Stomach Flu 2010

In case you were wondering how I spent the rest of my Mother's Day, I did one of the most un-glamorous, un-fun things there is to do on the planet.

I

cleaned

up

puke.

(And lots of it.)

Oh yes, just what every mom looks forward to doing on her one celebratory day of the year.

Stomach Flu 2010, as I'm now calling it, lasted for 8 agonizing days and claimed three victims (Fin, Bub, and myself). 

I'll spare you most of the details.  Just imagine the worst stomach flu you've ever had, then times that by two toddlers and their mom, all at the same time.  Not so pretty.

 

Fin was the first to get it and had it the longest (5 days).  By the end of day 3 she was still as miserable as ever, but surprisingly, everyone else was fine.  So we thought maybe, just maybe, the rest of us were in the clear.  We should have known better.  By the next day Bub had it, and by that evening I had it.

All things considered, Fin got through it rather gracefully.  There was one unfortunate incident involving her puking in the middle of the night and us not hearing it (even though we turned her monitor up for this very reason).  *Gulp.*  I'm sure it didn't help that she had pizza for the first time earlier that day.  *Double gulp.*

We kept her hydrated with P.edialyte and watered down G.atorade.  In case you were wondering, the ER nurse at St. V's said to drink equal parts G.atorade and water whenever you have a stomach bug.  The electrolytes and good, but there's too much sugar for your body to digest when it's sick like that, and it just ends up making everything worse.  Good to know.

Bub started out with the same flu-like symptoms, but thankfully, no nighttime puking.  By the next day he also had a fever.  After frantically checking the list of recalled children's medications, which was eerily long and thankfully did not include certain lot numbers of Infant's M.otrin, we got his temp down from 103.5 to 101.9.  He slept all morning downstairs on the couch, with all of the noise, light, and activity that comes with it (which now that I think about it should have been an immediate red flag).  In fact, he's never slept anywhere except in his crib, not even his car seat.

When he woke up, he was so lethargic he couldn't even lift his head.  We called Dr. P's office and got him in right away.  Dr. P was concerned and immediately ran blood work to check his hydration level.  He said he would call us in 2 hours, but gave us these instructions based on the results.

16 or 17 - Watch him closely but no need to do anything right away.

14 or 15 - He's borderline dehydrated and will probably need fluids at some point.

13 - Take him to the ER.

12 or less - I'll call the ER and let them know you're coming, someone will be waiting for you and will take him back right away.

After hearing that, waiting for the phone to ring was like not being able to wake up from a bad dream.  My mind was spinning and my body was a wreck.  I had woken up the night before in a cold sweat, passed out on the bathroom floor (I am prone to fainting so this wasn't anything new for me), and then spent the next 4 hours alternating between a.) sitting on the toilet, b.) standing over the toilet, and c.) laying next to the toilet.

Two and a half hours later, we got the call.  Hydration level: 16.  Still not out of the woods, but we'll take it.  The news none of us were expecting (not even Dr. P): His white blood cell count was through the roof.

Dr. P's nurse instructed us to bring him back to the office right away, even though it was already 4:45 and they close at 5.  (And by "us" I mean dh, since I was in no condition to go anywhere).  They waited and gave Bub two high-dose shots of antibiotics, one in each leg.  The list of possible side effects to watch out for: drowsiness, diarrhea, bloody stools, loss of appetite, and fatigue.  Oh joy.

The next day he got two more shots, and by that afternoon he was back on his feet, playing, and wanting to go outside and "mow wif Dada" (his words).  The difference in just 24 hours was amazing, maybe even borderline miraculous.

Because we all know Bub has a sensitive tummy, and that he virtually stops eating and drinking anytime he gets sick, we had to assume he was going to lose weight.  As of last Thursday, he was down 6 oz.  I just have to keep reminding myself we've been through this before, and he did eventually gain it back.  But it's still frustrating knowing how hard he works to put the weight on, and then to lose it so quickly.

He is slowly but surely getting back into a groove.  Yesterday for lunch he ate more than I've ever seen him eat at one time.  And then after dinner we introduced him to an O.reo milkshake.  He LOVED it and wanted another one tonight!  He even got the blender out of the pantry for us.  It doesn't exactly fall into any of the major food groups, but we'll take the calories however we can.

We finally said good-bye to SF 2010 this past Sunday.  And we would collectively like to say: Please don't come back anytime soon.

Current Weight:  24 lbs, 1 oz

** Post-Edit **

I forget to mention it was actually me that went to the ER (hence my conversation with the ER nurse about proper electrolyte consumption).  I could barely get out of bed, couldn't keep anything down (not even water), and constantly felt like I was going to pass out (again).  Knowing that both my kids were already sick (but not knowing who else might get it), I preemptively went to the ER for some IV fluids.  I wish I could say it worked, but I left with the worse nausea I've ever had in my life.  With some help from the BRAT diet (banana, rice, applesauce, toast) as well as Tante Tina's old buddy Z.ofran, I'm feeling much better.

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