Thursday, May 29, 2008

how do you calm a yucky tummy

WARNING: There is mention of stomach flu symptoms, so read with caution.

At 5am on Sunday morning Little 'Ny woke up with a jolt saying that her tummy felt yucky. I rushed her to the bathroom just in time for her to throw up in the potty. That set the tone for the rest of the day. She carried a low grade fever of about 100.7 degrees and was exhausted. I am very paranoid about dehydration since the last time I had the stomach flu I ended up in the ER for fluids, so even though she wasn't holding anything down I made sure she was sipping on watered down Gatorade.



Less than 24 hours after the throwing up started it ended and was quickly replaced by diarrhea. We spent Monday (Memorial Day) at my parents house to welcome them home from their Alaskan cruise. Thank goodness Little 'Ny was telling me every time she had to go to the potty or else it wouldn't have been a very good welcome home.

Graciously my parents agreed to babysit Little 'Ny (diarrhea and all) that night so that Hubs and I could go to The Police concert featuring Elvis Costello. I was so worried about her, but my mom said she was doing fine (no throw up or diarrhea and she had an appetite) when I called before her bedtime. To help cheer Little 'Ny up I took a video of her favorite Police song (yes, she loves The Police):



Tuesday Little 'Ny seemed fine -- no fever, no throw up, no diarrhea and full of energy -- but, I kept her home to make sure she got an extra day of rest.

Wednesday Little 'Ny said she wanted to go back to school. The stomach flu she had appeared to only be a 48 hour bug, so I didn't argue with her. But, when I picked her up she was tired, grumpy and the diarrhea had returned. She even fell asleep 45 minutes before her normal bed time.

This morning Little 'Ny woke up at 7:30am (almost an hour past her usual wake up time). I could tell she wasn't feeling her best and she was complaining that her throat hurt. She mentioned that she wanted to see the doctor before she went to school. I was in the bathroom getting myself dressed to go to work when she came stumbling in and threw up just before she reached the potty.

I stripped off the work clothes, put on my sweats, got her washed up and we headed off to the pediatrician. The pediatrician confirmed that Little 'Ny does have the stomach flu, but that this virus has been lasting up to 2 WEEKS! If I am home from the office for another week I will get fired ... ok, probably not, but still ... 2 WEEKS! Poor Little 'Ny. She is miserable.

I have been giving her bland food (mashed potatoes, brown rice soup, crackers, etc.) and I am keeping her hydrated (water, little bit of milk, electrolyte infused drinks, ginger ale, etc.) but is there some wonderful remedy or comfort I am not aware of? Little 'Ny is not quite 3, so I am limited in what I can give her. I need some homeopathic suggestions. Please leave me a comment of you know any.

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6 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 29, 2008

    I wish I knew.. My mom used to give me tap water w/ a drop of peppermint..
    What about Pedialite?

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  2. AnonymousMay 29, 2008

    Hmmm... I don't know of anything that would give immediate relief but you should definitely try adding a little turmeric (a yellow spice used a lot in Indian food) to some chicken noodle soup. Turmeric was recommended by a physcian when my husband was sick with the flu. It really did help.

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  3. When I couldn't keep anything down when pregnant my OBGYN suggested any flavor Gatorade mixed with Cranberry juice (3 parts Gatordade to one part juice). It worked and we swear by it in our household now.

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  4. I give my kids 7Up in a cup that I stir with a fork (to get the carbonation down). Then, they eat crackers or Romen Noodle soup. But, I think what makes them feel the best is snuggling with their favorite blanket, stuffed animal, and favorite video. I also give them a wet wash cloth that they can put on their head (kinda like self soothing). I don't think the wash cloth does anything but they think they are taking care of their little aches. Hope she feels better soon! ang

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  5. Chammomile tea. Works every time. Or, if she can handle the flavor, mint tea works well also. I do hope your little one is feeling better very soon!

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  6. Our favorite pediatrician always said to give them whatever they had a taste for, within reason. My older son always wanted milk and I was hesitant to give it to him, but she always said to go with it. Pedialite pops work well, too.

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