Help help help help......(long)

[Shirale]

Hi All,
Well, it has been one looooong crazy week and now I have a bunch of Q's that maybe you can help me with...Starting last Saturday, Amira came down with a stomach bug, started throwing up Sat. morning, and by the afternoon couldn't keep anything down, and threw up every hour or so, was having horrible diarrea and was starting to feel hot so we called our Ped who said to take her to the ER. We were there for about 6 hours Sat eve/night, took them a bunch of tries to get an IV in, and then since she stopped throwing up, they sent us home saying we should make sure she got an ounce an hour. By Sunday night she was throwing up again horribly, had major major diarrea and a temp of 104 after having taken tylenol and motrin....they did another IV (took them 2 tries again and had to do it in her foot)and then told us they were admitting her b/c she was severely dehydrated. It took them 24 hours to get her a bed in the hosp so for that entire time we were sitting in the ER trying to keep her calm, while she was horribly sick. Anyhow, she stayed in the hospital another 24 hours and they discharged her tues night b/c she was not throwing up anymore, had no fever, and was happier, less lethargic. but of cours,e the minute we walked in the door at home she threw up again, and then again in the middle of the night (after which I proceeded to have a major nervous breakdown) and we called both our Ped and the ER and they said to keep her drinking 1 ounce per hour and if she couldn't handle that to bring her back. Well, it is now Thurs eve, and she still will not touch any food whatsoever, I have tried every single thing I could think of, and we literally have to force her to drink the one ounce per hour. So, (long intro!) does anyone know of any ideas to get babies to drink?? Anyone ever deal with this? She has also lost some weight, and she was small to start so she is now around 17 lbs (at almost 15 months) and can barely walk (she has been walking for 2 months) b/c she keeps falling over. Plus, we had just gotten her off bottles and now she won't take sippy's only bottles....anyone have any advice???? Thanks!
ps- Annette, I am TOTALLY sympathizing with you and I don't have a 1/4 as much on my plate as you do....I don't know hwo you do it! I am impressed....
also, Amira will not take anything from a spoon at all, and will also not take Pedialyte anymore.....

[brubeck]

Oh my goodness I can see why you are so frazzled! I think I would have collapsed into an incoherent blubbering ball long since. You are one strong Mom!

Have you tried Pedialyte or any of those electrolyte drinks? They are supposed to taste good to encourage the child to drink them. You could also try lightly freezing a drink to make it into an icy mush and spoonfeed it to her (if you think she'll take that better).

Another thought is to offer her juice or some other drink you think she would especially like. How about some sparkling water? She might just love the bubbles.

You could also try a different container. Drink boxes can be a little messy but most kids LOVE to make the juice squirt up through the hole.

Just some ideas.

[atlbaby]

Hi Shira,

I'm so so sorry that you are going through horrible mess right now, especially with your upcoming move to prepare for! Unfortunately, I don't have any great ideas for how to get liquids in Amira, but I am sure you will get some great suggestions from the pros here! Just a thought, I know it's a no-no, but might she take any juice from a bottle, if she's gone off sippys for the moment?

I hope she begins to turn the corner soon! You are doing an AMAZING job through all of this, I am sure I would have decomposed at day 1 with all the ER visits, despite DH being and ER doc!

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01
#2:) EDD 10/24/03

[parkersmama]

I have a LOT of experience with this situation but I'm not really sure how much help I can be since I've never been able to get the "1 oz. per hour" thing down.

My oldest son is 5 years old and has been hospitalized 5 times with dehydration. He is just one of those kids who won't drink or eat anything when he starts throwing up. He is on the thin side (always has been) and after 24 hours or less of throwing up, he gets very dehydrated. We have tried everything...sips of juices, water, soft drinks, pedialyte (he never would tolerate that stuff!), popsicles, candy to suck on, anything and everything. When my younger son throws up, I just think "oh, yuck" and deal with it. He goes right back to eating and drinking like nothing ever happened even though he might throw it up again an hour later! With Parker, though, the very minute he throws up I go into panic mode! He stops eating and drinking and quickly becomes lethargic and sleepy.

