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DEL.ICIO.USVomiting, diarrhea hit our baby hard for whole week
Two trips to the doctor and two trips to the ER, and she finally seems a little bit better.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was supposed to be a week filled with heart-shaped confections, dress-up parties at school and a jumping party with our little buddies during the weekend. Instead we spent the entire week nursing a very unhappy, very sick baby with severe vomiting and diarrhea.
Everything was fine with our 23-month-old angel early in the week. She seemed perfectly healthy and playful Monday. We went to Toddlersize at the YMCA and followed her big sister to Girl Scouts, playing on the playground during the meeting.
The nightmare started, not surprisingly, in the middle of the night. The 5-year-old had wandered into our bed around 3:30 a.m. A few minutes later, the baby started crying.
Michael brought her into our bed to comfort her. Around 4 a.m., I awoke to the terrible sound of the baby gagging. She had never vomited before.
I quickly got my hand under her mouth and caught the first of the vomit. I yelled for Michael to get Walsh out of bed while I rushed the baby to the bathroom.
Michael tucked Walsh back into his bed and then thought to ask him, “You didn’t get any throw-up on your pajamas did you Buddy?”
“No,” Walsh answered calmly.
“Good,” said Dad, about to walk away.
“I did get a bunch on my head though,” Walsh clarified.
Michael bathed Walsh in one bathroom while I bathed the baby in another. I redressed her and tried to settle her back down. We put as many sheets, pillowcases and pajamas into the washer as we could, and tried to get some more rest.
But the vomiting continued. I called the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Nurse line to see if I should let her have water. I didn’t want her to get dehydrated but I felt like the water was making her throw up. After two more baths and five more vomiting fits, I finally got a call back from nurse. I told her the baby was throwing up bile. She said to take her immediately to the emergency room.
My dad came at 5:30 a.m. to drive me and the baby the hospital. Michael had to get the other kids ready for school, and I didn’t want to be in the front seat if she was throwing up in the back. She threw up two more times the short distance to Emory Eastside.
The ER staff took us immediately. They gave her a drug used for cancer patients to stop the vomiting and nausea. They made sure she could keep down fluid and sent us home.
By noon the diarrhea started. My oldest daughter had the Rotavirus, so I have dealt with massive amount of diarrhea before. I don’t minding cleaning or changing it, but the worst part is their little bottoms get so torn up from the acidic poop even if you change them immediately and use lots of thick creams. Baby Lilina would yell at me “I’m fine. I’m fine” when I would check her diaper trying to ward off the changing. And then when I had to change her she’d yell “Nooo. Go away! Go away!” Fairly heartbreaking to hear.
I consulted with the doctor’s office two times that day. I slept on her floor that night (and every night after) so I would hear her throw up or poop and change her immediately. She had 9 diaper changes from midnight to 8 a.m. Needless to say we headed to the pediatrician’s first thing in the morning.
The deal with diarrhea is now doctors have decided it’s better for them to run it out of their system, even though their little bottoms are on fire. So they don’t want to give the babies Imodium but our doctor did prescribe a cholesterol medicine with a side effect to coagulate poop so her diapers would be less runny. He also gave me a prescription yeast cream.
She hates the cholesterol medicine, which is a gritty powder that you mix with water. I’ve had to feed it to her with a teaspoon dropper with her fighting me the entire time. It’s only 2 fl. Oz. but that makes a lot of teaspoons.
By Wednesday afternoon things were not looking good and I started finding back-ups for all my commitments. I found another mom to fill in for me at Walsh’s party and sent out the last-minute list for what we still needed to do. I wrote to Rose’s room mom and told her I couldn’t help with her party. I sent out a note searching for someone to lead children’s church on Sunday and eventually even had to cancel the jump party for my other kids. I was alerted by a close girlfriend “even if the big kids aren’t sick, we’re still afraid of your whole family.”
By Friday her bottom looked like it was about to be an open wound and the poop had not abated. We headed back to the doctor. He was concerned that it was lasting so long and was also worried about her bottom. He put her on a sulfur antibiotic, which would help heal her bottom as well as treat a bacterial infection like E. coli or Salmonella. He also told us to use anti-biotic cream twice a day on her bottom.
