cautious in handling poop and vomit.

V.

Hi K.,
My daughter also just got over that and she had been vacinated against it already! We spent a few days in the hospital too for dehydration and the doctor said there are over the counter bacteria cultures available in the pharmacy (just like what is in yogurt) that you could mix in with your son's food. Good luck. I know how bad this sucks when it is your little one!
Becki

My daughter had that at 18mo and yes, she was hospitalized too. That is so hard to go through! Just hang in there and keep an eye on him and keep in touch with your doctor. He'll get through this.

My 3 year old daughter also had rotavirus (she was just over a year)--it's awful and I'm sorry you're going through it. Just remember to keep pushing all liquids so he won't get dehydrated again. Pedialite comes in popsicles--that was great for us! (Pedialite is like gatorade for little ones.) My daughter would eat the popsicles even though she refused it in regular drink form. I remember the virus lasting over a week--but if it goes into a second week, I think I would go back to the doctor. The good news is that there is now a vaccine--my 4 month olds just got it--so hopefully we won't have rotavirus again!

I am so sorry to hear that your son has been so sick with this, how awful and scary for you it must be!

My nephew had this something awful! He was also in the hospital for several days after becoming lethargic and dehydrated. I know they did the BRAT diet after coming home and he was able to keep food down, just not in.... all he ate was Banannas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast. It helped to stop the weight loss and he was more willing to drink after eating. I know he was sick for about 2 weeks with this. If you do notice any other signs or symptoms that he is getting worse do not hesitate to call your Dr. This is something that can be very serious, as I am sure you are learning!

Also, they think they got theirs from a shopping cart- which is common. I am so obsessive now about germs and I carry wipes with me and the Clorox spray to wipe down the carts. My Dr told me I am ridiculous UNTIL I asked her if she would like to eat someones a**. I said, we may wash our hands after using the bathroom but that does not mean the other person does! You just never know what is on there and then we touch our kids hands and face and everything else and they may even gnaw on the bars when we are not looking we just do not know what they can be exposed to. I have been blessed that my daughter never got this, a cold or even the flu... YET!! Knock on wood!

I will pray that your son gets well soon and is back to his normal self!
Many blessings to you and yours!

Sorry you have to go through all this! My sons both had rotavirus last year and it took a long time for their guts to get back to normal. Our doc recommended giving them probiotics to help with that (helps restore normal gut bacteria). Try to hang in there (I know how messy it is!). Be sure to also be extra vigilant about cleaning up vomit, etc. as this virus is VERY contagious (sp?). Hope your little guy feels better soon.

PS. If it makes you feel any better, when I brought my younger son in to the doc to make sure he was not getting dehydrated my older son threw up ALL OVER the docs office 2 seconds before he came in. After we moved to a different room, he then told me that my younger son was not dehydrated but that he had rotavirus and it was very contagious...no fun.