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Suggest Treatment For Vomiting, Diarrhea And Loss Of Appetite In A Child
Question: My 8 year old daughter has been throwing up for six days. I thought she was getting better but she still does not want to eat, and when she does, she vomits it back up. She started out with vomiting and diarrhea but the diarrhea lasted only a couple days. I took her to the ER where they said she had a GI bug without doing any testing to determine that. She is drinking a little bit of liquids here and there, but I am really concerned about how long she has been ill and how long she has gone with almost no food. Is this cause for concern, or should I return to the ER with her?
Brief Answer:
acidosis may be causing the vomiting
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
It is very understandable to be concerned about the lack of solid food, no doubt she would have been losing weight during this time and this would have an impact on your worry.
It is good that she is urinating, it means that she is taking at least enough to replace what she is losing but she may need more.
Vomiting causes acidosis (increased acid content in the body), the acidosis then worsens the vomiting and the cycle continues.
If we can reduce the acid content and the acidosis then it may be possible to reduce her vomiting.
I am going to give you an idea of the guidelines for replacing fluids. Even though she is passing urine, we will use mild dehydration guidelines since she has persistent vomiting.
You can look up guidelines for ORS (oral rehydration solution- this would give her back the salts that she is losing along with the fluid) to confirm
She needs at least 50 ml per every kg of her weight over a 4 hour period totally.
Either give 1ml per kg of oral rehydration solution every 5 mins for 4 hours or give 3 mls/kg every 15 mins for 4 hours.
Oral rehydration solutions would be available at your local pharmacy or supermarket eg pedialyte
If she still persistently vomits after the use of the oral rehydration products then she should be reassessed.
If she develops a fever or abdominal pain then she should be reassessed.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
acidosis may be causing the vomiting
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
It is very understandable to be concerned about the lack of solid food, no doubt she would have been losing weight during this time and this would have an impact on your worry.
It is good that she is urinating, it means that she is taking at least enough to replace what she is losing but she may need more.
Vomiting causes acidosis (increased acid content in the body), the acidosis then worsens the vomiting and the cycle continues.
If we can reduce the acid content and the acidosis then it may be possible to reduce her vomiting.
I am going to give you an idea of the guidelines for replacing fluids. Even though she is passing urine, we will use mild dehydration guidelines since she has persistent vomiting.
You can look up guidelines for ORS (oral rehydration solution- this would give her back the salts that she is losing along with the fluid) to confirm
She needs at least 50 ml per every kg of her weight over a 4 hour period totally.
Either give 1ml per kg of oral rehydration solution every 5 mins for 4 hours or give 3 mls/kg every 15 mins for 4 hours.
Oral rehydration solutions would be available at your local pharmacy or supermarket eg pedialyte
If she still persistently vomits after the use of the oral rehydration products then she should be reassessed.
If she develops a fever or abdominal pain then she should be reassessed.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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