I think you have to define what you mean by stomach bug. Vomiting once or twice is not a stomach bug in my opinion and kids can end up in that type of scenario relatively frequently. Vomiting every hour or so for several hours on end and then resolving…stomach bug.

Kids vomit for a lot of different illnesses. GI involvement is just much more common for a variety of viruses. With all of the nasty viruses going around this year I could see 4-5 times (flu, strep, a bad cough, actual stomach bug….that would hit the 4). My kid had a stomach bug in the fall, and also threw up a few times when they had Flu A. I recently had a bad virus that made me really nauseated…I would see how a kid might end up vomiting a couple of times, etc.

So are we talking about 4-5 stomach bugs with significant, hours-long vomiting? Or 4-5 vomiting incidents?

No harm to see a GI doc anyway. Might also look into probiotics. And food allergies often cause vomiting.

Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:My 8 year old didn’t throw up for about 2 years. Then she threw up one day in Oct., one day in Nov., and one day in Dec. I took her to the ped after the 3rd time. She said I could try probiotic but not to expect a miracle. She checked her stomach (nothing seemed abnormal from the exam) and her throat (no strep). And to keep a log of what she ate when she got sick. Then she threw up one day in Jan.

I did note of all things she had chickpeas the day before in Dec and Jan. I mentioned this at her well visit and dr said might be worth talking to an allergist.

Could still be bad luck with viruses - idk.

Is the vomiting single instance, or is it a 24 hour bug?

Op here - I so appreciate these responses. I’ll let you know what the specialist says.

My 8 year old didn’t throw up for about 2 years. Then she threw up one day in Oct., one day in Nov., and one day in Dec. I took her to the ped after the 3rd time. She said I could try probiotic but not to expect a miracle. She checked her stomach (nothing seemed abnormal from the exam) and her throat (no strep). And to keep a log of what she ate when she got sick. Then she threw up one day in Jan.

I did note of all things she had chickpeas the day before in Dec and Jan. I mentioned this at her well visit and dr said might be worth talking to an allergist.

Could still be bad luck with viruses - idk.

Ask the doctor about a probiotic.

My son gets 1-2 per calendar year. 4-5 in a year sounds like a lot though. I would ask the school nurse how common that is at your school. Do lots of kids at school get this many stomach bugs? If so, they need to figure out why (better and more hand washing stations, a return to regular use of hand sanitizer, reminders).

I think it's good you're going to a gi doc. What about allergies?

I'm on my second stomach buy in 3 weeks, I wash my hands diligently, work from home 4 days a week. this year is just the revenge of the germs.

^ also strep presents this way in some kids.

My child was having this, and we figured out it was actually migraines.

How is her hand washing? Do you remind her to not touch her face or put her fingers in her mouth? Do you clean the house with bleach you need bleach to kill norovirus? Might be a hygiene issue.

So many people I know had multiple stomach bugs. Teachers, students, co-workers, etc. Some people had it for weeks. I was surprised my kids only got once.

OP, are you emphasizing handwashing and keeping DD's hands away from her mouth/nose?

I think that kids are susceptible to a lot of things now, but handwashing can cut down on some of what enters their bodies.

There have been a lot of stomach bugs this school year. We’ve experienced the same thing. I say this is the patent of multiple kids who have all been sidelined with GI illness multiple times since September.

Anonymous wrote:My DD, age 10, gets frequent stomach bugs. She's had maybe 4-5 in the past year, and they pull her out of school for 3-4 days easily.

Has anyone experienced this before? We're meeting with a Pediatric GI soon, but I'm definitely worried.

Has her growth pattern changed? If growth has slowed, has the pediatrician run a celiac panel?

My DD, age 10, gets frequent stomach bugs. She's had maybe 4-5 in the past year, and they pull her out of school for 3-4 days easily.

Has anyone experienced this before? We're meeting with a Pediatric GI soon, but I'm definitely worried.