Vomiting Virus

[mom2six]

Looks like we got lucky this time. DH was better by the next afternoon with no vomiting or other symptoms. DS#4 was puking last night, but is doing better today, and only had the one episode. Various others (DS#1 and DD#2) have complained about nausea, but no other symptoms. Crossing my fingers for the rest of us. The worst is when the twins get this kind of thing. They're still to young to control where they release, and it's just awful with two. DS#6 was up early this morning and DH asked him if he was feeling alright. He said, "I was feeling a little sick in PE yesterday, so I just didn't run as fast as I *could* have." LOL He'll be 7 tomorrow!!

 

[mom2six]

"It could be the door handle. It could be the toilet tank cover. Some studies show it can be aerosolized. If you throw up and then flush the toilet, how much of the spray gets into the air?”

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/201...virus-why-washing-your-hands-isnt-enough?lite

No worries, then...nobody's actually vomited *into* the toilet around here. :what::banghead:

 

[Betty P]

I feel so lucky (knock wood) that my family hasn't gotten this virus yet. Several years ago, our family had a bout of severe norovirus and the doctor suggested Emetrol to control nausea. We had the same problem others are mentioning now, unable to even keep a sip of water down. I wonder if Emetrol would work on this virus? I may need to get a fresh supply. After the last time, I always try to keep a bottle on hand.

 

[Mandy113]

My husband & I rarely pick up viruses & are relatively healthy. Earlier this month I caught a respiratory bug (I assume the flu) and was sick several days.

Friday afternoon I became suddenly ill at work & had to rush home. Then the vomiting began. By early Sunday morning my husband was ill with the same thing. I have never been so sick in my life. I was feverish, achy and exhausted along with all the other symptoms. Mine lasted 3 days and his 2 days. I'm still not able to eat much but I have been drinking plenty of water.

I believe I caught up from my grandsons who are in daycare and then passed it on to my husband. This is one nasty bug. I urge everyone to take all the precautions they can. We're relatively healthy and this just took us down just like that. I'm not sure when we'll feel totally recovered. I worry for the very young, the ill and the elderly who may suffer from this virus. It is very scary.

 

[Dark Knight]

That's it, I am not leaving the house until June.

 

[longtallcold]

Also remember to use good oral care and throw your tooth brush away when you are better!! You don't want to reinfect yourself.

Respectfully snipped for space: I have NEVER thought of this!! Glad I always have packs of extra new ones in the closet!

 

[ScubaTwinn]

Yeah, with this sucker, the "worst" of it lasted 3 days. 3 days of continuous vomiting, etc. Followed by several days where you were sometimes feeling like you could be up moving, and try to eat something only to be slammed back into vomit mode suddenly and unexpectedly and back down you go. That part lasted for 4 to 5 days.

awful. Would not wish this on my worst enemy (if I had any)

My twinn's house had it the week of Thanksgiving and she described it exactly as you have. And she said the same thing about not wishing it on her worst enemy!

 

[deca]

Microbiologist here and just wanted to add:
We always used a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) in a spray bottle to disinfect things. Spray liberally and then gently wipe around (not up) with a paper towel. Let it stay wet for 10 min and then evaporate dry.

Dehydration: in a pinch, drink sports drinks (pale colors only in case there is a mess). We were always told to have some in our pantries for these types of situations.

Wash sheets and towels with hot water and detergent. If they can be bleached, add appropriate amount of bleach.

Hand washing- most commonly missed part of hand is around the thumb up towards the back of the hand and the back of the hand. Make sure to scrub this area!

DON'T SPREAD IT! If you need groceries call a friend and have them drop it off on your front porch. Believe me, no one wants you outside now

 

[SuziQ]

Omg, I got this a couple of days before Christmas. I was literally fine one minute, then spent the next six hours throwing up. It was horrible. I barely remember the Holidays.

 

[Herding Cats]

Microbiologist here
Dehydration: in a pinch, drink sports drinks (pale colors only in case there is a mess). We were always told to have some in our pantries for these types of situations.

RSBM

Pale colors not only in case there is a mess, but also avoid red. Why? Because if you start coughing up red stuff, how do you tell if it's blood and you need to get into an ER or if it's the sports drink?

Just thought I'd mention that...also red puddings and jello, popsicles, and other things.

Makes me sad, because cherry is one of my all time favorite flavors...and I can't eat cherry jello when I'm feeling bad. LOL.

But...I'm serious. No red stuff.

