Can a child vomit repeatedly after fatty food?

[Reastie]

To context this, I have emetophobia. It’s quite bad. I’ve had various therapies, I’m much better than I was, but it’s still a big issue. I say this because it’s the reason for this being a very big deal for me.

So we are on holiday. Dd (7) I’m relatively careful with what she eats in that I don’t give her very greasy etc food, or when I do she has very limited portions. She has school dinners which may be quite stodgy etc so might be used to more fatty stuff from there but at home I control this.

This morning I did cooked breakfast as a treat and she had an egg, bacon, and a teeny tiny bit of bread and beans, so nothing really starchy. For lunch we had fish and chips at the chip shop for a treat. She had about half a child’s portion of cod and chips but she’s never eaten deep fried chip shop food before. I never deep fry anything or give her deep fried anything when out or if I do it’s very small portions.

About an hour after lunch she was saying she was hot and was in a terrible mood (she usually gets in a bad mood before she comes down with something but she might just be in a bad mood!). It was fair enough as the sun had come out and it was warm and we weren’t expecting it. Half an hour later she started complaining of a tummy ache and a full feeling in her throat then another half hour she was sick everywhere all over the car.

Since then she’s been sleeping for a little while, waking up and being sick then sleeping more. This has been a pattern for about 6 hours and she’s been sick maybe 5-7 times. She hasn’t yet had any drink or food as she says she doesn’t want any.

Can a child really be affected this much by fatty food? I’m in panic mode that she’s got a sickness bug. If this is the case it really is for me like a living nightmare. I know it’s hard to understand if you don’t have this but my phobia means I’m living the worst thing possible. It’s like imagine your worst nightmare and how you’d feel if that happened to you and that’s how I’ve been feeling right now. We are in a very small holiday home with thin walls and one small shower room, there really is no escape. Dh bless him has been such a superstar and dd is being very well looked after and cared for by him. I’m worrying that if it’s a bug that could mean we [dh and i] may catch it. The more she’s sick the more I worry it’s too much, it must be a bug rather than food causing this. Dd is not a sicky child (she has had one sickness bug so far which was about 3 years ago) so it’s not like she’s sick at the drop of a hat. Please don’t judge me, I’m here cowering and shaking with anxiety and really don’t need judgment at this point.

Thank you. I have survived the night. I had the radio on my headphones all night and probably got maybe up to 5 hours sleep.

Dh said dd has had a little bit of bread in the night so hopefully that’s a good sign for her getting better.

Now I think it’s a bug I’m looking into getting home today. I know hand hygiene etc can help and I may have already infected myself, but if I am going to get it I want to be at home not in a pokey small wafer thin holiday home or even worse having to drive home whilst with it. Also, if dh gets it (likely, the amount of sick he’s had thrown at him) that would throw me over the edge being here too. Last time he had a sick bug I moved in with my parents for a week!

I keep telling myself to stay and not to ruin the holiday, I may talk myself into staying on an hour by hour basis. Getting home on my own without the car isn’t easy. It involves either an hours taxi, three trains and a king walk home from the local train station, probably will take all day. Otherwise can get an hours taxi to hire a car and drive home and return the car tomorrow to the depot near me but it isn’t very close to me and would need another taxi to col,etc me from depot. It’ll probably cost over £300 to do this. I can’t think of another way to get home.

First plan before I think about that is get changed, get to the supermarket and buy uo their bleach!

Hand hold from me OP, a fellow emetophobe. Dd mentioned feeling sick last week and I was up panicking for hours so I completely understand how trapped and panicked you must feel. Are you on any online support groups? Many are a source of information and support from many other women who truly get it.

When at the store get purple grape juice. It may help ward off the stomach bug not evidence based and has worked for me in the past. Also, if it's any consolation, I've only gotten diarrhea from stomach bugs my kids have had in the past. It's super hard for and emet to actually be sick.

Thanks sawbucks. If it were easier for me to get home I’d be on my way already! The thought of the cleaning and anxiety ahead of me is crippling. I try to avoid emetophobia chat sites as my CBT was against it and it was making me worse. I also can’t drink grape juice due to food issues. I might get some for dh —-even though he doesn’t like it—

I’m trying to do what the upper poster is saying with ‘what’s the worst that could happen’ and really going into it that way. I will cope (somehow) and survive. Although this thinking is alternating with planning my escape.

