3 Year old sick for over 6 weeks

Hi all,

My son has been sick on and off since Thanksgiving.  He started out with a virus with which he coughed and vomited, mainly at night.  This went away and then came back about 2 weeks later.  I figured this was due to school.

It never went away.  We went to the States on Dec. 20th and the night before he had 102 fever and vomiting.  He was on antibiotics given that night at A&E and then in the States they said he had an ear infection.

He's continued with a cough - mainly at night, but not limited to - with which he vomits.  I brought him to the GP on Tuesday and she gave him Augmentin.  He had one dose that night and 3 yesterday.  This morning he woke up and said he had a sick tummy and then vomited up what seemed to me to be 1/4 pint clear liquid.  I kept him home from Nursery and he just had juice.  I didn't give him any antibiotic as I left it out overnight and it needed to be refrigerated.  So...around 11:30am he projectile vomited even more clear liquid - seemed to be 1/2 pint.  I have another appt. with the GP at 5:20pm today, but am concerned that he's just not getting better.  I don't know what she's going to recommend, but so far, no Dr. - here or the States (I took him again while I was out there due to vomiting) - seems overly concerned.

I think something just isn't right, but I don't know where to turn.  I don't know if I should ask for a referral to a pediatrician here.  I don't think she'd even do that, but don't know....  Any thoughts?

Thank you.

If it were my daughter, I would go back to the GP and tell them just what you told us and express you concern that you would like him evaluated by a paediatrician...

Have you considered that he may be inducing the vomiting himself by coughing to get your attention? I've had friends who have had children who have done this in the past. Especially if he has no other signs of illness like a temperature...just food for thought. I'm not saying that this is what he is doing, but an ill child will be tired and show other symptoms so I'm just wondering if he seems fine in himself otherwise then has this coughing/vomiting episodes?

Ok  first off, you might want to stop giving him juice, in case the acid in it is making his tummy worse.  My son had a nasty virus like tthat last year, and we were advised to give him calpol to reduce his temperature and then just a tablespoon of something like lucozade or gatorade to start with, then give him more after 20 minutes if he'd kept it down. If he vomits, you start again with the 20 minute thing then give another tablespoon and build it up gradually.  It took my son nearly 2 weeks to get over it completely.

I hope the doctor you see today can reassure you.  If they think he is dehydrated or losing too much weight from it they will most likely refer you to your local paediatric unit (in a hospital I mean).

Coughing can induce vomiting. I had a bad cough myself and almost threw up a couple times, especially at night and especially if you have post nasal drip.

But also, Shabanou is right, most people waaay overestimate the amount of liquid or food a sick child can tolerate. We had similar advice for our son when he had a tummy bug this past summer.

That said, it does sound like things are a bit more than that with your son - though I hope not!

Let us know what happens!

But also, Shabanou is right, most people waaay overestimate the amount of liquid or food a sick child can tolerate. We had similar advice for our son when he had a tummy bug this past summer.

Yeah, I had a tummy bug a couple of weeks ago... I had thrown up almost every hour from 1 a.m. until 8 a.m. and when I called NHS Direct at 9 a.m., the nurse advised me to drink about 10ml (2 teaspoons) of water every 15 minutes and then gradually build it up over a few hours. She advised drinking rehydration sachets too.

Hope your ittle man is doing better today! 

Oh poor little guy!    I have no advice beyond what you've been given, but I hope he gets well soon.

Oh poor little guy!    I have no advice beyond what you've been given, but I hope he gets well soon.

Me too. That sounds awful.

I  hope he feels better! 

To help with the cough do you have a warm mist humidifier?  Vicks rub?  Menthol can help with the cough reflex and vomiting. 

Also a little bit of honey in warm milk/watery tea.  Though dairy can increase mucus.

Perhaps he might need an expectorant?  I know they don't like to give meds to under 6's anymore, but a doctor can give it to them if the benefits outweigh the costs. 

I hope your little guy feels better soon! It's terrible when they're sick and we can't do much other than comfort them. I would definitely be sure to stick with the liquids until you can get to the doctor as you do not want him to become dehydrated. This is especially true for little ones with loose bowels too. Be very careful because they can become dehydrated very quickly. Take care!

Hi everyone,

Thank you all so much for your posts!  Finnian is doing much better.  He is back on antibiotics - Amoxiclav I think it's called.  He had some calpol and that brought the fever down right away.  He's on a very bland diet and a diet of rest and tv.  Between the medicine and that, he seems to FINALLY be on the mend.

I hope once the antibiotics are done that he continues to stay well.  He was on them in December and once he was off, he was ill again.  I'm going to try and keep him in over the weekend.  He was in since Thurs and the more I can prevent an opportunistic bug getting him due to his weakened condition, the better.

Thanks again!

Glad to hear he's doing better. These things can take a while to get over so keeping him at home is definitely the right thing to do.