QuestionMy grandson has been sick now for 8 days. The odd thing is, he only vomits during the night, or in the morning when he first arises or just after a nap. He's 4. Sometimes he stands over the toilet for 20 minutes so he obviously has nausea. He also has diarrhea, and my daughter says it's quite smelly. He is otherwise fine. After he is sick in the morning, he seems like his normal self for the most part, except he doesn't have much appetite. There's no fever. We're keeping him hydrated and watching closely for signs of dehydration, and feeding him gentle foods in small quantities. Whatever it is, it's contagious, as his father had it one day, and his mother had it today with severe diarrhea and vomiting this morning, but then fine the rest of the day.
He's visited his other grandmother's ranch recently and loves playing with her animals (horses, goats, dogs, cats, ducks). I'm wondering if this sounds like a parasitic infection such as giardia, or more likely a virus that he's having trouble kicking. His pediatrician just said to continue to give him pedialyte, watch for dehydration and let it run its course, but I'm concerned. I'd appreciate any suggestions or advice you may have.
Thanks in advance!
AnswerI agree to let it run it's course, but other considerations are reflux disease (kids get acid reflux occ also, esp. if they were premature). Could also be a food intolerance... sometimes kids lose the ability temporarily or permanently to digest some proteins, like milk proteins. Still could be simply a stomach bug. Being around the ranch does raise the poss. of parasites like Giardia, which becomes very hard to diagnose... sometimes we just go ahead and treat if the person isn't getting better. A good thing to track is an accurate weight on him. If he is losing weight, that will attract attention from his doctor... so basically, keep up with same, but get an accurate weight daily for a couple of days, then contact the doc if he is losing weight.
Hope this helps....