The emet sites DO make anxiety worse I've unfollowed all of mine. However, in a situation such as this I do find them to be helpful. Try to take it an hour at a time. How is she doing now?

I obviously don't know what's it's like to have this condition and am certainly not OCD about hygiene or an anxiety sufferer. I've had my fair share of kids being sick (picked up DD from a party puking at the weekend).

I can honestly say though when they had tummy bugs no one else including me or the other child ever 'caught' it. The only real risk would've been from eating the same contaminated food source and you would know if you had by now. I know that's probably not going to make any difference but thought you should know that excessive hand cleaning etc won't be necessary. It's gone.

Thank you. I only have the experience of one previous sick bug with dd and with that I was obsessive with hygiene and managed to avoid it somehow (although I didn’t deal with the actual sick, dh did) and dh came down with it 2 weeks later (he has a weird constitution and always gets things later than anyone else would) so the anxiety will be here for 2 weeks.

Dd is much perkier this morning thank you. She slept well and has stopped touchwood feeling sick. She’s lying on the sofa watching tv. Not up to anything else but it’s an improvement on lying in bed being sick or sleeping. Hopefully she’s over the worst so now it’s a countdown of dh or I will succumb.

I went to Morrison’s this morning and spent £50 on cleaning stuff . Upstairs done as much as I can and downstairs to go. I know it’s too late probably but doing something proactive to help my anxiety helps me for now.

I really feel for you OP. Another fellow emetophobe here, and this would be my worst nightmare too. I have to say that I don't think it would be extreme for you all to pack up and head home once your poor DD has stopped being sick. She will need to stay in quarantine for 48 hours after last episode anyway, which wouldn't be a fun holiday for any of you - then she would probably still be a little washed out for a couple of days. It's really bad luck though.
I really hope that no one else catches it. It's certainly possible.
Please make sure you let the owners of the holiday cottage know that your DD has had a sickness bug so that they can deep clean when you leave and hopefully avoid passing the bug onto the next family.
I really really do know how you feel, and hope this is all over for you very soon x

Thank you BlackInk. I was feeling better in myself after some cleaning. I just mentioned going home to dh but he said absolutely no, he would not leave early. He’s accepting he might get it and he’s not bothered if that happens, I’m back to pieces again!

I really really feel for you OP. My husband got a sickness bug in January and I went into complete meltdown. My hands were completely cracked and bleeding from obsessive handwashing and I couldn't eat for about a week. I had a 12 week old DS who still needed looking after but it was honestly so stressful. DH was also sick a couple of weeks ago (just the once this times, turns out he'd eaten something bad) and I sent him to his Mums as I couldn't cope. It really really is horrible. However neither myself or DS caught it and me and DH had even DTD hours before he was ill. So you are probably fine!

I count every hour as an accomplishment. Every hour you are in the clear as such. If you or DH were going to get it, I'm almost 99% sure you would know by now.

Oh op, I know exactly how you feel, and it always seems to happen at the worst times too doesnt it? I think you're lucky your dd has only had 1 other stomach bug her whole life, my ds is 3 and has had 4 bugs so far which apparently is a "normal" amount but seems like so much to me (another emetophobe).

I was in your position 2 weeks ago, my dh caught it first, he knows how bad my anxiety gets so he tried to convince me it was food poisoning from sausages to reassure me, I didn't take the risk and bleached everything anyway and practised scrupulous hand hygiene, 53 hours later my ds started throwing up, so that was the food poisoning out the window. I thought I had managed to avoid it when a good few days had passed but nope, I got it 6 days after my son. I didn't throw up thankfully I just had the other end (tmi), fever and stomach pain and tiredness. I honestly tried so so hard and it made no fucking difference, I was so mentally run down from the rituals and anxiety that it actually felt like a relief in the end that I didn't have to worry anymore if I'm honest.

You're not alone with this, it's scary and it's hard but you're not alone.