Best-
Herding Cats

 

[Kimberlyd125]

DD is starting to feel better. Hoping she can go back to school tomorrow.
Now I'm on the couch feeling green trying to lay really still hoping its not my turn.

I don't know if this is the bug y'all are talking about but YUCKY.

 

[not_my_kids]

This seems like a good time to remind people that if you leave your toothbrushes, floss, dental supplies of any kind in the bathroom, like a lot of people do, it's probably a good time to consider moving them to the kitchen. Especially if they are on the counter next to the sink, which is usually also next to the toilet, there's a good chance that every time you flush the toilet, you are spraying germs into the air and those germs are coming down to roost on your toothbrush. Either keep the brush in a sealed case, or keep it out of the bathroom (in a kitchen or bedroom).

My sister is a germaphobe, and shared this little tidbit with me one year when we couldn't get the flu to stop making the rounds through the house.

 

[QueenD]

Microbiologist here and just wanted to add:
We always used a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) in a spray bottle to disinfect things. Spray liberally and then gently wipe around (not up) with a paper towel. Let it stay wet for 10 min and then evaporate dry.

Dehydration: in a pinch, drink sports drinks (pale colors only in case there is a mess). We were always told to have some in our pantries for these types of situations.

Wash sheets and towels with hot water and detergent. If they can be bleached, add appropriate amount of bleach.

Hand washing- most commonly missed part of hand is around the thumb up towards the back of the hand and the back of the hand. Make sure to scrub this area!

DON'T SPREAD IT! If you need groceries call a friend and have them drop it off on your front porch. Believe me, no one wants you outside now

I always thought I might be a bit OCD cause, i am always spraying the bleach mixture on my counters in kitchen and bathrooms. I keep a bottle under the counter in bathrooms and kitchen. Wipe counters, door handles, doors fridge door handles, every where. I love bleach smell it so clean smelling and germ free smelling.

I sometimes even spray on my hands then rinse then wash!

Knock on wood, I haven't been sick in a very long time. Except for this dang pollen!

 

[21merc7]

Found a cute video for those of you with little ones about how to wash hands properly (although I think they could have washed a bit further to the wrist, lol.) If you put it on full screen the little ones cannot see the title, just saying. Or look around for one you prefer.

H1N1 Prevention for Kids: How to wash your hands the right way with Bubble Girl and Grimy Germ - YouTube

 

[21merc7]

I always thought I might be a bit OCD cause, i am always spraying the bleach mixture on my counters in kitchen and bathrooms. I keep a bottle under the counter in bathrooms and kitchen. Wipe counters, door handles, doors fridge door handles, every where. I love bleach smell it so clean smelling and germ free smelling.

I sometimes even spray on my hands then rinse then wash!

Knock on wood, I haven't been sick in a very long time. Except for this dang pollen!

Lol, this is me! I think it's OCD or germaphobe. I've always been like this though. I wash everything down with a bleach mixture of bleach and soap, but now I will do soap water first then the bleach water. I do think I over use bleach, but will try measuring now and see how far off I was with measuring or counting glugs.

P.S. I'm trying dandelion root (add some mint for better flavor), make as a tea, and raw unfiltered honey for allergies. Both can be purchased at a health food store or online if you don't have a health food store. I will just take a teaspoon of the honey. I don't know if it will help as mine have gone from nasal to nasal and skin, but I'm going to try.

 

[mom2six]

Diluted bleach has a short shelf-life, so you need to mix fresh batches regularly. Here's info from the clorox website. http://www.clorox.com/blogs/dr-laundry/2010/11/04/shelf-life-of-bleachwater-solutions/

Generally, longer-term storage is not recommended because diluted liquid bleach solutions are susceptible to degradation from a variety of sources. Increased temperatures, contamination and even light (that’s why it’s sold in opaque bottles) can cause the liquid bleach active to break down into salt and water. Not knowing your home’s environment, I would suggest the following:

Bleachability Test Solution (2 tsp Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in ¼ cup water) Stored at room temperature (70°F) away from light, this should be good for at least 2-3 weeks since it isn’t used for disinfecting. Because this solution is used for testing laundry items to see if they can be safely bleached and you may not do that on a regular basis, I would definitely write the date and the contents on the container. That way, you won’t accidentally test with too weak of a solution because it is older than you thought.

