Norovirus help please

[SparklyLimeJoker]

I'm a full-time unpaid carer to my young adult who has complex needs. I'm a single parent and have no family help at all.

They came down with norovirus last night - projectile vomited everywhere and have severe diarrhoea to the point they're not able to hoist transfer to the toilet in time.

I've come down with it tonight. I'm in so much pain, vomiting and still have to give care to my young adult so have to be up close with them to do everything for them while so unwell myself and they're still being sick.

I have to prepare all food etc (they still want to eat a bit) how can I stop us infecting each other over again? I'm washing my hands about 100 times a day, wearing disposable gloves to handle contaminated clothing, washing contaminated clothing at 60 degrees. I'm not sure what else I can do or if there's anything else I should be doing.

I've placed a shopping delivery for tomorrow for dettol wipes and dettol spray plus other bits. I have rehydration sachets but they're not keen on them - drinking plenty of fluids though so I think that's OK.

Any advice to get through this would be much appreciated!

Hi @SparklyLimeJoker So sorry you’re both so unwell. It’s hard enough on your own without having to care for someone else.

Now you’ve both got it, I would just focus on getting through the next few days and feeling better. Don’t worry about reinfecting each other. Your bodies will have short term antibodies to protect from that. Once you’re both better give the house a good clean just so that any visitors don’t pick it up as it can live on surfaces for a while.

Hope you both feel better soon.

First of all - YOU POOR THING! That sounds absolutely horrible. Secondly don't worry about reinfecting each other. You have the same virus and will have immunity for around 3 months once you're better.

As for the rest, can you contact your gp service and see if there is any assistance available? I have no idea what is out there but worth a try.

The only good thing about noro is that it is powerful but usually mercifully short lived. If you can get through the next 24 hours as best you can then things will improve.

I am sorry not to have more ideas. Couldn't not post in support.

I dont get the 'young adult' and 'they' etc 🤔 confusing. Stop bloody eating for a start and all you can do is just drag yourself through it. Been there before! Poor you get well soon.

What is an unpaid carer? Are you their parent. Sorry I just find the language in this post so bizarre.

Why be picky about terminology? OP is clearly feeling horrific and the young person they live with/ care for is really unwell as is she.

She has asked for help.

OP is it possible to get hold of some adult nappies for YP? If you are unable to use the hoist in time it may just help with the mess. May not be appropriate of course.

You are doing loads already with dettol, gloves etc. Good luck!

I’m sorry OP, noro is awful. But it’s over very quickly. I remember having it when little one was a toddler and I just had to lie on the bed and hope he could entertain himself without major injury through misadventure. But the next day I could cope again. I hope your child has the cognitive capacity to understand. X

She is painting a picture of their needs / dependency on her, and often people are gender neutral to be less identifiable. Don’t be that person

You're using perfectly reasonable language in your post, OP.

You sound like an absolute hero. It's going to be a tough couple of days.

I hope you feel better soon.

Noro’s horrible OP but thankfully it’s short term and you don’t stay infectious for very long. I feel for you. I’m a carer for my elderly mum who has dementia - she’s also incontinent so I can visualise what’s happening and I really do sympathise. Coping with this kind of thing is bad enough if you’re fit and well yourself, but it’s awful when you really don’t feel well. Unfortunately this is the nature of caring isn’t it ? The carer is expected to cope. You and your YP will probably be feeling a bit better by tomorrow so as soon as you’ve got things under control, make sure you and they get some rest. It’s not a good idea to eat too soon with Noro - you’re just fuelling it until things settle down. I would try just plain water and maybe rehydration drinks a bit later on. Sending good vibes for a quick recovery and the opportunity for you to get some rest yourself.

So sorry OP - hopefully the worst will soon be over. But absolutely don’t give your young adult any food.

OP I don't know why people are picking you up on your language

Unpaid carer - family member who does caring duties for a family member.

It sounds like you are taking all the right precautions, things to wipe down as they are often missed but high touch areas

• light switches / hoist controls / TV remotes

Try to air the bathroom / room out after each episode and keep ventilation by having a window open on the lock

If you can, add rich tea biscuits (good to nibble on if wanting food without being too rich) , lucozade and lemonade (stir the fizz out the lemonade) to your shopping order. Sip don't gulp water / fluids and wait 20mins after puking before drinking. Bland diet for a few days after (toast, rice, ritz crackers).

Hope it passes soon 💖

@SparklyLimeJoker

I have had norovirus a few times and it's awful. If you can't take rehydration sachets, I've always found sugary soft drinks really help. I'm not a medic though! Hope you both feel better soon.

Sorry I was hoisting them in to bed. I've put a towel under them and down the side of the bed. I have the video monitor on and they have a buzzer that rings in my room. Hopefully we both manage a bit of sleep.

They don't understand not eating to help get better and want to eat so I've been giving plain things like digestive biscuits, jam on bread and encouraging sips of fluid (diluting juice - won't drink plain water).

Thanks to all for the tips and advice and thanks also to the people sticking up for me - I thought I'd made myself clear but obviously not!

Signing off to get some rest 🤞

What difference would this detail make?!? Whether they are their parent, sibling, or great cousin 14 times removed I am quite certain the Norovirus symptoms would be the same.

An unpaid carer can be a parent / relative or unrelated. It is a term to describe someone who gives care unpaid to someone who is physically or mentally ill or both. They are not paid to do this but can claim carers allowance from the government at the princely completely derisory sum of £81.90 per week if they care for at least 35 hours per week. This is the official accepted term used by LAs / Government to describe anyone in this situation. It usually means the individual is actually closer to caring 24 x 7 with little / no help and is generally understood to mean life is tough for the carer. Oh and unpaid carers save the government over £28bn per annum by doing the unpaid work 🙂

It's not confusing

Do a Google search and educate yourself

Hope you both get some sleep and get well soon
It's a horrid virus
🌺 xxx

Hope you both feel better soon.
As a PP has said, you should develop some short-term immunity to stop you reinfecting each other.

It's still worth cleaning well once you're better though to help prevent anyone visiting you getting it as it can live on surfaces for up to 14 days or so!!

Unfortunately, Dettol is not effective against norovirus. Bleach is though and also Clinell surface wipes.

Oh bugger! I'll order clinell wipes from Amazon - thank you!

Could not have put it better myself - thank you.

I didn't expect to be grilled. I said in my OP that I'm an unpaid carer and a single parent so I thought it was clear the young adult was my child who I've kept gender neutral to avoid outing and because it makes zero difference to the advice I would be given - which was brilliant thanks to all.

I managed to amend my shopping order to include rich tea and lemonade so that's all coming this morning and I've ordered Clinell wipes from Amazon (thank you PP for those suggestions and tips)

It's been a rough night but we're hanging on in there. Hopefully we'll be feeling much better by the end of today.

Single parent solidarity here! You are doing brilliantly. You'll already be well versed in this but just do the necessary to survive the next 24 hours and then take it from there. All else can wait and this will pass. Small sips of liquid after vomiting will settle better rather than gulps.

Bin bags under towels (if safe to leave in the bed with your dc) might reduce the need to change sheets. Hoisting to the loo/commode can take time. Hoisting up over the bed with a commode pan/old washing up bowl can be quicker. (Note the bin bag hint above!)

Keep yourself hydrated and your sugar levels up

Why didn't I think of that!
We have a brolly sheet underneath (gutted that company went bust) so that's been a godsend but I didn't think to just hoist enough to put the commode pan on the bed instead of getting them out into wheelchair and through to the bathroom FFS 🙈 Thank you!!