Trying to be prepared for stomach virus

[Averysmom]

Ok Seasoned Mammas. My daughter is in daycare one day a week. She is just getting over anasty head cold. The stomach virus has hit our area. I kept her home this week because I didn't want to have her infected with both. I fear the stomach virus. I haven't fiwn up since I was 5! I have no idea how to handle a vomiting 1 and a 1/2 year old. I know she is probably going to end up with it. How often do they vommit? How long does it last? I know I'm jumping the gun but I'm in a panic. I like to be prepared. Any advice is welcomed

Don't panic! You won't be able to wrap get up and keep her away from bugs as she gets older, and it's generally not as scary as you think.

How I'll she gets completely depends. My two have only had a few stomach bugs, and generally are only sick a couple of times.

The only thing you need is Calpol, a bucket/bowl and lots of clean bedding IME.

If your dd gets this bug (and it is an if, it isn't inevitable) you will find that vomiting 1 and a 1/2 year olds will take it more in their stride than you can possibly imagine. You will need a lot of old, large towels, a couple of buckets, some rubber gloves, extra supplies of nappies, anti-bacterial soap, anti-bacterial cleaning wipes, a good supply of dvds and plenty of biological washing powder.

If your dd is sick in the night, do not even think of changing her cot and putting her back in there (because she will do it again). So, in my experience, it is best to get up with sick child, cover the sofa with old towels, stick a dvd on, have a bucket nearby, and try and get the vomit in the bucket when it happens again!

You need one bucket for catching sick, and one bucket for soaking vomited-on items in plain cold water (which gets chucked away down the toilet) before washing in a hot wash with biological washing powder.

You need the anti bacterial soap for you and the rest of the family to wash their hands in once per hour and the wipes to wipe everything you might have touched/she might have touched whilst infectious.

You need the ice lollies for her to suck on when she is beginning to get over the vomiting and you want to make sure she is getting hydrated.

But, honestly, it is not as bad as you imagine with a simple vomiting bug. Very high temperatures, listlessness, no wet nappies, inability to wake up - are FAR more worrying.

She has thrown up due to coughing. I handled it better than I expected. I have a very weak stomach. I've heard kids throwing up every half hour! I'm generally not this neurotic, but something about this makes me freak out. Does the whole house end up with it?

Averysmom - I think you possibly suffer from something called emetophobia. Google it.

No, it is not inevitable that the whole house will end up with it, and neither is it inevitable that she will get it just because she is in daycare. My daughter honestly didn't throw up until she was almost 5 years old (which was handy because I am also emetophobic).

But ... I have seen both my children seriously ill (not a vomiting bug) and, believe me, there are other things that are way more scary.

Please please try not to worry too much x

A bucket, a towel, small bowls, lots of nappies, baby wipes, fluids , cuddles ..

7 month old had this.. Vomiting and pooing at some time. Not pretty. Just make sure child is upright, the vomit will just flow, believe me !

Nannyof3 that's not helpful!

advice is brilliant. The key to getting through smoothly is having a plan. Once the first vomit has happened, then it's just a matter of putting Operation Poorly Child into action.

Aftereights advice is brilliant I meant. Silly cat head butted my fingers at the wrong moment!

My top tip of prevention:

Change your diet. Tummy bugs need sugar and fat to break out properly, so forget biscuits, chocs and crisps, cut down on dried fruits and fruit juice.

Go for a bland diet of toasts, bread with ham, cheese, etc. Dinners of grilled chicken breast, rice, steamed veg. etc.

Clean hands!

GoldQ - what evidence is there that a stomach virus needs sugar and fat? I have never heard that & can't see what explanation there would be for it. Having previously worked with anorexics I can safely say that there sugar and fat starved bodies regularly succumbed to every bug around.

OP I have emetophobia. Of you find this fear is interfering with your enjoyment of normal life with your DD then please seek help. My GP referred me for CBT and it was really helpful.

I have emetophobia too.

I've discovered two things since having children (and also not having thrown up myself since childhood)...

One, you do have parenting instincts which strangely override the fear. I found myself running towards dd and ds when they got the recent inevitable norovirus (all of our friends/family had it). My main concern was comforting the dc.

Two, the reality of dealing with it is so much easier than the fear of it happening. I almost relaxed once I knew they had it as there was an end in sight instead of days of anxiety.

When I came down with it, I concentrated really hard on showing the dc it was nothing to fear. I didn't want them to develop a crippling fear of vomiting so I HAD to pretend iyswim. And the more I pretended, the further I got through it and it ended.

I found putting down towels on the sofa (several layers) and keeping a pile of clean towels nearby helped. You contain it. As soon as they've been sick on one layer, you wipe up, bung stuff straight in to soak/wash and have another clean layer ready underneath.

DS also had a very bad case of pneumonia as a baby and was seriously ill for a while. That helps with perspective. The dc have been very robust during vomiting bugs. I know that there are worse eventualities.