Saturday her bottom looked better and poop seemed to be slowing some. She was eating and drinking water, but she was very lethargic. She didn’t want to play at all and was very limp in my arms. I called the pediatrician. He said it sounded like since I was just giving her water she needed electrolytes. (The severe condition of this is water intoxication, which totally freaked me out.) I got her to eat two bananas and some sports drinks. It perked her up a little bit but not much. We were scared to let her go to sleep not knowing so we headed to the pediatric ER at Emory Eastside. Again, they saw her right away. He thought was a little dehydrated and needed the electrolytes. He also prescribed an antibiotic cream with steroids in it to help heal her bottom.
Throughout this entire week, all I keep thinking about is how blessed we are to live in a country that has medicine to help babies through these types of trauma. All over the world in less developed nations, babies would often die from what we experienced this week. I am grateful that my baby girl will feel better soon.
Have you ever had to deal with the Rotavirus, stomach virus or other type of bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and vomiting? What are your best tips to help moms through these tough times?
You can email Theresa at ajcmomania@gmail.com
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By JJ
February 16, 2009 8:07 AM | Link to this
Well, my baby is at home with the crud today.
We went out with my family, and my brother and both his kids were sick. They passed it to my daughter. I went to wake her up and she said she wasn’t feeling good. I said, well, fight it for a few hours and you can come home and get back in the bed. Off I went to let the dogs out, when I came back upstairs, she was in the bathroom, throwing up. Back to bed she went, and that’s where I left her. She’s 18 so I don’t need to stay home with her.
I remain unscathed. I did have a bit of something a few weeks back, but not like this.
Several co-workers are fighting the crud too.
Good luck to everyone, and WASH YOUR HANDS!!!!
By motherjanegoose
February 16, 2009 8:10 AM | Link to this
Theresa, I am so glad you are on the mend. It is frightening when children are sick and so helpless. Hope you have a better week!
Oh and FYI…last week I heard someone say, “cut the lights ON…” which made me chuckle and think of the person who jabbed me ( on this blog) as ( she) lived in Atlanta ( her) entire life and had never heard it. I was in Marietta…known to some natives a MAYRETTA…I think…LOL!
By Michelle
February 16, 2009 8:57 AM | Link to this
I’m so glad the little one is finally getting better! It is so hard to handle when there is very little that you can do to ease their pain and/or discomfort.
Have you ever tried Butt Paste? That stuff is AWESOME! I used to use it on my little guy when he would have diarrhea that caused the excoriation. I would mix it with either antibiotic ointment, or Lamisil depending on which seemed to help the most!
I would still limit her activities over the next 1-2 weeks to allow her to fully recover! She might want to be more active, but she won’t really know her limits.
I think just being a loving mommy lets them know you are doing everything you can to help them feel better.
By micha
February 16, 2009 9:41 AM | Link to this
This sounds like food poisoning to me. I had all these same symptoms and didn’t get rid of it until I got the Cipro antibiotics in me. Hope she feels better soon.
By JJ
February 16, 2009 10:04 AM | Link to this
Micha, food poisoning it not contagious.
EVERYONE is getting this crud.
By foreheadinhand, shaking
February 16, 2009 10:06 AM | Link to this
I dont even know where to begin, is it too early to start drinking? obviously the editors at the AJC have already started, so here it goes….
By FCM
February 16, 2009 10:46 AM | Link to this
MJG—-I grew up and spent more than 20 years in Marietta and only ignorant folks from outside the area called it MAYRETTA. Same for folks saying “HOTLANTA”
Those sayings make as much since as all that rural southern drawl stuff anytime someone on tv is portraying someone from Atlanta.
I I suppose it is called HOUSE TON, Texas?
By micha
February 16, 2009 11:07 AM | Link to this
JJ - I haven’t heard of anyone having the “crud” other than those posting here. Last fall a lot of people in our small town were popping up sick from different areas and the culprit turned out to be a Lion’s Club BBQ (bad meat). I went to the Dr. twice and was told it was a virus going around before I ended up in the the ER with severe dehydration, so I’m just sayin…..
By HB
February 16, 2009 11:44 AM | Link to this
I think micha’s right about the food poisoning since it sounds like it took antibiotics to get baby well (stomach viruses usually aren’t that severe for that long). And since no one else in the family had it, there’s no reason to assume it was contagious.
Just curious, do many people refer to this sort of thing as “crud”? Down where I grew up in south GA, the “crud” referred to especially bad respiratory bugs, usually that got into the chest (phlegm = “crud”).
By Razz
February 16, 2009 11:56 AM | Link to this
what is “CRUD”?
