17m old vomiting, diarrhea, dr no help

[connorsmother13]

My son, who is 17months old. and used to never get sick, got sick while at daycare on Tuesday Oct 30th. he was sent home because of vomiting and diarrhea. He threw up and had diarrhea the rest of that day, wed and thursday. On Wed I took him to the dr and the dr barely looked at him and said he had a stomach virus, if he kept vomiting after 2 days to take him to the ER. Well Friday he had nothing, not even a bowl movement. Saturday morning, when we pulled him from his bed, he had vomit all over his bed. I called the Advise line, and they told me to just observe him and only take him in if he isnt keeping down fluids either. Well he is fine during the day, but for the second night in a row, he has thrown up at some point in the middle of the night. We got him out of bed today and he had thrown up. he doesnt wake up when he does it, or at least there is no sound. Should I just take him to the ER? He doesnt even act like himself anymore, he used to be very indepentant, and happy. He'd run around playing. now he is clingy and has to have me holding him no matter what... what could it be and what do i do??

[adgal]

It really does sound like a tummy virus.  I can remember the first one my son had at 13 months....I was at the Dr. just about daily.  It's scary and it's frustrating to feel like the Dr. isn't doing anything about it.  Truth is though, there isn't much they can do about it, it just has to run it's course.  

The most important thing is to watch for dehydration.  The pedialight if far more important then the water as those salts and sugars must be replaced. I also used chicken broth diluted with water in a sippy cup as there is some nutrition there as well.  Water really doesn't do much to maintain hydration as it doesn't contain any of those necessary salts/sugars.

Signs of dehydration are dry diapers after 5 hours, no tears when crying and you can also use your pinky finger to swipe the inside of his mouth.  If it's dry and tacky, he is getting dehydrated.  If that happens, seek emergency medical treatment fairly quickly.  

It's normal for him to feel lethargic and ovelry clingy.  It's exhausting for their little bodies to fight a virus.  And it's not uncommon for the vomiting to be intermittent.  In fact, it could mean it's at the tail end.

If your child is in daycare as mine is, you have many of these in your future.  They can take a week or more sometimes to run their course.  In the meantime, do not hesitate to contact the advice line (I have ours on speed dial....lol) or take him back to the Dr. if your instincts tell you something more is going on.  Never ever worry about taking him too much - I always take my son if even remotely concerned as I prefer to err on the side of caution.

Chances are this will soon pass.  It's upsetting I know.  Hang in there momma!

[margypops]

'He was sent home' may I ask at 17 months old where he was sent home from ? if he is in daycare it could be that there is a virus  going round .Keep him home with you until its cleared ...sounds like you are giving him too much pedilyte ...Speak to your doctor for advice

[connorsmother13]

I made him another app for tonight, and I made sure to request a different dr this time because the last one, only checked his lungs and said it was a stomach virus. She was also a nurse practitioner..which i usually prefer but I didnt like her too much. So we will see =/

[connorsmother13]

ya, we are only giving him pedalite and water...he drinks a ton of it

[AnnieBrooke]

Take him back to the pediatrician.  The main thing while the virus runs its course is that the child needs fluids, electrolytes and calories.  Are you giving Pedialite or something like that?  And is he keeping it down (at least in the daytime)?  Talk to the doctor about the nighttime vomiting, it might be important to have your son sleep on his stomach for a short time to prevent the risk of him breathing it in.