My world came to a stand still on the 15th Nov morning when my two boys  were down with high body temperature.

With swine flu making it’s comeback, we were very scared and kept our fingers crossed. Thankfully there was no soreness in the throats nor any cough. I gave them Ibugesic Plus and the fever came down. But two nights were scary.

Next morning I ran to the Ruby Hall to our paediatrician Dr Neeta Hanumante. She was sure there was no swine flu as the respiratory tract was clear. I had started Normet (Norfloxacin and Metronidazole) for loose motions which was not working. So she changed it to O2. ( Ofloxacin and Ornidazole). Although Norfloxacin is also a broad spectrum antibiotic and suppose to work on both gram +ve and gram -ve bacteria, but since it was used continuously for last 5 years, may be the drug was not powerful enough or may be the bacteria were now used to it. 🙁

She also prescribed Zinc based multivitamin as Zinc is suppose to help the gut lining recovery.

To replenish the good flora of the gut, I started ViBact which is a sachet of pre & probiotics. These good bacterias are very important for quick upset tummy recovery. You must have seen the adv of Yakult endorsed by the actress Kajol. This small bottle costing Rs10/- has only lactobaccilus casei strain (6.5billion in one drink). But during gastro problems, it’s best to go for  pre & probiotic Vibact which has 50 million Lactobacillus spores, 30 million streptococcus faecalis, 2 million clostridium butyricum and 1 million bacillus mesentericus and costs Rs 8/ sachet. The advantage of Vibact is definitely more  variety of good bacteria. Also one sachet can be mixed in one glass of water to be given during the whole day.

Kajol may be unknowingly recommending  Yakult for daily consumption, but it is not advisable to take any probiotic on a daily basis. The body has it’s own way to culture these flora in our gut and if we provide anything extra, it will only be flushed down the drain. 🙂

The viral flu in the air now may be the “rota virus” which causes gastroentritis in kids, leading to loose motions and fever.

The doctor told us that lots of kids with similar symptom were calling sick so no need to panic. Easy to say.

She also assured me that the motion should be ok by the 6th day. And loo! on the 6th day, both were perfectly fine with normal motion. ( Never have I felt so happy peeking into the pot before, than this time.:))

A pathologist friend adviced that now that the virus was gone, I should clear away any remaining microbes and worms with Zentel (Albendazole). One bottle per child and repeat after a month to remove any traces of any worm.

In the last 7 days, I gathered some important information which may be useful to some of you moms.

How to differentiate between Swine Flu and Normal Flu symptoms?

If the fever comes down by any medicine, then it’s a common flu. In either case, reduce the exposure of your child to public place, lots of washing of the hands, buy new scrubber for dish washing, clean the floor with dettol, wipe the door knobs, handles, switches, phones, remotes with dettol atleast once week, will keep away the germs out of your house.

Food during loose motion / stomach upset.

Food that helps kids to recover fast during loose motion, is a  BRAT :). Banana, Rice (overcooked), Apple,  Toast ( no maida).

Add methi seeds into the boiling moong khichdi as methi is excellent to stop loose motion.

Another sure shot home remedy I can swear by is a half nutmeg boiled in 1 cup water till it is reduced to one fourth. Mix this water in normal water and give it to your kids. I used to give this even when they were on powder milk.

I make soup with vegetables having loads of potassium as it help to cure loose motion. I have come across this beautiful site which I have been referring to now over last 12 months and trust me it is a bible of all food items. It called nutritiondata.com.

Soup made of onion, tomato, carrot, potato and most important parsley with ginger, garlic helps a lot to recover fast.
Chicken soup with same ingredients also is excellent.

Food that must be completely avoided during loose motions. Maida, Sugar, oil and spices. These are difficult food to be digested and will just pass out of the body causing more pain than any gain :).

And if the child is not eating or drinking anything, then ORS is a must.