How long can a stomach bug last??!!

Do you guys remember me telling you all how my 4 year old got a stomach bug right before Christmas? He only threw up one day and then seemed better but would still occasionally have loose stools and/or say his tummy hurt. This has been going on off and on since. They did do a stool test and it came back normal.

Jan. 7th he was throwing up and not keeping anything down.Jan. 8th we took him back to the doctor. He was not eating, saying his tummy hurt and listless. The doctor was concerned enough to order blood work and said his glucose was at 70 and he was dehydrated, he also said his urine was full of ketones so he was burning protein instead of carbohydrates. He was mainly concerned that we needed to get his blood sugar back up and get him re hydrated. He said he'd have to be put on an IV that night if I didn't get fluids in him. He seemed to start to do better and was drinking and eating a little more, even though he wasn't completely back to normal. He gradually got better and has been eating pretty well now.

Now he's doing it again with saying his tummy hurts. Just today he came to me saying "Ow, ow, ow, Mommy, my tummy hurts!" Now he's laying down. He keeps doing this! He will eat fine, play for awhile and then out of the blue say "My tummy hurts". Sometimes he'll lay down for just a bit on the couch and then get back up to play.
What in the world is this?! I wouldn't think a stomach bug could last this long. I've been trying to give him yogurt to get that good bacteria back in his system.
I'm just at a loss as to what to do next. We've taken him to the doctor three times now since this whole thing started back in December. I just don't know what we should do at this point. Does anyone have any idea what could be going on? Could this all still stem from getting this stomach bug or was it never even a stomach bug to begin with? Could it have been something else? They just assumed it was a stomach bug but he never did get a fever. I don't know what to think of this.

[AHP84]

Could it be reflux?
When Trev was diagnosed with reflux when he had his colonoscopy and endoscopy, I never would have guessed he had reflux. He never showed any symptoms, which his gastroenterologist said is normal of kids his age, because they get used to feeling the dull ache and get used to it, and don't know how to express so much that they have sour burps or a mild tummy ache because they don't really think about it.
Then bam, it's like one day something just sets it off, and the stomach aches are really intense, oftentimes with vomiting.
Trevor's endoscopy made his reflux flare up. After he had the endoscopy was when he started getting really bad tummy aches, saying his tummy was "on fire" and his throat would "catch on fire" when his tummy had fire in it. He did not want to eat, and if he did, after 10-45 minutes his stomach would hurt again. He threw up a few times.
Just something you might want to mention to your pedi.
Trevor had the beginning stages of a peptic ulcer at the base of his esophogus, and was on Prevacid for a month. His follow up appointment is next week--he has been doing fine since finishing his Prevacid treatment.

[tiredbuthappy]

If i were you, i would take him to the Dr and demand a referral to a specialist. to me, this is very alarming. i don't know much about dehydration and proteins, but i do know that protein in my urine was a big concern when i was pregnant and was an indicator that my kindeys weren't functioning well. I'm not saying that's his issue- it just concerns me that he had protein in his urine.
did they ever do follow-up blood work after he seemed better to make sure his levels were OK?

poor little man :( I hope you get some answers.

[April2]

Thank you both for writing. AJ, I never would have thought about that. I'll keep that in mind.
tiredbuhappy, the doctor said that him having ketones in his body was probably due to his throwing up and not keeping food down. They did not do a follow up. The doctor just told me that if he didn't start drinking then I'd have to take him to the ER to get an IV of fluids. Since he started drinking and eating again I didn't think I'd need to bring him back in again.
Oh, I just don't know what to think!

[AHP84]

He should be referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist if he's having chronic gastrointestinal distress. Ask your pedi for a referral to one--I demanded that my pedi do that for Trevor when he had the blood-in-the-stool problem. When I told him my family history of problems, he didn't even hesitate to refer Trevor.
I know you have some gastro issues, so bring that up and demand a referral. It good eval from a pedi gasto certainly can't hurt!

Give the lil' guy a hug for me!

[April2]

I meant to say ketones in his urine, not body, sorry!

[April2]

But Trevor had blood in his stool, my son hasn't had anything that extreme so I doubt they'd refer him to a specialist.
Maybe I'll try to call his pediatrician's nurse today and leave a message for the doctor. I just don't know what to do at this point.

[AHP84]

It doesn't matter about blood in the stool or not--your child is throwing up all the time, he's dehydrated, and has protein in his urine. That's enough to warrant a gasto problem, I think, and a referral to a pedi gastro.

[April2]

He's not throwing up all the time. He threw up for two days but did get dehydrated that last time. I did just try to call his pediatrician but just got an answering machine. I think their office may be closed already. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on him and watch and see how he acts. I'm wondering if certain foods give him a belly ache like milk, maybe? He does drink a lot of milk. It's so hard to tell at this age!

[AHP84]

Okay, maybe not throwing up all the time, but definitely enough to cause concern, especially because he gets random stomach aches.
You said this started just before Christmas, which was less than a month ago. Then the week of New Years, he started up again with the tummy aches and ended up dehydrated and concerning urine results. Then only a week after that, it's flared up again. And all throughout this time, it's been sporadic but painful for him--enough to where he doesn't want to eat, or if he does eat, he gets a tummy ache.
It very well could be the virus lingering, or it could be reflux, or something else. If he's referred to a pedi gastro, they can determine if he needs an endoscopy. If he does, they'll do a biopsy of the stomach tissues to check for viruses or bacteria (like h. pylori) to rule that out, or to find if he has another problem.
I just know having Trevor referred to the pedi gasto was the best thing that's ever happened for my sanity, because I didn't know WHAT was going on with him! In the case of your son, it seems his troubles are just at the "other end."

[babypooh]

Honey, I'm so sorry that your son is still having trouble. Keep taking him to the doctor any time you're concerned. They need to continue to evaluate him and rule out things as you go. Eventually they'll figure it out and give him the appropriate treatment. I know it's frustrating, but don't give up until he's diagnosed with something that makes sense to you. I'll pray for your little one... Hope he feels better soon. I thought perhaps it was lactose intolerance...

[April2]

The nurse just called me back. She said the doctor will be gone the next few weeks but if I feel he needs to be seen that I can take him in to see one of the other doctors. Ugh, I hate that. I really like OUR doctor! Oh well. She said she talked to the doctor about it and said I should start keeping a log of what he eats, his bowel movements and when he seems to get the stomach pains. That's probably a good idea. I should have done that, I guess, but it did seem like he was getting better. It just seems to come an go. Oh well. We'll see what happens.