By Becky
February 16, 2009 12:14 PM | Link to this
FCM, I grew up in Marietta & have always heard people inside & outside of Mayretta call it that..That’s just like people calling Smyrna..Smearna…
To all of those that are feeling yucky, hope that everyone soon feels better…
By JJ
February 16, 2009 12:15 PM | Link to this
It’s also called The Creeping Crud. Everyone is getting it, passing germs from one to another.
It’s a phrase my friends and I have when EVERYONE gets sick.
I honestly don’t think this is food poisoning, because EVERYONE is getting hit with something. Whether is the stomach virus going around, or the head cold, it’s all creeping crud to me.
By motherjanegoose
February 16, 2009 12:33 PM | Link to this
HAHA…
JJ perhaps I work with only ignorant folks…hmmm. I guess this could be a good thing as I am trying to teach them something and if they already knew it they would not need me!!!! I guess Becky knows those same folks….LOL.
I was in Texas a few weeks back and had someone tell me their sister lived in DACula ( rhymes with Dracula). Here, we call it Da CU la.
I also laugh when anyone says this:
IlliNOISE…it really shows you are not from there.
Whenever I travel, I ask how to say things…as I have NO clue. From Louisana: NAWLENES…is how the locals say New Orleans.
I have never heard anyone say HOUSEton Tx but I never lived there myself, only have clients there. One that stumpes me here is; ‘Houschton, GA’.
Anyway, the CRUD that Theresa’s precious girl had is probably on the same line as anything that KNOCKS YOU ON YOUR BUTT and oozes out to everyone else.
One more reason why our kids in schools need to get outside and get some fresh air…the germs are breeding in the classroom!
We are really babies in the south when it comes to playground time in that ( I was told) children stay in when the weather is below 32 degrees. This is why kids get sick.
Get the kids outside for some fresh air!
Our daughter got her braces off today…WOO HOO!
Maybe Mom can afford them now….LOL!
I
By Jessica
February 16, 2009 12:45 PM | Link to this
I normally am just a lurker here but I had to chime in. My 23 month old has got it too. He went to Mother’s Morning out on Tuesday and Thursday at 4 am was throwing up and now has diarrhea horribly. I took him to the Pedi and he said it is going around right now. Lucky me caught it on Saturday and I am still feeling sick. I hope your little girl feels better!
By CRB
February 16, 2009 12:54 PM | Link to this
The Crud got us last week as well. our 21 month old spiked a fever of 102, started with croup then went to an ear infection and complete lack of appetite. Luckily we avoided vomit and diarhea. This bug seems to be hitting people differently…
Last night was the first time in about a week that she acted normal.
By CDD
February 16, 2009 1:42 PM | Link to this
Been a while since I’ve posted - used CP as handle but that has changed. Anywhooo.
My 3rd child had an awful stomach virus, rotovirus, whatever… same thing going on, during the week of her 2nd birthday (maybe it hits that age group harder?) She was constantly throwing up with diarrhea, the works. Nothing would stay down or in for very long. After about 2 days of dealing with it, I took her to her pediatrician. She informed me that I could try to treat it myself but would recommend being admitted to the hospital for rehydration. They had to do a urine sample & ended up having to use a catheter to get the sample as she had no pee. She couldn’t even cry tears she was so dried out. It ended up being a 4 day stay in the hospital getting fluids back in her & stabilized. That’s been 3 years ago now & she’s great. I’m thankful that no time was wasted after her doctor saw how sick she was. And I’m so grateful too that we do live in a country where diarrhea doesn’t necessarily mean a death sentence.
The best thing I’ve found for raw butts is athlete’s foot cream like Lamisil. I just put it on straight & their bottoms clear up usually in the same day.
By gpkbsin
February 16, 2009 1:47 PM | Link to this
I had to deal with diarrhea and vomiting only once before my son was 9 months old. we’d had to deal with diarrhea alone a few times after that because of augmentin (antibiotic). And then, last thursday came the vomiting.. most probably because of over eating. Anyways, here is what I do
By micha
February 16, 2009 2:18 PM | Link to this
Yogurt is the best thing, other than buttermilk to give you back the “good bacteria” after being sick and/or taking antibiotics as they kill the bad as well as the good bacteria our bodies need.
By MOM3
February 16, 2009 2:21 PM | Link to this
when my son was 11 months old (he’s 18now), he had the diarrhea for 11 days straight - very scary. His poor little hiney was so red! We call it “Baboon Butt” at our house. It got to the point where everytime he had a dirty diaper, I would rinse him in the tub because wiping was just too painful! The best thing we ever used on the “Baboon Butt” was Lotrimin. Worked within one day! Give it a try.
