So I know you all aren't doctors.... BUT I wanted to see if anyone has had this experience before. We have all had a stomach virus ON and OFF (not the whole time. It seems to hit one person, goes to the next and makes a whole circle again) for the past two weeks. I say stomach virus... the symptoms are nausea, stomach ache, and occasional diarrhea. The odd thing is, my dog also got sick and is still not eating a whole lot. Anyway, it seems we still all have the stomach ache part but the only person who is still doing the occasional throwing up is my 12 yr old son. He doesn't do this all the time and it does seem like eating makes his symptoms worse. Has anyone had these ongoing symptoms before?
Also, I don't know if this is related, but we adopted two hamsters approx three weeks ago. We have been washing our hands religiously after touching them. So I am not sure that has anything to do with it. I just wanted to throw that in there.
My last step is taking him to the doctor. Like I said, it is on and off, not all the time. But it just has been an overall feeling of blah in our household.
Doesn't seem possible to have a virus linger than long, and you can't really pass a virus back & forth. You could just be having lasting effects of dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and the 'good' bacteria being 'off' in your digestive tracts. I would suggest probiotic yogurt for everybody, and dedicate everybody to re-hydrating this weekend with lots of electrolytes, see if that helps.
Hope you all get well soon!
Dogs and people can pass strep back and forth.
Dogs are always licking and people don't wash their hands enough.
I never heard of catching anything from a hamster.
Our pediatrician told us a long time ago that once a gut is irritated it can stay irritated for a long time after the initial source of irritation has resolved itself.
If eating makes your son's stomach feel worse, have him stick with fluids for awhile.
Chicken broth, soups, all the water he wants, pedialyte, etc.
I've heard cinnamon can help a touchy stomach but ginger is what really helps me.
Ginger ale, pickled ginger, crystallized ginger are great.
get it checked out-you never know-I always say Pepto is great and generally benign-but it is an aspirin product so may not be good for a child. also, does someone clean for you? the reason I ask is that years ago, I had a cleaning lady who was given one cloth to clean the sink, tub and toilet, in that order, a clean cloth for the floor of the bathroom, and each bathroom had it's own toilet brush. she would clean on Fridays-we would get sick every week and finally recover around Wednesday. I came to find out-in my complete shock and horror-that she was using the same sponge for all the bathroom sinks and she was carrying it around in a pitcher that also held a toilet brush!!! To this day, I hope she is somewhere puking her guts out! Take care!
Try eating something with cinnamon, REAL CINNAMON. I don't know why or how it works but it does. It settles my stomach down within a few minutes.
I would keep your son on a BRAT diet until it has completely passed. His stomach just might not be up to digesting regular food yet.
some people can have the same virus but it presents differently.
Some people get a terrible sore throat with strept throat. Others don't get a sore throat at all, but nausea and stomach pain.
Best guess is that your son throws up easier than the rest of you.
Are the hamsters showing signs of illness like wet tail? Although that's not usually transferable to humans, as far as I know.
Have you aired your home? Open windows and doors and get some fresh air into the house. Get everyone outside, even the sick person, to get some fresh air into the lungs. Flush the germs out of the house. Wash down surfaces and laundry and toys. Make sure that those who are able to eat are eating healthfully and avoiding junk food and sugary snacks and drinks. Stay well rested.
And try to avoid staying cooped up in the house, so those not requiring rest should be active and out of the house getting fresh air. Even if it's chilly outside, especially when it's chilly and cold since the cold air kills germs.
Hot teas like chai tea have some great healing spices in them. You don't even have to add milk. Add local honey to sweeten and it's good to go.
