Rotavirus & annoying comments. - Page 2

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

Im just curious how you knew it was rotavirus? My son just got over a similar bought of diarrhea (2 1/2 weeks) and vommitting (about a week) His BMs still arent quite the same yet. When I suggested rotavirus to his Pedi, she said she didnt suspect that, as that is usually something she sees in the spring. He never had a fever, and was otherwise in a good mood. She said it was probably just a GI stomach bug, the typical kind you see around this time of year.

Hope your little guy is feeling better.

In my first son's case, a neighbor had tested positive, and my son had the same symptoms, so he was "diagnosed" that way.

In my second son's case, he had a lab test because he was hospitalized with it. So it was verified. And after my second son's case being verified, I KNOW that my first son's case was also rota, it was exactly the same.

I will never forget the SMELL of rota. It is...nasty isn't a strong enough word. I have never smelled anything like it, truly. And the length...I've known stomach bugs or intestinal bugs to last a day or two, maybe some loose stool for up to a week. But this was uncontrollable leakage from both ends. Truly. And it wasn't just diarrhea, it was liquid.

STILL...I won't vax for it. My third son will probably get it, we'll just stay home for a week, and that's it. If he gets severely dehydrated, we'll take him in for an IV, and that will probably be the end of it. It's really only cases like my middle son where there are other medical issues where it becomes a real problem.

[Deborah]

I'm always puzzled by this illness. I don't think I've ever had it, although I've had a lot of stomach bugs in my life and I don't think my daughter ever had it. I'm almost 60 and until a few years ago I never even heard of it. And it doesn't seem as though my grandchildren have ever had it, because my daughter usually mentions their sicknesses and the stomach bugs they've had never last that long or have the bad smell.

So just puzzled.

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

Im just curious how you knew it was rotavirus? My son just got over a similar bought of diarrhea (2 1/2 weeks) and vommitting (about a week) His BMs still arent quite the same yet. When I suggested rotavirus to his Pedi, she said she didnt suspect that, as that is usually something she sees in the spring. He never had a fever, and was otherwise in a good mood. She said it was probably just a GI stomach bug, the typical kind you see around this time of year.

Hope your little guy is feeling better.

Sorry for the delay in responding. lol. I knew because of the tell tale smell, the insane vomiting and diarrhea. Mine didn't have much of a fever either but he was not in a good mood. He could barely move for four days. Would lift his head off the pillow only to vomit. He was pale and listless the whole time. Horrid!!

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

In my first son's case, a neighbor had tested positive, and my son had the same symptoms, so he was "diagnosed" that way.

In my second son's case, he had a lab test because he was hospitalized with it. So it was verified. And after my second son's case being verified, I KNOW that my first son's case was also rota, it was exactly the same.

I will never forget the SMELL of rota. It is...nasty isn't a strong enough word. I have never smelled anything like it, truly. And the length...I've known stomach bugs or intestinal bugs to last a day or two, maybe some loose stool for up to a week. But this was uncontrollable leakage from both ends. Truly. And it wasn't just diarrhea, it was liquid.

STILL...I won't vax for it. My third son will probably get it, we'll just stay home for a week, and that's it. If he gets severely dehydrated, we'll take him in for an IV, and that will probably be the end of it. It's really only cases like my middle son where there are other medical issues where it becomes a real problem.

Yes to everything!

Originally Posted by Deborah

I'm always puzzled by this illness. I don't think I've ever had it, although I've had a lot of stomach bugs in my life and I don't think my daughter ever had it. I'm almost 60 and until a few years ago I never even heard of it. And it doesn't seem as though my grandchildren have ever had it, because my daughter usually mentions their sicknesses and the stomach bugs they've had never last that long or have the bad smell.

So just puzzled.

Most people have had it, a few times even. It was probably just mild. What are you puzzled about? I don't really understand what you're saying? I'm glad none of you have had it bad, I pray that my youngest doesn't get it like my son did. He finally gained back the weight he lost, so that's the good news!

[Deborah]

Sorry, I'm just wondering if Rotavirus has been around all along but my entire family for three generations missed it and missed hearing about it, or if it has been around but has only recently acquired a label/name, or if, for some reason, this has become more of a problem in the last 40 years? Or that people used to get mild cases and more babies and children are getting really bad cases?

I'll have to do some research.

[Deborah]

from Wikipedia:

Rotavirus A infections can occur throughout life: the first usually produces symptoms, but subsequent infections are typically asymptomatic,[4] as the immune system provides some protection.[2] Consequently, symptomatic infection rates are highest in children under two years of age and decrease progressively towards 45 years of age.[31][32] Infection in newborn children, although common, is often associated with mild or asymptomatic disease;[33][34] the most severe symptoms tend to occur in children six months to two years of age, the elderly, and those with compromised or absent immune system functions. Due to immunity acquired in childhood, most adults are not susceptible to rotavirus; gastroenteritis in adults usually has a cause other than rotavirus, but asymptomatic infections in adults may maintain the transmission of infection in the community.[35] Symptomatic reinfections are often due to a different rotavirus A serotype.[3][36]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotavirus

So I guess the confusion is because it wasn't clearly identified to the general public until around the 1970s, so we would all just have seen it as a nasty sort of stomach flu, at worst. My daughter was born in 1967. I was born in 1950.