By new mom
February 16, 2009 2:36 PM | Link to this
Theresa, I’m glad to hear Lilina is finally better!
There have been some good comments and suggestions today—here’s what worked for us when we had our bout with this last fall:
Try all the flavors of pedialyte. When I sent my husband, he just brought home one flavor, which our daughter hated. All she wanted at the time was milk, and we discovered that if we used the clear, unflavored pedialyte, we could add a splash of milk to make her think that was what she was drinking. Our nurse said that was better than gatorade and popcicles, and those should be used as a last resort, because of the high amount of sugar.
We also found that culturelle probiotic worked great. We gave her one dose a day by opening up the capsule and mixing it in with the ‘no sugar added’ applesauce (one of the few things she’d eat) That helped speed up her recovery.
She didn’t get bad diaper rash, even in the midst of the terrible diarrhea, and I think it might have been related to the diapers we have used since she was a little baby—seventh generation. They (as well as the wipes) are chlorine-free, and always keep her hiney rash-free.
Oh, and I have heard of the ‘crud’, but only in the context of the coughing/congestion stuff. Never about a stomach bug!
By Patiently Waiting
February 16, 2009 8:00 PM | Link to this
Theresa,
I’m glad your daughter is doing better. Still hoping that the others don’t get it. Make sure you lysol or wipe down all common surfaces including door handles and light switches. Viruses can stay for a couple of days on them.
It appears to be a common theme on this board today that all moms need to have a bidet in the bathroom to wash the booty. I love the tip re: speaking up toilet training.
By motherjanegoose
February 16, 2009 8:56 PM | Link to this
gpkbsin…did I get that right? I am intrigued with the homemade yogurt thing, so I looked it up on Google. It seems like a lot of hassle, am I missing something? I never even ate yogurt as a child but I do love it now. I guess that is what I get for being so old….LOL.
By gpkbsin
February 17, 2009 11:28 AM | Link to this
MJG,
homemade yogurt is very easy. google is very advanced but doesn’t know how to do anything simple :)
here is what i do.. I get a plain yogurt container from grocery store. i use most of it. i take 1 tablespoon and set it aside. clean the container .. you are going to reuse that container until it breaks down.
boil milk (enough for the container) by continuously stirring it. it takes 10 minutes maybe. let it sit for half an hour so it cools down enough. now, in the container, spread the 1 tbsp of yogurt in the container.. all the way to top and bottom. now, pour the warm milk, close the container, put it in an enclosed place for 2-4 hours (i put it in microwave without turning it on)
thats it. yogurt is done. now, next time you want to make the next batch, you use 1 tbsp of the yogurt you just made. you don’t have to buy new culture everytime.
its very easy once you get the idea. you don’t need exact 1 tbsp. little less or little more can do. etc. etc.
By gpkbsin
February 17, 2009 11:40 AM | Link to this
Link:Simple Yogurt
By gpkbsin
February 17, 2009 11:42 AM | Link to this
Link:Simple Yogurt
see the comments also
By gpkbsin
February 17, 2009 11:43 AM | Link to this
Link:Simple Yogurt
see the comments also. they are helpful in figuring out what could go wrong
By Kat
February 17, 2009 2:37 PM | Link to this
new mom: Where do you get Seventh Generation diapers, please?
By new mom
February 17, 2009 3:41 PM | Link to this
Hi Kat,
Early on, we could only find seventh generation diapers at babies r us, which was quite a hike for us. Then I found them at diapers.com, and actually prefer ordering them via their website. If your order is over $50 (way too easy to do with diapers!) shipping is free, and you don’t have to drag diapers through a store.
Since then, I’ve noticed them being sold at Publix, for roughly the same price. If you are trying them for the first time, you might want to get them by the small pack in person instead of ordering a lot, not knowing how they run on your little one. We tend to get larger sizes then the weight suggestions, but I guess I err on the side of too big vs. too small.
I hope that helps!
By catlady
February 20, 2009 4:41 PM | Link to this
My granddaughter had it and lost 20% of her body weight in a week(she was already pretty thin). It was awful stuff. When I saw her a week after she came down with it, I would not have recognized her if she hadn’t been with her mom (my daughter)!! Very serious stuff.
By catlady
February 20, 2009 4:50 PM | Link to this
I am a bit surprised, however, about having the kids get in your bed. We did it twice in all those childhood years—both in the winter when the power went off and we had no heat. Other than that, never. (My Dr. compared it to giving the child heroin, as far as hard to break.)