SCD and the Stomach Flu

Remember, I am not a medical professional and I am not offering medical advice for you or your children; I’m just sharing with you the challenges of being an SCD mom ;)

For those of you who have kids on the SCD, especially those who can be severely behaviorally challenged, you know how an illness can put your whole family into a tailspin. This past weekend was one of those times for us. Actually, it continues to be.

My younger daughter, who although never diagnosed with ASD, has since birth exhibited some of the same sensory, behavioral, and digestive challenges.

Last Friday was her first-ever bout with the stomach flu, and we’re all still suffering. To some of you this may sound harsh, but if you have kids like this, you know exactly what I mean.

So, I’ll spare you an MP3 file of the countless hours of screaming and belligerence and simply tell you about how we dealt with the virus and still kept her on the SCD.

I should tell you that there was about 24 hours when we thought we may have to take her to the hospital for I.V. fluids. During that time I was in phone contact with the doctor’s office four times and was constantly monitoring her for dehydration.

Here’s the short story:

The violent vomiting started about 9 a.m. Friday—at which point she developed petechiae, a word I hadn’t stayed in medical school long enough to learn—and continued until almost 4 a.m. Saturday. Up until that point, she couldn’t keep down even a teaspoon of any fluid. The remainder of the night we gave her approximately 1-2 teaspoon sips of SCD electrolyte solution every few minutes. Scroll down to see the recipe.

On Saturday we continued to increase fluids slowly—again paying attention to her level of hydration. Check out this page by Dr. Sears for info about dehydration. We also slowly introduced soft foods like SCD gelatin made with legal grape juice, and homemade chicken broth, which she really wouldn’t eat.

We paid careful attention to how frequently she was urinating. By the way, if you’re not keeping a medial log for your child who’s following the SCD, I highly recommend it. At some point in the future, I hope to post one on this site for you to download. They’re invaluable when talking to the docs and for trying to determine what foods are causing what symptoms, etc.

And after discussion with the pediatrician’s office and pharmacy, we gave her one generic acetaminophen suppository (like FeverAll) for an increasing fever. Typically, I prefer to let one’s body utilize the fever to fight infection, but that’s a story for another blog. The take-home message is, “Moms, trust your instincts.”

She didn’t eat her first solid food until Sunday evening and then very little. As of Monday, she’s eating solids, but not as much as usual and is definitely not herself. Well, actually, she’s more like her pre-SCD self. And between you and me, I’m ready for my happy girl to come back!



This recipe is from the official Breaking the Vicious Cycle site.

Electrolyte Solution Recipe:

¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbs. honey
1 quart boiling water


I refrigerated it, and then to each individual serving I added fresh lemon juice and called it “lemonade” to get my daughter to try it. I also froze some as popsicles. (Thanks to a friend who recommended that when my mommy brain wasn’t functioning clearly.)

Please note that you have to remake the solution every 24 hours to maintain its effectiveness!

 

The Story Behind My Vita-Mix

For my recipes, please scroll down.


As someone who feels overly governed by her frugal sensibilities, it took me a few months of research, internal negotiation, and resource creation before I took the plunge.

As an illustration of my frugal nature, I’ll tell you that in our 18 years together, my husband and I have purchased only two new pieces of furniture. No, we don’t live like college students, but we’ve chosen to utilize our resources elsewhere (like graduate and medical school programs).

So, when after much deliberation I decided to purchase a Vita-Mix to help me prepare some of the specialized foods my younger daughter needed to help treat her malabsorption disorder, I needed to figure out where to get the money to buy it. Our commitment to our Dave Ramsey budget meant no credit card purchases. By the way, I did look at used Vita-Mixes but did not find one at what I considered a bargain. And honestly, I was interested in getting one with the new plastic containers that are BPA free.

When my grandparents, aunt, and dad immigrated to the U.S. from Sweden in 1950, my grandmother brought with her a slew of looms for weaving. I inherited them from her before she died, but never learned to weave. I knew weaving was not in my near future, and eventually was able to let go of the guilt associated with selling them.


It took much longer than I hoped to sell them, but I finally did. That money I earned, along with some from my aunt for Christmas, was just what I needed to buy a new Vita-Mix 5200 in February of last year.

So, my Vita-Mix is extra special to me. I traded this dusty old loom, in addition to its many accessories and a few other looms, for the shiny Vita-Mix you see here.


It feels as though my whole family, even my grandmother who is no longer with us, is invested in helping my younger daughter get better, and I think of all of them when I use it.



For Vita-Mix Recipes:
Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part I: Shrek Juice

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part II: Green Smoothie

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part III: Almond Flour

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part IV: Almond Butter

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part V: Almond Milk

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part VI: Applesauce & Fruit Leather

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part VII: Coconut Milk

Why I Love My Vita-Mix Part VIII: Compost for the Garden

SCD Mayonnaise

Homemade SCD Apple Butter

Why I Love My Vita-Mix: Chili Powder

 

SCD Experiences

Posts of some of our SCD experiences are below. For recipes, please click on Recipe in the label cloud.

Our SCD story, how we found it, why we use it, and how it's changed our family, is coming soon.

SCD Freezer Cooking

SCD Easter Basket

SCD and the Stomach Flu

 

About LivingLaVidaMama

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Formerly, I've worked in publishing and been a medical student. Currently, I'm a freelance writer and copy editor, and full-time mom with two exceptional daughters. LivingLaVidaMama focuses on intentional frugality and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet that has dramatically improved my younger daughter's autistic-like symptoms. Contact me at MadForWriting at windstream.net