DS in unwell for 13 days following tummy bug - what shall I do?

[SnowBall86]

Hi wise mummies! I really need your knowledge and help to decide what to do. My 5yo DS had what looked like food poisoning on Monday 2nd May with 2 days of throwing up but no temp, no diarrhoea. Since then he has tummy cramps that come on every evening and night and he’s always very very tired. He has naps even though he sleeps for 12 hours at night. I took him to our GP yesterday but they can’t find anything wrong with him. Has anyone has something similar? How long has it lasted? TY xx

Is he eating well? Did you slowly try to reintroduce solids, he needs things like starchy foods the bowels need bulking up so they reestablish a new pattern. If he is no longer throwing up and doesn’t have diarrhoea then further risk of dehydration isn’t there. No fever is also a good sign. Sometimes are bowels are very sensitive and need time to adjust. My daughter took weeks after food poisoning on holiday. I wasn't worried as she wasn't at risk of dehydration as she could take solids fluids and the diarrhoea stopped and the fever she had had resolved. Jacket potatoes? Toast etc? Feeding often in small amounts worked for us too.

Thanks for your reply! What did you do for snacks for your daughter? He’s hungry but never wants anything to eat…I did sandwiches, porridge &cereal, rice and crackers. I wonder if I re-introduced some of the foods too early then. He had fish&chips at school on Friday… He’s definitely not dehydrated. I just worry that he’s constantly so tired.. 🙄

Looks like you've tried all the typical foods recommended, what about optibacs probiotics for kids they may help his general gut health, some vitamin c, b vitamins and zinc will help too. I gave my daughter vitaboost which you dissolve in water just like berocca but its okay for kids. I don’t like giving her anything like that regularly but for a boost after being run down can be helpful. I know when I take b vitamins my appetite improves a hell of a lot and I gain weight, maybe because b12 helps with absorption of food in the gut. Did they check his iron and vitamin d levels?

they did test his iron etc. all perfectly fine… I’ll look into vitaboost - thank you for all the ideas 🙏🏻 I bought some pro and prebiotics for him also, we’ll see if it makes a difference

does he like yogurt? A good organic yogurt , even a few spoonfuls daily, will start to repopulate his gut with effective bacteria.

The stomach cramps could be down to lactose intolerance, which is common in small DC following stomach upset. You say you're giving him porridge, so I'm assuming this is with milk. Is he also drinking milk? If so, I would urge you to switch to Lactofree just for a week or two. In the meantime, get a probiotic supplement that's approved for kids, or give him some yogurt containing live lactobacillus. It will say on the label if it's a 'live' yogurt or not and which kinds of 'good bacteria' it contains and that's the kind you want.

Thanks so much for your replies and suggestions! I’ve gone and bought some probiotics and my goodness… it may have been a coincidence but… he is absolutely back to his usual self within 2 days ☺️ So happy x