Another emetophobia here. I so recognise myself in everything you post, it is uncanny!

I was pretty sure from your first post that it was a bug, sorry, it sounded nothing like the vomiting you might get from eating some fatty food (I've done that in the past and it was one vomit and then felt much better). So glad that you know that now and I am not having to break the bad news to you.

I just wanted to say, as a fellow emetophobe, you are doubtless as scrupulous about hygiene after sickness as I am, and also, your stomach is probably as adverse to vomiting as mine is. The only crumb of comfort I can offer you is that I have raised 4 children. They did not have many sickness bugs between them, but when They did, I never once was sick myself. I always got diarrhoea (from the extreme anxiety) and once I got the bug but it manifested itself out the rear end rather than vomiting. So try to trust in your hygiene, and in your aversion to vomiting, and hopefully you will be spared. If your dh gets it, he is an adult and knows your phobia and surely will look after himself? I know my dh would.

Dh will look after himself and isn’t bothered but I am bothered as I know I’ll revert to a mess if he gets it. I won’t be able to cope knowing (and hearing) he’s being sick. I wouldn’t be able to safely drive us home if he was suffering.

I understand and relate to all of that. Which day are you due to come home?

Op, I only read the first few posts but if you are worried it’s a tummy bug, use antiseptic wipes to wipe taps/ loo flush/ bathroom door. Separate hand towels for dd.
I’ve done this and successfully contained a bug to one family member.
Sorry if this had all been said up thread.

Thanks ohyes, have got that in place now but didn’t yesterday when she was being sick although did use kitchen roll to dry my hands.

We are due to come home on Saturday. I know usually they start 1-3 days after infecting but dh is weird and can take longer than most people.

I’m still wondering about going home...

Well, I just want to give a little update. Dd has been much perkier since lunch time, has eaten toast today and still a bit wobbly but getting back to normal. The vomiting lasted over a period of maybe up to 6/7 hours then she was sleeping then she woke up not feeling sick.

Is this a stomach bug then? My only experience of dd having a tummy bug was one that went on for days (about 3 days of vomiting numerous times).

Hey Reastie, I've been thinking about you. Yep sounds kinda bug-like - maybe just a mild one?

Yes sounds like a bug to me. Normally the worst of the symptoms are in the first 12-24 hours then you feel a bit off for a few days after.

You say it was hot - could she have simply had too much sun?

See she’s practically back to normal. We were playing gentle ball games in the garden this afternoon and doing crafts in the garden. She’s gojrnot bed early but seems fine in herself. Not full energy or full appetite but eating and back to her normal lovely self. She said she had a tummy ache and headache, it only when I asked her and that’s to be expected surely. Literally actuall Illness and complaining of symptoms was roughly 8/9 hours.

Not too much sun for sure, it was sunny but not that hot and sunny and we weren’t out in full sun much. I wish I couod know for sure if it was a bug or not!

This is one of my major nightmares OP. Seriously, you are doing fantastically!

Not sure if this will help, but I try a d get a bit of control over holidays etc by packing a bag with dettol, wipes, jcloths etc and putting somewhere out of sight where we stay. I also try and get 2 toilets where ever possible (although that's partly ibs related too). Then I know I'm prepared if the worst happens.

I spend all of a holiday worrying about sickness, so you have my sympathy. I really hope your DD continues to improve and you and DH avoid too x

DH throws up repeatedly if he eats too much fatty food. Has to be pork fat/lard. So yes, it’s possible.

Rachie I used to do exactly that! Where we stayed was dictated by specific controls in relation to my phobia eg hard floors so they can be properly cleaned, then when we arrived I’d spend hours cleaning everything to make it feel ‘safe’. I haven’t done this for a few years now as part of my CBT and trying to get better, that worked out well,!,!

Reastie I used to take a full sized bottle of hospital strength anti-viral spray whenever I stayed in a hotel. Sprayed all surfaces, handles and the TV remote.

I'm not too bad these days but it depends.

Radio this is ringing a bell for me too . I too buy the hospital grade stuff at home —and secretly get excited when I see it being used in hospitals knowing that I have it at home so it must be good if they use it—