How long can a tummy bug take to go completely..

[Lucyd]

Doe's anybody know how long it can take to get rid of a really bad tummy bug.. It is some kind of gastric flu which we have all had for about a month on and off.. We do all the fasting then the light diet etc and just when we think it's ok to eat properly back it comes again.. It's difficult as well as children are small.. Doe's anyone have any suggestions any help would be much appreciated as we are at our wits end with this thing.. I have disenfected the whole house everyday I am getting really paranoid.. Just don't know how to deal with it.. My daughter has lost about a stone and loooks really thin.. Doctor says you just have see it through..

[Kozmic Blues]

I never had a tummy bug that lasted that long, but I did have whooping cough that lasted about 12 weeks. I lost about 2 stone. Make sure your daughter try to drink as much fluid as possible, as to not suffer from dehydration. It is most likely a type of viral infection; therefore there is no antibiotics that can help. Plenty of R n R and some TLC. Your doctor is right, it can take a while to get better as her immune system needs to recover, Hope she gets better soon!

*Kozmic*

[jno]

there's a lot of it abut this winter. Some friends of mine have had it a couple of weeks, but I don't know anyone who's had it as long as you. Hope you get well soon. Here's an article about it which may help:

http://www.medic8.com/infectious-diseases/vira l-gastroenteritis.htm

[lady_p_gold]

My daughter had a similar thing and it dragged on and on and in the end she looked so ill and thin was so bad we took her to the hospital and she ended up having an IV drip and IV antibiotics and when her sample came back she had campylobacter which had to be reported to the local authority. So don't just keep suffering, sometimes extra help is needed, after that night she has been fine after her course of antibiotics. They never worked out where she got it from.

[WendyS]

It's miserable and very debilitating when this happens, especially with the onset on Christmas. The only thing I can suggest is to keep well hydrated with water, stay off the alcohol as much as you can and get in a good stock of natural bio yoghurt. It contains a lot of "healthy bugs" and when I've had the odd tummy bug in the past I've found it has helped. Don't overload your stomachs over Christmas, tempting though it may be as it may mere prolong the attack.

[Lucyd]

Thanks for all the advice. We have gone on to eating flaked rice today leaving the rice water as it's supposed to help comfort the stomach.. We are still all very sore though.. I was advised that jelly is good by an ab user a few weeks ago and I can honestly say it's been a great help.. I had two pots of jelly tonight and it's the only thing I am fine with.. I will be stocking up on some of those bio-drinks...

Thanks

Lucy

[Roughquest]

Make sure your hygiene (personal and otherwise) is up to par, washing hands after using the bathroom, washing towels, teatowels regularly (not sharing towels etc with other family members), washing hands after touching foodstuffs etc, wahsing hands before eating, making sure all kitchen surfaces are disinfected and contact areas are clean and hygienic, if you are continually getting ill this means germs are being spread via contact with each other in the household so you need to be extra extra clean until this passes and you are all well again. I wish you all a speedy recovery and hope this is the last of this nasty illness so you can enjoy your Christmas.

[Lucyd]

I am the worst hygiene freak ever.. that's probably why I find
find this so hard to deal with.. We don't use tea towels only kitchen paper and every item of bedding and clothing goes straight in the wash, we never wear shoes indoors.. Everybody thinks I am obsessive... Sometimes I wonder if that's the problem could it be that we have no immune system when there is a bad bug around...

[jno]

that is possible, Lucy. If your kids hardly ever see a germ their bodies may have trouble when one comes along, especially if it's a tough one. Those ancient people like me who grew up eating mud pies have fewer problems as a rule. It feels bad to think you're exposing your kids to dirt (especially when so many things these days seem likely to trigger asthma, in particular) but it may be doing them a favour in the long term.