When we have ended up at the hospital, they always have trouble with the IV because the dehydration has gotten so advanced. I usually watch him closely for the signs when he is sick (sunken eye sockets, dry lips, little urine, lethargy) and I'm usually the first one to catch it. I've gotten to the point now where I can "just tell" and then the nurses end up saying "Well, you were right. He's very dehydrated." They usually do just what they did for you...admit him to the hospital, give IV fluids, and ususally phenerghan for the nausea (he sleeps the whole time we're there from the drugs). The last time they discharged us, I insisted that the doctor write me a scrip for phenerghan suppositories. We had barely gotten in the door when he vomited again and I called the doctor. He had been fine when we left the hospital (keeping clear liquids down for hours) and they gave me the go ahead to give him 1/2 a suppository. It made him very sleepy but seemed to get him over the hump and on the road to recovery. The last time he started throwing up and seemed to be heading down that path, I went ahead and did the 1/2 suppository thing and it really helped.

All that being said, the first thing I would advise is to trust your instincts. If you think she is getting dehydrated again, insist that the doctors see her. Go to a pediatrics clinic if you possibly can because they certainly recognize the symptoms better than an ER doc who isn't trained in peds will. Ask your doctor about the possibility of the suppositories (she may be too young). I know they are extreme but with the way Parker gets dehydrated I think it's the best solution. If she likes something particular to eat, try it (like jello, applesauce, broth). It might be that she could keep something a little heavier than pure liquid down. Also, from my experience, anything you can get in them is better than nothing at all. Dry heaves are the worst...they are just so painful so having something in her stomach will ease the pain of vomiting. I would also go ahead and try sprite, applejuice, and regular popsicles to see if any of those help. They traditionally recommend the pedialyte for babies (and kids too) but if she won't take it you've got to give her something! My doctor has always said that when it gets right down to it, anything liquid will do the trick until they start feeling a little better.

Sorry that this is so disjointed. I'm sorry that I don't have better advice for you on how to get her to take the liquids but my main thinking is don't give up. Also, don't feel bad if you have to put your foot down with the doctor about giving you more concrete help even if it means admitting her to the hospital again. Us mamas have to stand up for our babies! If you can think of any specific questions, please feel free to post here to me or email me at [email protected] Hope your sweetie is feeling better soon!

Denise
mom to:
Parker, 9/1/1997
Wesley, 3/9/2000
and #3 (a girl!) due 4/29/2003

[Rachels]

Oh, Shira! I think you've gotten good advice, but just wanted to tell you I'm thinking of you. How horrible! Don't worry about bottles now. She'll get off them again when she's through this crisis. Let her use whatever helps her. Have you tried Jello and Pedialyte popsicles? What about giving her liquids with a syringe or medicine dropper? We can often work that in with a diaper change.

Don't forget to take care of YOU when this is over! Schedule a massage for a week from now, or take a hot bath while she's snoozing. Ask friends to fix dinner, etc.

Hang in there! You can also try the homeopathic remedy nux vomica for her vomiting. Can't hurt, might help.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[Annette_C]

Shira,
I'm so sorry about little Amira feeling so sick...poor thing!
I agree with the others about trying anyway you can to get liquids into Amira's stomach, including using the bottle again.
When my son was a toddler, he used to vomit all the times and his ped said to give him a little CocaCola (caffeine free) because the cola syrup was good for nausea. Of course, that was over 20 years ago and I don't know if that still applies today (I found out that most rules have changed since then). If my daughter was home, I would ask her opinion (she's worked in NICU, pediatrics, poison control so she knows a lot about what works best for kids). Unfortunately, she's away this week.
I'm sorry I can't be of better help but know that I'm thinking of you and hoping Amira will feel better soon. Don't be afraid to call the doctor if she doesn't!
One last thing, I really appreciate your comment about me. I can't believe that with all the stuff you have going on at the moment, you had the time to think of me! You are one sweet lady! Thank you!
Annette
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

[flagger]

Oh Shira,

Let me add my feelings for you as I know how frustrated you are.

The only thing I can add to what others have said is only based on what worked for me and still does to help with vomiting. Try a cold rag against the back of the neck. For some reason that always seemed to slow down and stop the heaving action. Maybe it is calming.

Don't know if it will work with a 15 month old, but I do empathize with you.

[Karenn]

Hi Shira,
Sorry Amira's so sick! My mom and I were just talking about this and she said that liquid jello was what she always gave to me. Hope she's feeling better soon.

