Food Poisoning? Motion Sickness? Flu?

CandCMommy

Mouseketeer
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Aug 29, 2007
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Saturday my DS 4 came down with something terrible or had a case of food poisoning and I need help figuring it out. Saturday he was feeling completely fine hadn't complained about anything as we were driving around Yellowstone. We stopped and had lunch at about 2:00 pm or so, his lunch being a peanut butter sandwich and a chips ahoy cookie bar that he only ate half of. We continued on and at about 4:30 or 5:00 pm he started vomitting. At the time we thought it was motion sickness because he was looking down at a phone watching a movie. He vomitted all night until about 3 in the morning. It was somewhat violent vomitting for a four year old. Two times he collapsed on the bathroom floor and I had to pick him up. During his last vomitting episode he started burping and couldn't stop and at one point he couldn't catch his breath he was burping so much. When he woke up at 5:30 am the next morning, he felt completely fine. It was very weird to me! He has never gotten motion sickness before and any time I've gotten motion sickness as soon as I get out of the car and walk around it goes away. Which makes me think it could have been food poisoning but his brother ate the exact same peanut butter and didn't have any problems. The only time he's had the stomach flu it's lasted for more than 24 hours and he also had diarrhea with it. So I'm stumped as to what it was. I'm wondering if I should throw out the peanut butter just to be safe. Anyone else had an experience like this or have any ideas as to what it might have been?

I know it's hard to describe but something about this just doesn't seem like the run of the mill stomach flu to me. No one else had it or has gotten it since then and we haven't been around anyone else that had it that we know of.
 
I really don't think it was food poisoning. I work in an ER and they say true food poisoning lasts between 24-48 hours. It is also associated with abdominal pain, headache and low grade fever.
 
To violent and too long to be motion sickness.

Because no one else got sick from the food, I'd probably rule out food poisoning (but might throw out the peanut butter just to be safe).

He could have actually picked up something like noravirus just by touching anything.

Food poisoning can be short-lived depending on the bug and your own stomach motility.

My coworker and her family went to TGIFridays. Her and her mom split a club sandwich. My coworker felt queasy all night and threw up once in the morning and then she was fine. Her mother threw up all night and had diarrhea. So, who knows.
 
To violent and too long to be motion sickness.

Because no one else got sick from the food, I'd probably rule out food poisoning (but might throw out the peanut butter just to be safe).

He could have actually picked up something like noravirus just by touching anything.

Food poisoning can be short-lived depending on the bug and your own stomach motility.

My coworker and her family went to TGIFridays. Her and her mom split a club sandwich. My coworker felt queasy all night and threw up once in the morning and then she was fine. Her mother threw up all night and had diarrhea. So, who knows.


If it was viral then Im surprised that other family members didnt fall ill as well. Being a 4 year old kid though id definitely chalk it up to a stomach bug that he picked up along the way! The burping was probably all the gasses escaping from his churning stomach or like dry heaves/hiccups and his diaphram was spasming from the vomitting.

Poor baby! I am glad he is better :)
 

Saturday my DS 4 came down with something terrible or had a case of food poisoning and I need help figuring it out. Saturday he was feeling completely fine hadn't complained about anything as we were driving around Yellowstone. We stopped and had lunch at about 2:00 pm or so, his lunch being a peanut butter sandwich and a chips ahoy cookie bar that he only ate half of. We continued on and at about 4:30 or 5:00 pm he started vomitting. At the time we thought it was motion sickness because he was looking down at a phone watching a movie. He vomitted all night until about 3 in the morning. It was somewhat violent vomitting for a four year old. Two times he collapsed on the bathroom floor and I had to pick him up. During his last vomitting episode he started burping and couldn't stop and at one point he couldn't catch his breath he was burping so much. When he woke up at 5:30 am the next morning, he felt completely fine. It was very weird to me! He has never gotten motion sickness before and any time I've gotten motion sickness as soon as I get out of the car and walk around it goes away. Which makes me think it could have been food poisoning but his brother ate the exact same peanut butter and didn't have any problems. The only time he's had the stomach flu it's lasted for more than 24 hours and he also had diarrhea with it. So I'm stumped as to what it was. I'm wondering if I should throw out the peanut butter just to be safe. Anyone else had an experience like this or have any ideas as to what it might have been?

I know it's hard to describe but something about this just doesn't seem like the run of the mill stomach flu to me. No one else had it or has gotten it since then and we haven't been around anyone else that had it that we know of.

Does NOT sound like food poisoning which usually takes a longer time to incubate, lasts longer, (24-48) and though Violent vomit and diarrhea also have fever and other symptoms....sounds Viral to me....
Hope your little one is so much better,.poor thing! :grouphug:
 
Thanks, everyone, for the replies. I think I'll just throw out the peanut butter for sanity sake and chalk it up to a virus that thankfully lasted less than 24 hours. Hopefully none of the rest of us come down with it but I doubt we will since it's already been 3 days and no sign. I'm just thankful it didn't last too long! Poor baby has only had the stomach flu two times in his life and the last time it was while we were home visiting my family in St Louis. He can't catch a break and get the darn thing while in the privacy of his own home. :sick:
 














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