How long is too long to be sick?

[anewvance]

I might sound like an idiot instead of calling the doctor but frankly not sure what they could do with this. As some might know, on Friday I had to take my 19 month old to the ER for the bleach in his eye but he also has had a stomach bug. Last Thursday he threw up all over me in Walmart and on Thurs and Fri was the massive diarreah. So after waiting almost 9 hours in the waiting room at the ER, we got seen and got an antibiotic for his eye and they said he has gastroenteritis (sp). So he gets up on Sat and that's when the massive vomiting started. He couldn't get anything down but we finally figured that a tablespoon of sprite/water mix every 15 minutes worked. We've tried to up the dosage and tried a few items off the BRAT diet every once in awhile but mostly has thrown it up. I just gave him a half of banana a little bit ago but I guess it hurt his tummy because he refused the applesause/banana baby food I tried to give him and then refused his dosage of sprite/water. But he hasn't thrown up the banana which is good. This morning some diarreah has started again but he has nothing in him so it wasn't bad. My husband changed his diaper at 6:30am and it was a little wet. I just changed it at 10:30 and there was no urine in it, just the diarreah.

I thought these things were only supposed to last 24 hours? We're going on 5 days now. He is getting drink in so i'm not sure if he's getting dehydrated or not. He seems weak, he's been laying on the floor in various places all weekend long and he just sits there watching tv some of the time and drifts off to sleep the rest of the time.

Since we did the ER thing, the 9 hours in the waiting room and they did diagnos the gastroenteritis, how much longer should I let this go on????? He hasn't thrown up since around 6pm last night.... but did have the diarreah this morning.

 

[bananiem]

I'd take him in again.

 

[Disneyrsh]

I'd bring him in again; dehydration can be dangerous. Print out your post so you can tell the doc just how long it's been going on, sometimes they like to brush this sort of thing off.

Check and see if you can get zolmed (zolfram? I forget which one!) instead of fentanyl for nausea, zolfram's expensive but has fewer side effects. They're both anti-emetics.

Not a doc, but I did just get food poisoning....

 

[piglet too]

I think the key is his fluid intake so he does not dehydrate. Pay attention to how many wet diapers he has, and how much he is taking in. I would go ahead and call the doctor, they may want to see him now, or they may want to play it by ear.

Besides the little wet or no wet diaper, does he have any other signs of dehydration?

What are the symptoms? From Dr. Greene
Children with mild to moderate dehydration may have dry mouths, fewer tears when they cry, fewer wet diapers, darker urine, and a sunken soft spot. They will likely be less active than usual.

As dehydration worsens, children usually become more irritable and then lethargic. The pulse grows faster and weaker. The eyes will be very sunken and the lips and mucus membranes very dry. The skin may wrinkle. Urine decreases even further. The hands and feet may become cold or blue. Muscle cramps are common.

 

[horseshowmom]

I think the doctor told us a couple of weeks ago that the patient should void at least 4 times in a 24 hour period. Less would mean dehydration.

Particularly since the child is so young, I'd either call the doctor or take the child in to be seen.

Hope he's better soon!

 

[megan4777]

I would definately call and talk to a nurse. They had DD's in few times last week (along with a trip to the ER) for croup. They had already diagnosed them, but still weren't happy with how they were progressing so they had us come in.

I hope he starts to feel better soon.

 

[anewvance]

Well I called the doctor... they strongly recommended I take him back to the ER. But they gave him at 3:30 appointment. So now I have to figure out which is best for him. I don't have a car today so I have to depend on my sister or my grandparents. Aye, the thought of another long day in the ER just kills me!

 

[bananiem]

Well I called the doctor... they strongly recommended I take him back to the ER. But they gave him at 3:30 appointment. So now I have to figure out which is best for him. I don't have a car today so I have to depend on my sister or my grandparents. Aye, the thought of another long day in the ER just kills me!

Take him to the ER. If he's showing ANY signs of dehydration he should be put at the top of the "to be seen list". ER's see the ones who are in the worst shape first.

 

[luvwinnie]

Can you get in to see his regular dr. today? I wouldn't put it off.

 

[luvwinnie]

Well I called the doctor... they strongly recommended I take him back to the ER. But they gave him at 3:30 appointment. So now I have to figure out which is best for him. I don't have a car today so I have to depend on my sister or my grandparents. Aye, the thought of another long day in the ER just kills me!

If his DOCTOR suggests the ER, I'd go immediately, He might need IV fluids/meds.

