Since October, my four year old daughter has been sick with a stomach virus three separate times. On Jan 1, she was throwing up for a day, but seemed okay after 24 hours. Then on Wednesday, she started throwing up again. She was ok on Thursday, but was even sicker on Friday when she couldn't even keep a teaspoon of water down. I took her to the doctor who ran blood tests, which came back normal. Now after feeling better on Saturday, she's saying she wants to throw up again. It's even more puzzling since she's had no fever or diarrhea. Has anyone else experienced this? I thought stomach bugs lasted no more than two days and didn't recur. Thanks for your help.
My younger son sometimes did this when he ate gluten (prior to going gluten free). For years it seemed like he could throw up at the drop of a hat.
I would keep a careful food diary to see if I could spot any trends.
It may have nothing to do with what she's eating but that might be a good place to start.
No fever is common with stomach bugs... BUT:
My first thoughts are:
- Migraine (my son started getting migraines at age 5, my sister at age 3)
- Food poisoning (oy. Who knew you weren't supposed to throw up once a month on average? I love my mum dearly, but her food handling and "it's still good" register leave a lot to be desired. If you're sure about your food handling, how sure are you about anywhere ELSE she's eating at? Preschool, playdate, etc.? Is there a trend that you might not have noticed?)
Food allergy? Gluten intolerance?
Sorry to hear this! I can't imagine that would b any fun at all. One time when I was a kid, my mom had the stomach flu four different times in a month. The doctor told her that some of the bugs were lingering in her system. If it were me, I'd be giving her copious amounts of probiotics. You can either give her high probiotic yogurt, or you can buy Florastor and mix it with her drinks. I would also give her extra Vitamin C and Vitamin D, put her to bed earlier so she gets extra rest, and completely sanitize every nook and cranny of your house. Open all the windows to air it out, wash all of her bedding and stuffed animals in hot water, and just try to get rid of all of those bugs. Good luck!
It could be a gastro problem. a food allergy? reflux? although at 4 that may be odd.
You should try to figure out if it is a particular food or ingredient that is causing the upset. Beyond that you may want to try having her consume fermented foods and yogurt to restore the balance of healthy bacteria in her stomach and gut.
They don't usually recur that often, but a couple of times a season/year is not unheard of or unreasonable. Some strains and just like that, and some kids seem to catch all the various strains one particular year, then might not get it at all for following years. It's also common for it to go up and down from day to day, especially if this is one of the first times she has had this bug in her life. As long as blood tests are fine, I'd say you are in the clear. Her telling you today that she wants to throw up may not actually mean that she has to... she may be a little gun shy after the virus, or might have kind-of enjoyed the attention she got from you when sick. A 4-year old is a complicated little being! They "get" more than we think they do, but they are still babies in many ways.
However, I also agree with others' suggestions about watching what she is eating and seeing if there are patterns there. Did she push it yesterday after feeling better and eat a lot of dairy or meat, and other things that are hard to digest? Go easy on the diet for the next couple of days, and let her tell you what she is ready for if at all possible. She will probably be very hungry, but her body might not be ready for a lot of food all at once. Honestly, those stupid "24 hour" bugs suck the life out of an entire family. I HATE them! I hope she is 100% soon.
Bugs recur every time you ingest them-some organisms are so viralent-it only takes 10 of them to wreak havoc. Water is the most difficult liquid to digest-try Pedialyte. I would call the doctor, too-I don't know what is given these days-but in the olden times-we used Promethazine suppositories-and back in the really olden times-they gave us paregoric!
