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Children's health

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Dehydrated toddler - any advice

29 replies

Bobholll · 28/07/2021 19:14

My DD has chicken pox two weeks ago & had spots in her mouth. She went right off eating & drinking although drank OK, just less than usual. Then she went back to nursery for a day & picked up norovirus. She was really poorly for 12 hours, vomiting every 15 mins the entire time. Since then, she’s barely eaten & drinking is tiny sips at a time. She went to hospital yesterday because she’d become really dehydrated. They checked her over & said she also has tonsillitis & gave her a whack of painkillers & throat spray. Didn’t want to give her antibiotics as this is her 4th case on tonsillitis in 4 months. In 5 hours, they got 5ml of water down her but said so long as we kept that up, we could go home. They were extremely busy & had people queuing for our bed (we were in the covid triage zone as she had a fever). I don’t think we got very good care at all.

Anyway, back home, we managed maybe another 5ml before bed & about 3 licks of an ice pop. She slept OK, woke up screaming a couple times but settled.

Today, she’s been the most miserable, lethargic kid I’ve ever seen. It’s like every moment was hard work & painful. She’s not moved off the sofa once. We are getting tiny bits of liquid down - a sip of water, a sip of milk, few more licks of an ice pop. A teaspoon of jelly. No food at all. She is having wet nappies but it’s one small, yellow wee every 7-8 hours.

Should I worry? I’m really concerned it’s been 6 days of very limited fluids. I kept getting told yesterday so long as she’s having wet nappies, it’s fine. Well, she is but there’s really not much wee! & this is now over several days. She’s clearly not very well at all.. I feel so worried 😢

OP posts:
meow1989 · 28/07/2021 22:49

Oh poor love, ds(3) had noro this week too - resolved after 12 hours but its bloody miserable isn't it?

How does she look in herself in terms of hydration: when she cries are there tears? Are her lips and tongue moist? (If no suggests dehydrated) Are her eyes sunken? Is she rousable?

If she is under 1 is her soft spot sunken?

Will she eat some watermelon or fruit? Don't worry about appetite but might get some fluid this way. Can you give her a bath (ds usually drinks half of his). You've tried pretty much everything I would suggest to be honest and I would be thinking about calling 111 or taking her back in.

IncludeWomenInThePrequel · 30/07/2021 19:24

How is your wee one now OP?

Bobholll · 01/08/2021 00:18

Ah thank you for asking & for all the advice on here. It took her back to our GP who took one look at her & packed us off to hospital. Opted for a different hospital this time. We’ve just moved house & I didn’t actually realise there’s a hospital far closer than our old & it has a completely separate children’s A&E. They’ve been brilliant, we were admitted, she got fluids, they kept us in for 48 hours as we just couldn’t get her to drink orally until day 2.. back home now, she’s still quite poorly but ‘just’ viral tonsillitis. They swabbed her tonsils & no bacteria or strep. So not much to do but let her get better. She’s still barely eating & drinking is low but enough I’m not too concerned right now.

In a story of you couldn’t make it up, my elder daughter is now in A&E with croup & difficulty breathing. My OH has taken her as I’m shot after 48 hours with a toddler in hospital sleeping on a chair. 😩

OP posts:
IncludeWomenInThePrequel · 01/08/2021 22:45

Oh lord Sad

There are times when your kids are little that
are definitely endless battles of shit. This is clearly your time!

Glad to hear Wee1 is on the mend and hopefully Wee2 will be home with Daddy soon!

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