Lots of stomach flu around...but I wouldn't have known it was rotavirus unless someone said so...and it is the sort of thing that fades from memory unless it was so bad as to involve a trip to the emergency room.

Sorry for my confusion.

[Pepper44]

I caught rotavirus when I worked at a daycare in high school. Five days of pure hell! And I was weak for a long time afterward.

We don't vax, and I wouldn't consider getting my DD this vax especially because we have known several other kids who got the rotavirus vaccine in the last couple of years and then had diarrhea for weeks afterward, almost just like the rotavirus itself. Yuck!

If there's a good chance of that happening from the vaccine then we might as well take our chances of getting the illness and not get injected with all of the other additives in the vaccine!

[MountainMamaGC]

My response would be **** happens so get over it. Sorry for the pun. lol.

Seriously, though kids get sick and I was never under the impression that my unvaxed child would never get sick.

[AGierald]

just a couple things -- you have to start the rotateq vax at 12 weeks or not at all, from what i remember.. and i also seem to remember that getting the rotavirus doesnt provide immunity from getting it again, so how would the vax be so effective? lemme look into it again, since its been a while since i looked this one up, but thats just food for thought.

[claddaghmom]

Hmm, I had a different situation. A friend and her 3 kids caught rota and heave ho'd for more than a week. Said friend has been known to say things such as, "I'm happy to vaccinate my kids" and "I would never skip a dose for any of my kids" or "My doctor knows best."

For research purposes for my daughter, I asked her which vax she got...she didn't even know the two names I used were vaccine names.

But other than that, I held my tongue in charity. From what I hear about rota, it's gross! I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But 75% efficacy? LMAO

[karne]

My youngest became critically ill w/rota-diagnosed by lab culture in the hospital. It didn't just suck. It almost killed him. He wasn't vaxed.

[marziechar]

So yeah, most childhood illnesses are diagnosed by the season, symptoms, and by what's going around. I guess it doesn't really matter to me--less invasive, one stomach bug treated the same as another--ie try to prevent too much dehydration.

Having said that, my son was vaccinated for rotavirus. Soon after he got what was diagnosed to us over the phone as rotavirus--there was an epidemic in my area. Then I got it a couple days in. It was TERRRRRIBLE as most of you have described. He did alright. He was very young and I was still breastfeeding exclusively. We worked on small nursings. For me, it was the most terrible and violent stomach bug I can ever remember having in my life.

We really wish we hadn't gotten that vaccination. We were talked into it and I feel awful that I let my little boy go through that. I really appreciate that there are nurse hotlines, because I think that's how we have avoided many other illnesses.

[MaterPrimaePuellae]

Originally Posted by FernG

I don't have the link anymore, so don't take my word for it, but maybe this will give you something to look up. Most people get rotavirus several times before they have lifetime immunity. Future cases aren't likely to be as bad as what you experience this round. Most of the elderly in the US are immune. Rotavirus is deadly in the elderly.

Here are some questions that I have about the rotavirus vaccine: Are the vaccinated children going to have lifetime immunity to protect them when they are elderly? What will it be like when they get their first case as college students instead of as children? Will they be stuck getting boosters every 10 years?

These are the questions I have.

My personal experiences:
1. While I was growing up, my 3 siblings and had nasty stomach bugs every couple of years. My parents NEVER got them. We didn't know/understand that people develop immunity to rotavirus by having multiple exposures over time, but that's the only explanation I can come up with for my my parents never got sick even when cleaning/caring for four very sick kids.

2. DD did not get the Rotavirus vaccine; the only stomach virus she has ever had was undoubtedly from two friends who absolutely did have the vaccine. It was nasty. I don't know if it was rotavirus or what, but we definitely dealt with the watery poop for days and days, and the virus itself seemed to have a very long life-- we caught it from them a week after their vomiting went away, and then Dh caught it from us a week after our vomiting went away, despite our heroic attempts to sanitize everything.

3. The only children I have ever known who were diagnosed (either over the phone or in office, so who knows how accurate...) with rotavirus had been vaccinated. I am not at all saying that the vaccine caused the virus, but just that it's clearly not a very effective vaccine. I don't regret skipping it one bit.

[JMJ]

Originally Posted by karne

My youngest became critically ill w/rota-diagnosed by lab culture in the hospital. It didn't just suck. It almost killed him. He wasn't vaxed.

Oh mamma, that must have been terrifying for you! I'm glad he made it through. Do you mind telling us more about the situation and your feelings having made it through? How old was he? Did he have any other medical conditions? Did he improve when IV fluids were given, or did they have to do more invasive treatments? Do you wish you had gotten him the vaccine? Would you vaccinate future kids against rotavirus? I don't mean to pry, only to become better informed about the worst case scenario.

[KimberlyD0]

my second DD got it when she was very small. Only months old. She was critically ill. She was in the PICU for 3 weeks, lost 20% of her body weight and her heart stopped at one point.

She was not vaccinated because it wasn't avalible.

I WOULD vaccinate future children rathe then go through that hell again.