 

[tkd lisa]

I'd take him to ER as well. If he's really dehydrated, they're going to need to put in an IV, and most Dr's offices want that done in the hospital.

My DS had this when he was almost 5, and we ended up in the hospital for 5 days. And yes, he had diahrrhea for almost that entire time! They had to wait for tests to be sure he didn't have a particular stand of parasite before giving him heavy duty stopper upper drugs! I'll never forget pushing that IV tree into the bathroom for him all the time!

 

[piglet too]

If his DOCTOR suggests the ER, I'd go immediately, He might need IV fluids/meds.

They should put you at the top of the list today. Make sure you tell them that his doctor told you to take him.

 

[tiggger1]

I bet he has rotovirus. Does his poop smell really bad? almost foul? My daughter had it and there wasnt anything they could do and she had the vomitting for 4 days and the runs for almost 10 days! as long as she kept drinking anythink the wouldnt admit her. If it is roto them make sure they he doesnt recontaminate himself. Dont let him anywhere his diaper ( keep him in a onesie or footy pj's and make sure you wash your hands with antibacterial before you touch him after you change his diaper. it is highly contigious. ..my daughter started to get better and then got the runs again because I touched her hand to stand her up after I changed her

 

[anewvance]

Duplicate post... sorry. Read below. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[anewvance]

Yes, I will agree on the rotovirus. The receptionist is the one that suggested we go to the ER, not the doctor. But since i couldn't get an appt until 3:30, they are gonna tell me it's so late there is nothing they can do, take him the ER anyway. I am taking him to the childrens ER this time, on Friday we took him to the one the on call ped was at that day which is set up for children but not as well as the childrens ER. It's quite a bit further drive but would be worth it not to have to wait 9 hours again. Apparently they didn't think bleach in the eye causing it to be swollen shut wasn't all that priority. His lips are pretty chapped and his toungue is getting that whiteness on it, so i'm thinking dehydration even though he's been getting the sprite and pedialite into him every 15 minutes, just not enough I guess. I'm waiting for my sister to pick us up... he's still just lying on the floor. He's normally a very personable boy who loves to get loved on and he doesn't want me to touch him or hold him.... he's gonna be a NIGHTMARE at the ER. He's gonna want to just lay on the floor but obviously he can't :-(

 

[Hannathy]

Having worked in an ER they will assess him and not just put him at the front.
If he isn't showing signs of dehydration he will wait. Sprite can be bad because of the sugar have you tried gatorade ? or pedialyte? * Best to avoid sugar drinks, they can trigger diarhea, try plain water or ice chips. Don't worrry about food at first just try small amts of ice or water. Many viruses are more than 24 hrs.

Many Dr's will say go to ER to cover themselves. Did you talk to the Dr's nurse or to the general staff. You have to decide. If you didn't talk directly to the nurse I would call back. It is also hard to judge how much urine is put out with the disposable diapers they suck it up very quick and completely. You may want to try something cloth to get an idea. Good luck.

 

[piglet too]

I will keep the little guy in my thoughts. Hopefully the wait will not be too long, and they are able to treat him and send him home. Please update when you can.

 

[Christine]

Having worked in an ER they will assess him and not just put him at the front.
If he isn't showing signs of dehydration he will wait. Sprite can be bad because of the sugar have you tried gatorade ? or pedialyte? * Best to avoid sugar drinks, they can trigger diarhea, try plain water or ice chips. Don't worrry about food at first just try small amts of ice or water. Many viruses are more than 24 hrs.

Many Dr's will say go to ER to cover themselves. Did you talk to the Dr's nurse or to the general staff. You have to decide. If you didn't talk directly to the nurse I would call back. It is also hard to judge how much urine is put out with the disposable diapers they suck it up very quick and completely. You may want to try something cloth to get an idea. Good luck.

Agreeing wiht Hannathy. Not sure a visit to the ER is required at this point. Pedialyte is the drink of choice for this, not Sprite, it can cause worsening of the diarrhea. I've also heard that Gatorade isn't the best either. Too much sugar. Pedialyte is just right.

This is probably not a 24 hour stomach "bug" which is really a type of food poisoning. My son had the rotovirus and, I swear, he was sick for 8 days.

 

[YourMajesty]

Hope you guys are doing ok. What did the Dr say or did you end up at the er again?

 

[icebrat001]

dehydration is a major thing and you will feel sick and tired for a very long time and it takes time to rehydrate yourself, trust me, I learned the hard way just a couple months ago. I can only imagine what a poor little toddler is going through. I'd take the little fella in again.