Ringing in the new year with a lingering stomach bug
Our entire family got sick from the norovirus
Amid the chaos of the holidays, our family experienced a little more than we bargained for. The day after Christmas, I woke up feeling unwell. My body ached, and as the day went on, I developed a fever with chills. I tried to push through, but by the next day, I knew I needed medical attention.
Wrapped in a blanket and shivering with a high fever, I dragged myself to urgent care. The cause was mastitis, which is breast inflammation that leads to infection. Unfortunately, it’s something that can happen to mothers who are breastfeeding. Left untreated, it can quickly turn bad.
I’d never experienced mastitis before. I’m currently on my third breastfeeding journey, and this malady has been the worst thing I’ve ever experienced while doing so. With antibiotics, I started to feel a little better — until I didn’t.
A sick household
After taking antibiotics for two days, I woke up vomiting profusely. I had a fever with chills again and kept running back and forth to the bathroom. At first I thought the antibiotics weren’t working and my mastitis was getting worse. However, a few hours after my symptoms returned, everyone else in the house got sick, too.
The next person to start vomiting was my 2-year-old son, Kyree. It was his first time having a stomach bug, and I could see the confusion on his face. He cried in pain and wasn’t sure what to do while he was throwing up. I tried to comfort him as best I could, knowing how drained his little body must’ve felt.
After Kyree, my boyfriend, Frankie, started getting sick. Although we tried to be diligent about washing our hands and disinfecting surfaces, we had norovirus infection, a highly contagious stomach bug. It’s almost impossible to avoid if you’re in close quarters with someone who has it.
Inevitably, my 6-year-old son, Cayden, got sick, too. It wasn’t his first rodeo with norovirus, though. When Cayden was a year old, he was hospitalized with a respiratory virus. A norovirus outbreak happened at the hospital, and we both got infected. It’s actually worse dealing with it in the hospital than in the comfort of your own home. I guess that’s the only positive this time around.
With stomach viruses, children can become dehydrated quickly. I had to keep pushing Kyree to drink Gatorade mixed with water, hoping that he’d be able to keep some of it down.
Thankfully, Cayden has a gastrostomy tube because of his infantile-onset Pompe disease, which makes it a little easier to keep him hydrated in these times. I can push water into his stomach a little bit at a time to keep him hydrated.
He got better just in time to receive his biweekly enzyme replacement therapy infusion, which always gives his body an extra boost of energy, especially when he’s feeling ill.
I’m glad we all recovered from this awful stomach bug, which made the start of the new year interesting, to say the least. Fingers crossed that we won’t have to go through that again anytime soon.
Note: Pompe Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Pompe Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Pompe disease.
About the Author
Leave a comment
Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published.