Stomach Bug - When to see GP

[ladyflower23]

My DS who is 12 had diarrhea last Tuesday, seemed better on Wednesday, although stomach still hurting, then D&V on Thursday and just diarrhea since then.

So counting from Tuesday we are now on day 6 of diarrhea. If I call GP tomorrow will they do anything or tell me to wait it out? It says to call after 7 days if ongoing but that seems so long! DS is really skinny already so I'm worried about how much weight he must be losing and the fact that he's already had 3 days off school with this and it feels like there's no end in sight.

Also has anyone else had a bug like this recently? It was weird how it started, stopped for a day and then came back again but worse.

Thanks!

I would be giving him some Imodium and dioralyte to give him a break from it

My son had this on and off was fine for 2 days then it would start again , called the Dr went in and they sent him to hospital for blood tests all came back clear and they kept him in for 2 days to monitor him . It was that a regular bug. Was told to give him sugary drinks

How is he in himself?

How long had he had it for when the GP sent him for the blood tests?

He seems OK so don't think he's dehydrated. He's eating and drinking still but food is less than usual because he feels nauseous. He's going about 4 times a day so not horrific but when he needs to go it's immediate!

@ladyflower23 we were on day 11. It was literally blood tests then put in a room by ourselves and a nurse would check a couple of times a day . He was then constipated for 4 days but no stomach pains . Then was back to normal after that .

One my mine was on day 7 as a toddler and the GP said just ride it out. So I did and it did just stop a few days later.

You can buy rehydration sachets from the pharmacy, I don’t think going 4 times a day is a lot tbh. The important thing is him being hydrated.

Yeh it's more the number of days it's been going on for than the number of times a day he's going that I'm concerned about. NHS says contact GP if had for more than 7 days so I guess i will give it tomorrow and then call on Tuesday if he isn't improving by then. Just worrying because he's so skinny plus is getting behind at school (and they will no doubt be on my back soon!).

I was once told 10 days but this was an elderly parent, so I would consider the same rules apply for an older child. Keep him hydrated and offer food little and often.

We had this, 7 Yr old, off school for a week and a half, it just didn't stop but he was well enough to go to school. They started ringing each day to check his attendance. I gave him half an Immodium at bedtime and it had stopped the next day. He was recovered but I couldn't have sent him to school. Have done this since too.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Am updating this in case it helps anyone else in future. Spoke to GP today and they said it's normal for this type of gastric illness to last up to 14 days so will not do a stool sample until after that. They said don't give immodium because it keeps the cause inside the body and it takes longer to pass. No going back to school until 48 hours after the last episode so won't be back till next week!!! Suggested cutting out dairy as that can prolong symptoms.