He won't eat what he should after sickness!!!

[Solo2]

DS1 aged 8 has had a v v bad vomiting bug for the last 6 days. He's finally stopped being sick but had really bad diarrhoea in the middle of the night last night - resulting in my 5th night up and cleaning and caring for him....God I need some sleep! Not even been into my own bedroom since last Sunday!

DS1 is incredibly skinny when well - on 9th percentile. As he's eaten nothing and drunk barely nothing for 6 days and nights, he looks frighteningly skeletal.

However, he's begun to be able to eat little bits without throwing up. On the GPs advice, I tried him with dioralyte - he refused this and gagged - I tried him with lucozade sport - he refused and gagged.

He's accepted a slice of toast with some egg yolk poured on but is also refusing what the GP advised - ie plain rice, apple, banana (he HATES all fruits, especially banana) - and whilst he asked for spaghetti and I've just made him some, he's now refusing this because he's not allowed to have cheese on it. He ADORES chees and isn't at all happy to hear he mustn't have milk products for quite some time now.

What else can I give him to build him up again - as he's so skinny and weak, he can't walk unaided? He is drinking some flavoured water and plain water but is obviously dehydrated by now. The GP hasn't any further advice and says he's only once ever in his career hospitalised a child with dehydration and didn't think there was anything further to be done for DS1.

As you can imagine, I'm in despair as to how to help. After so long with no sleep or rest myself and a completely disrupted life (I run my own business (and am single) and every day lost of work means loss of earnings - but DS1 has needed me 24/7, right by him most of the time) - I doubt I'm thinking straight and would welcome words of wisdom!

All I want for Mother's Day is a run of 5 hrs sleep and DS! to start getting better!

[teaandcakeplease]

The only dioralyte my kids actually like is the blackcurrant one, in a tiny box compared to others. All other types they hate.

Dairy products are harder to digest that's the trouble (maybe you said that already). Try Goats milk? That is what I offered my son after a very very bad vomiting bug. He liked it as so creamy and didn't upset him.

Does your son like lemonade? That helps I find.

After such a bad bug it'll take time for him to recover, I offer whatever my kids love (if possible) to help appetite and getting food in them.

[Solo2]

Thanks for the ideas, teaandcake. It WAS the blackcurrant dioralyte that he tried and hated unfortunately. He's never had goats milk before and I can't get out to day to buy any - as there's just me here and he's not up to a shopping trip.

In the meantime, do you know if chocolate is really best avoided for some time, as it's a milk product? As we all know, it's packed with calories - not that he's overtly keen on it - but if I could get some of that inside him, it might help.

He LOVES cheese but I guess I'll still have to hold off for a week or two? Anyone know how long to withold milk and milk products after vomiting and diarrhoea?

It's a GREAT Mother's Day so far as I got to spen the whole night in my own bed for the first time in 6 days/ nights and DS1 slept without accidents of any kind. He and his twin also made lovely Mother's Day cards for me and made up songs for me that they sang and camcorded for me on their own and had also cut out little paper hearts and put them in the hall for me to see when I got up!

All I need now is for DS1 to eat a bit more today.

[addictedtolatte]

could you mix the dioralyte with his favourite drink to disguise the taste. lollyices are good for rehydration. obviously not dairy ones

[teaandcakeplease]

TBH I left dairy out until they seemed perkier and eating a little better.

I wouldn't go there on chocolate right now but maybe that's just me

My son has a D & V right now and is living off bananas and plain bread, no butter and water. He won't touch anything else offered. But he's only 14 months.

Hope you had a good nights sleep. Happy Mothers Day x

[jybay]

Diorylte is vile. I refuse to drink it and I'm a grown up plus a GP!

I advise plain diet and plain water after vomiting as your GP did, but I also always say that any fluid is better than nothing (except for small babies, obviously). If he'll only drink cherry Coke or banana milkshakes, so be it.

Same with food: plain diet is ideal but, if he only wants Doritos, then don't sweat it.

As far as dairy products go, some kids get temporary lactose intolerance after D&V but pplenty don't. If cheese is what he wants and he seems OK on it, don't worry - it won't do any harm.

[Solo2]

Many thanks. I held off anything too rich and indigestible but let him have what he wanted more or less and he's now eating again at last and in fact v hungry and so far choc and cheese haven't produced any further symptoms. Had to give up on the Dioralyte. So now have lots of pckets here at home that will probably never be used.

But at least DS1 is a lot better and should be back to school tomorrow.

Thanks again [smile}

[staranise]

The paediatrician told me no fruit, no dairy after d&v - in fact, DC3 would only eat very plain food eg, plain bread, breadsticks, rice cakes, hot cross buns and, eventually, cheese scones. He's only jsut started eating normal food again two weeks after beng ill.

Flat lemonade always seems to do the trick when I'm ill. Glad to hear he's better.

[overmydeadbody]

When I was about 9 I had something called Shigella, a kind of dysentery, and was hospitalised for ten days. The only thing I felt like eating when I finally made it home was plain cold yoghurt and honey, so that is what my mum gave me. It might be dairy, but it's better than no food isn't it? TBH I think I would give my child whatever they asked for if they where this sick and needed to eat.

[chuckeyegg]

My DS has just had a horrid bug and all he wanted to drink was milk and eat yogurt and he's been fine. I know the advise is no dairy but as above poster says if they need to eat give them what they want because I think your body knows best what it needs.

I'm glad he's feeling better.