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AIBU?

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Original poster

Stomach bug... does it ever NOT spread through the whole family?

31 replies

Jourdain11 · 24/01/2023 01:15

DD1 just gone down with it tonight - I'm up with her now and probably will be most of the night. She's T1 diabetic and this is the first proper vomiting type bug she's had since she was diagnosed so it's quite worrying.

DD (10) has two younger siblings and I have nightmare visions of a house full of puking kids by the morning. And then me! It's so long since we had one of these in the house that I'm honestly feeling quite stressed about it. Does it ever not spread through the whole household? Please - give me some hope!! 🙏

OP posts:
thaegumathteth · 24/01/2023 01:24

We've had it not spread before. One kind of vaguely good thing is that often when it has went through us it's went through one at a time so kind of more manageable?

Nothing worse though, we had a stomach bug on holiday a few years ago in 40 degree heat and I think I'm still traumatised!

What I try and do is be as prepared as I can be - have multiple buckets etc, wipes, gloves, towels and sheets ready to go and make sure I drink plenty now so if I do get it I'm not starting dehydrated.

bakewellbride · 24/01/2023 01:28

Yes. At Christmas I had a sickness bug and dh and our young children avoided it completely somehow!

ConfusedNT · 24/01/2023 01:32

I think it depends on whether you are prone to catching sickness bugs. Me, I am prone to them, my DH almost never gers them. I've had norovirus and he didn't catch it

Apparently you blood type can be relevant to whether you are more likely to get norovirus (and maybe other stomach bugs)

thaegumathteth · 24/01/2023 01:33

ConfusedNT · 24/01/2023 01:32

I think it depends on whether you are prone to catching sickness bugs. Me, I am prone to them, my DH almost never gers them. I've had norovirus and he didn't catch it

Apparently you blood type can be relevant to whether you are more likely to get norovirus (and maybe other stomach bugs)

I 100% agree with this. Ds never was a sicky child. Dd on the other hand always was / still can be.

wingingit1987 · 24/01/2023 01:39

We have 5 children so bugs and viruses get brought home all the time between their school/nursery classes. Sickness bugs don’t always spread. We have had 3 sickness bugs in 2022- only 1 was caught by the whole house.

MaryBerrysCamelToe · 24/01/2023 01:51

Sometimes we get away with it not spreading. We have 11 smalls in the house and last time we had a big only 5 out of the 9 kids I had at the time got it ( twinnies just born in oct).
Myself and DH have also managed to avoid it too on the last few occasions we have had a bug.
The last batch of flu/ extreme colds we had only affect half the kids and myself. DH and the others were completely symptom free.

Poppins2016 · 24/01/2023 01:54

Yes. My children have had a couple of bugs recently and DH and I were spared. My hands, on the other hand, are still recovering from all the rigourous hand washing (it exacerbated existing dryness).

I'm uually fairly relaxed about cleaning, but when it comes to sickness bugs my rule is to be strict about thorough cleaning and hygiene.

  • Eliminate cross contamination when cleaning up and/or after touching the sick child. Don't touch anything (especially not your face, food, mugs/glasses or anything in the kitchen) without washing your hands first. Remember to clean touch points (door handles, taps, loo flush).
  • Handwash properly and encourage your children to do the same.
PleaseCleanTheWholeToilet · 24/01/2023 01:57

Depends
Could it be something she has eaten? Rather than caught?

Also, do you know the extra precautions to take with your daughter die to her diabetes

PleaseCleanTheWholeToilet · 24/01/2023 01:57

* Due

BarnacleNora · 24/01/2023 02:04

My children LOVE to share with each other. But they share a bedroom and cannot leave each other alone, they're like puppies clambering over one another and wrestling with each other and generally in each other's air space all the damn time so I'm not really surprised by that.

However, it's rare that I catch a bug from them. I can be knee deep in sick bowls and cleaning vomit from laundry and bodies for days on end and still manage to keep clear of any bug. No idea why, I've worked with children in some capacity since I was 18 (so nearly 20 years now) so maybe I've developed some sort of immunity but bugs adapt and mutate don't they so.....no clue.

My ex husband would probably claim that he catches bugs from the kids but he's a massive hypochondriac who used to catch anything just from the power of thought so he's not really a reliable source.

Keeping fingers crossed for you that it passes quickly and that as few people as possible get struck down with it! Does your daughter have a diabetes nurse at your GP surgery you can call for advice or reassurance?