Disinfecting Bleach Solution (3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon water) The disinfecting solution has very specific instructions for mixing and use because Clorox® Regular-Bleach is registered with the EPA as a disinfectant, with disinfectancy assured by following label instructions. Your mom’s hospital was correct to ensure its effectiveness (critical in a hospital environment) by starting with a fresh solution daily, but I can also understand that you don’t want to make it up every day if you don’t have to. To simplify things for you, you could make a smaller amount (3 Tbsp. diluted in 4 cups water) that you use up over several days for general countertop cleaning. However, when you are cleaning up after things that are highly likely to spread bacteria (like raw meat), you would want to use a freshly mixed solution.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

DH and I will be heading home shortly after a week in Orlando (WDW). We were both surprised with the number of hands-on activities there are in the various parks since our last visit to Mickey Mouse territory. Lots of touch-screens with everyone using but no one ever wiping surfaces :eek Same with handrails while waiting in line for attractions. I always carry Purell - and use it! - but didn't see hand sanitizer in restrooms or restaurants. Also, there was never hot water for hand-washing in any public restrooms.

Thankfully, we've managed to stay well unlike cruise vacations when one or both of us comes home with "cabin cough", and we've both had the dreaded Norovirus on different cruises - part of the reason why we opted for a land trip this year.

I hope those who have been ill will soon be feeling better, and to those who haven't been sick, stay well.

 

[justbeachy]

Researched noro a bit yesterday and a) totally freaked myself out, and b) learned some interesting information.

Your typical hand sanitizer does not kill norovirus. You need one with benzalkonium chloride in it. There are some with benzethonium chloride in them and I've read mixed reports on the effectiveness of those. Unfortunately, those are easier to find than the benzalkonium ones.

Another option is Germstar Noro, which I think you can only get online. I read good things about it. Ethyl alcohol is the active ingredient, so I'm not clear on why this one works vs the other alcohol-based hand sanitizers, but for some reason it supposedly does. www.germstar.com/us/germstar-products/hand-sanitzers/germstar-noro/

Obviously, choice #1 is hand-washing, but I like to have something on-hand for times when a sink isn't available. I usually have my kids clean their hands in the car on the way home from school (before they start digging in their bags for some sort of random snack!) and I usually just have wipes or alcohol-based sanitizers.

Lysol wipes aren't effective for killing noro. According to the Lysol website, "LYSOL® Disinfectant Spray "Brand III" is effective against norovirus. However, LYSOL® Disinfecting Wipes are not effective against norovirus." www.lysol.com/lysol-community/conversation/lysol-and-norovirus-3424

For cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, the CDC recommends using a bleach-based cleaner or a solution made with 5 tablespoons to 1.5 cups of household bleach per 1 gallon of water. www.cdc.gov/features/norovirus/

HTH! Stay healthy, everyone!

 

[legalmania]

Please remember to use the anti bac wipes at the grocery store and Wally World on your cart! The carts are filthy! Carry an extra one around at the store to continually wipe hands after touching things in the aisles....

Yes I use those even when there is not a flu going around, I remember a news reporter did a swab test on the bar in front of the cart and sent it to a lab, the results showed botulism, e coli, and about 20 other germs or virus breading on that bar alone. I'm still healthy so all the antibiotics and steroids are doing a good job protecting me. Everybody stay healthy and please stay home if your sick, it really is not fair to the people trying to stay healthy, so stay home, I know the bills need to be paid but if you are sick it's going to take longer to kick this flu if you don't rest, and you may have to take even more days off.

 

[legalmania]

Hello everyone! I am in TX and had TWO patients this weekend with this virus. They are both on large amounts of fluids, getting Zofran and Reglan IV with no relief. They are in extreme pain from the constant vomiting and dry heaves. (Sorry if I offended anyone with this).

This is a bad one folks!! It drops you to your knees, wrings you out and makes you feel absolutely horrible. Please, I can not stress enough how important it is to not wait too long prior to going to ER. After about two days, your body needs fluids. Your body really starts to do damage to your kidneys and other organs. Be wary if you can not keep even sips of water, or chipped ice down.

Also remember to use good oral care and throw your tooth brush away when you are better!! You don't want to reinfect yourself.



I hate to tell you this legalmania, but steroids can suppress your immune system.

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/drugs/corticosteroids/hic_corticosteroids.aspx

snipped by me. Thank you for that I do know this but I suffer from infection. So I need to fight that.The antibiotics are very powerful and I take something to build my immune system. So I'm covered. I really hate taking the steroids they just tear my body up,but I either take those or end up with phenomena or pleurisy.So I have no choice. Thank you for taking the time to explain it to those who don't know the consequences of steroids.