[Shirale]

Thanks for the ideas, I will try Jello althoush at this point she is still refusing anything solid whatsoever, and I am trying to concentrate on getting her to drink....and bottles it will have to be for the time being, I guess...she threw up again last night and I had (yet another) nervous breakdown thinking we'd have to go back to the ER...but she managed to rink an ounce soon after and keep that down...have you ever heard of a virus lasting a whole week???? :-( Poor poor baby, and my poor husband for having to put up with me on no sleep and lots of worries....I don't know what I would do without you guys for support and advice.

[Hallie_D]

Shira,

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I wish I had some real advice to give you but the one thing that does pop into my mind is soup. Almost everything mentioned has been sweet, so I'm wondering if a little clear broth--even from a bottle or cup--might be more enticing to her. My mother always says chicken soup is the cure for everything.

I hope things get better for you and Amira very soon.

[mamahill]

Oh my gosh, Shira, no wonder you're having a nervous breakdown - it breaks my heart just to READ about this. The only thing I can offer is my well wishes for Amira to begin feeling better. My thoughts and prayers will be with the little one (and you!), and I hope things clear up soon. Take care of yourself, like Rachel said! And definitely trust your instincts. As horrible as the ER is, don't hesitate to return if you feel someone there can help. What a horrible ordeal -- take care.

[megsmom]

I have yet to experience Meg's first stomach flu and really, really, feel for you, Shira and Amira. What a terrible bug! It sounds like others with experience have great suggestions. I'm only going to add this little tidbit that I read somewhere but haven't personally tried. Supposedly the syrup from canned peaches is somewhat soothing to the stomach. I know when I had morning sickness during my pregnancy I was craving canned peaches non-stop and maybe this was why? I dunno if it works, but maybe it will help. And I echo everyone else's suggestions, do what you have to do to get Amira through this. The bottles can go away easily enough when you are all well enough to deal with it. The important thing to do is get her back to health.

Good luck!

Jen
mom to Meghan 7/13/01

[loewymartin]

The only additional thing I can think of for nausea is ginger ale. I drank it by the bottle full when I was pregnant. I would let is sit out over night, as the bubbles bothered me. But Amira may drink it bubbles and all (you could always stir out the bubbles too, that might work).

The other thing to try is sucking on a wet washcloth...I ended up doing that while in labor as I couldn't swallow very well for some reason (I have esophagial problems). I'm wracking my brain for ideas!

I am so sorry you are going through this. My husband had that Norwalk virus thing a few months ago, and had very similar symptoms as Amira. His lasted about a week. Then he just felt whiped out for a few days (I can understand that!) Hopefully you are hitting the tail end of this.

Michelle - Mom to Alia Jailin born 5/16/02

[Kate888]

Oh Shirale, I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I don't have good experience in this matter, but I did ask my mom what she did when I was little. She said she either gave me syrup from canned pineapple (similar to what Jen suggested) or chicken broth. Please take care, hope both of you feel better soon.

Kate :)
Mom to Maya 2-17-02

[gravymommy3]

Pedialyte is indeed nasty, but there is another brand on the market (I think by Gerber) that tastes a little better. Maybe she will tolerate that. I am sorry she is so sick. We went through this with my oldest DD when she was almost three, so I can imagine how much worse it is with a little bitty. I am sure you know this, but I will say it anyway. The difficulty she is having with walking is most likely due to electrolyte imbalance and the fact that she has not had any real nourishment for so long. Once she starts eating and drinking again, she will snap back.

Good luck and I hope this clears up very soon.

[MartiesMom2B]

Shira:

I don't have any advice for you that hasn't been mentioned. But I want you to know that my heart goes out to you and that I'm sending healing thoughts and prayers to you.

Please please, do something for yourself after this is done. You are worth it!

Sonia
EDD 4/14/03

[parkersmama]

Shira,

Just wondering how Amira is doing??? Hope that everything is going much, much better.

Denise
mom to:
Parker, 9/1/1997
Wesley, 3/9/2000
and #3 (a girl!) due 4/29/2003

[Shirale]

Hi! Thanks so much everyone....Amira is finally getting better, she stopped throwing up thurs night and actually ate yesterday (cheerios only) and today (same)and is back to running around a playing so now we just are trying to get her to eat more and stop waking up every hour at night...I will post Q's re: rehabilitation from a flu! Thanks again all! Btw, I totally crashed fri night, couldn't even move and just let DH take care of her, and then yesterday some friends came over so that we could both sleep which was amazing....!