Nat6999 · 24/01/2023 02:19

Ds has has stomach bugs & I've not caught them. However I'm emetaphobic so if ds is in the middle of a bug I confine him to one room, usually his bedroom, he is allowed in the bathroom obviously. He has been trained since he was small to cope with throwing up on his own due to my phobia, I give him a bucket, old towels & he manages really well. Every time he leaves the bathroom I go in with bleach & antibacterial spray to clean the toilet, wipe the sink, flush, door handle & light pull, I throw his toothbrush away at the end of the bug & replace it. I also ask him to strip his bed as soon as he feels better & while it is in the washer I wipe down all the surfaces in his room with antibacterial spray before remaking his bed. If you keep up with hand washing, keep the toilet & bathroom clean, wipe things like door handles, light switches etc & change bedding, pjs etc as soon as they feel better you should be OK, I also made all ds drinks in a plastic water bottle so it could be thrown away afterwards.

Original poster
Jourdain11 · 24/01/2023 02:31

I think it's definitely a virus or something, rather than something she ate - she's very shivery and clammy and has a temperature.

I know what to watch out for, what to do, etc in terms of her diabetes, but haven't had to put it into practice properly till now! She doesn't cope very well with illness and discomfort, so I've currently got a very tired and slightly panicky 10 year old on my hands who is scared to come out of the bathroom in case she's sick/needs the loo again.

OP posts:
HamBone · 24/01/2023 02:34

We've managed to avoid them spreading with really strict hygiene- my family make fun of me as I immediately get out my rubber gloves and the antibacterial spray! Door handles wiped, bathroom thoroughly cleaned after they use it, careful handling of buckets, etc.

I also try to keep the ill person away from their sibling, which is particularly easy now they’re teenagers. 😂

Original poster
Jourdain11 · 24/01/2023 08:25

The others seem okay so far - they've gone to school now, hopefully not spreading germs left, right and centre!

OP posts:
user8545 · 24/01/2023 08:29

Very rarely does it spread through our house now the kids are older, presumably because they are sick in a toilet or bowl which keeps it more contained. DH never gets it (I think once when eldest was a toddler), I often get a stomach bug but always seems to be at a different time and that doesn't spread either! We always seem to get ill at separate times.

Montague22 · 24/01/2023 08:29

I wash my hands loads, Clinell wipe switches and things. I also eat everything with cutlery 😆 I do this because your hands are constantly touching things. I hardly ever catch the sick bug.
I never share the kids food either, never know what they might be brewing.
Toothbrushes are also kept in a cupboard.

Beginningless · 24/01/2023 08:29

Good luck, there’s nothing worse. And the wait to see if there will be more…all you can do is try to be prepared like pps have said and go with it. Hope you escape it.

Fizbosshoes · 24/01/2023 08:31

Apart from covid I'm not sure we've ever had any bug that affected everyone in the house

AnotherNameChangeYes · 24/01/2023 08:31

Have you got a sickness plan from your diabetic team? Are you checking for ketones?

Ive also got a diabetic child so know exactly how it feels! We’ve recently done the first illness too, such a worry. It didn’t spread to anyone else though. Just keep hand washing.

PuttingDownRoots · 24/01/2023 08:35

DD2 caught an awful one at school... half the school had it. The worse effected were off for over a week. I got it off her (hardly surprising since she was actually sick on me a few times)

DD1 didn't, despite lots of her friends and sister having it.

Good luck.

MavisFlump · 24/01/2023 08:36

It’s not inevitable that you’ll get it, I’ve had norovirus three times and DH didn’t catch it, he had it once and then gave it to me 🙄🤬
Keep hand washing!

Original poster
Jourdain11 · 24/01/2023 08:36

Yep, we do have a plan, thank goodness. I'm checking her blood sugar and ketones at regular intervals and it isn't super worrying so far - cross fingers it stays the same!

OP posts:
billy1966 · 24/01/2023 08:39

I remember being told to wipe all door handles, soak and separate toothbrushes.

Apparently it is very transferable but giving them sole use of a loo and isolating can reduce it.

OllytheCollie · 24/01/2023 08:39

Hope she feels better soon. We had a weird one back in Nov when DH and DS we're both sick for 24 hrs and then completely fine. None of the rest of us got it. So I also hope it's that one.

WeWereInParis · 24/01/2023 08:39

I've never caught a bug from DD and neither has DH even though he does all vomit clean up.
DH had a stomach bug last week but no one else in the house got ill (not actually sure where he caught that one!).