Question
Started vomiting eight days ago at night, and when eating anything, it would come up. Yesterday, there was also a runny nose symptom. Previous treatment and effectiveness: None. What kind of help do I want: Please give me some advice from the doctor, at this age, is it better to take medicine or is there any dietary therapy?
Answer
Based on your description, the child’s condition may be acute gastritis accompanied by cold symptoms, or it could be gastroenteritis. It is recommended to fast for a period of four to six hours temporarily, and absolutely do not take any medication. The purpose is to allow the stomach to rest sufficiently and help with complete recovery. If very thirsty, you can drink a small amount of ginger-sugar water, which can have some warming effect to stop vomiting. If you can drink water without vomiting, you can drink it in small amounts multiple times. Never drink a large amount of water at once, as it may shock the gastrointestinal tract and cause dry heaves. Once the child stops dry heaving, they can start eating in small amounts multiple times, gradually increasing their food intake until they return to normal eating. If severe dry heaving occurs again, along with symptoms such as thirst, sunken eyes, and poor skin elasticity indicating dehydration, it is necessary to seek medical attention immediately and receive intravenous treatment to replenish body fluids; hospitalization may be required in some cases.