It's awful feeling so at the mercy of such anxiety I know. You'll get through it. Plenty of emetophobes on here who will talk you through it if it happens. It might not though. It's not a given.

Glad to know I'm not alone. My fear disapears when there is no bug going around. Its just the anxiety of not knowing when or if its going to happen. Everyone always says throwing up is horrific, the thought ogg it roud horrific to me. When dd threw up from coughing I delt with it fine. Its just it reaccuring that makes me freak! I think I'm stard to get it too. I don't even know what it feels like to throw up. And I don't want too. Lol.
I know there are much worse things that I could have to deal with. I'm grateful She has been pretty healthy Soooo far. Thank you for all the amazung advice so far. Aftereightmintyy where do yoy find biological washing powdwr?

Iseethreadpeople
How often ws the vomitting?

Where do you live op? In the UK, washing powder is either "non-bio" or "bio".

The biological powders contain enzymes which are protein-digesting organisms which deal with things like blood, poo, wee, vomit.

Non-bio powders are marketed as being gentler and more suitable for babies and children, although there is some debate about this.

And if it is the Noro virus, use dilute bleach rather than anti bacterial spray. When dp had it, I used old spray bottles filled with dilute bleach to zap handles and anythingbelsenhe might have touched. The poor man retired to the spare bedroom with another spray bottle and a bucket- and nobodynelse to!

I'm in the usa. I will have to investigate

AfterEight that's very thorough advice, thanks. I wouldn't, and in the past haven't, thought to just get up with vomiting child, on the couple of occasions it's happened we've covered the bed with towels, brought child into bed and tried to doze in between the puking. But it would make a lot more sense to just accept no sleep for the night and sit up with the tv, at least there's a chance of catching some of the sick then, and also less risk of being puked on while sleeping which is never very relaxing!

Artigene I was told that by a doctor. I am a reformed emetophobe (with the amount of tummy bugs my kids have had, I have had to just grin and bear it and can now just about cope) so it was a key question to a doctor many moons ago "How can I prevent myself or my children from getting the bug when it is doing the rounds".

In the last 10 tummy bugs that has hit this house, I have only succumbed to actual vomiting once, and that was on the day where I had gorged on two choc orange muffins from M&S. On two other occasions, I have felt that I had the bug lurking, and have restricted my food intake to a minimum and gone low carb low fat. It means I am extremely nauseous, but dont actually vomit.

And even if you dont believe my advice, there is no harm trying it!

As for "Having previously worked with anorexics I can safely say that there sugar and fat starved bodies regularly succumbed to every bug around."

I think their bodies were starved of not just fat and sugar, but nutrients too, they must have had a really bad immune system through undernourishment!

Out of curiosity, how many of them were bulimic? One of my best friends were going from anorectic to bulimic, he would stuff himself with chips, burgers, chocolate, and disappear into the toilet not long after.

I should have added, the diet change is only necessary for the duration of the bug to try prevent it spreading within your family. This is in addition to normal precautions regards to washing, cleaning toilet bowl, different towel for sick person, etc.

That's not how either bacteria or viruses work.

Sticking to a very bland diet might make you feel better, and also make things unpleasant if you do throw up, but sugar and fat don't feed viruses. As I said, they don't work like that.

Sorry, less unpleasant.

They used to recommend the BRAT diet (bland) during gastro bugs back when they thought diet made a difference. We now know that it has no effect whatsoever on duration or intensity of illness. Not in the way you describe. It's more likely that you've had rotavirus in your house which is what children often catch (adults are more susceptible to norovirus) and we have an immunity to that as we get older. So dc more likely to have it violently, adults more likely to just feel nauseous or not suffer at all.

OP, this recent bout, ds was sick several times in an hour, then after every feed for 24hrs. Then turned to diarrhoea. DD was sick once and had 48hrs of diarrhoea. I was sick a few times, even after water.

I was terrified of how being sick would feel but after the cramps and nausea, it was almost a relief.

You might be lucky, none of my three have ever had a D & V bug, the most they were sick was once even after being in contact with D & V bugs. Think it must be hereditary as the last tummy bug I had was 25 years ago and I've never known DH to have one.

Lifeisontheup
Hopefully. I usually just get the diahrea if anything and dh usually doesnt throw up either. Fingers crossed!

If you can it would also be good to have dioralyte at home. You can buy it at Boots/Tesco and many other shops. You may not need it at all, but in case she has a bad spell (or you for that matter) it is good to have it. Also paracetamol syrup and/or suppositories (you can order them at most UK pharmacies, may take a few days for them to come in) and ibuprofen syrup are handy to have, not just for tummy bugs but also other bugs. And a good thermometer, preferably ear thermometer as they are less intrusive and less likely to wake them up.

Good luck and as others have already said, there is a good chance she won't get it.