What can you tell me about rotavirus?

[Clarkiette]

My 3 year-old has been vomiting since early this morning, DH took him to the after-hours GP (its the weekend here) and when they eventually get seen they hook him up to an iv and call an ambulance because he is dehydrated.
:cry2 This is very scary for me as this is the first hospital visit for any of the kids and I don't get to be there with him to hear first hand what's going on, because I need to stay home with the other kids.
At the hospital they did tests and its come back as rotavirus.

Can anyone tell me if something special needs to be done about cleaning his spewed on clothes and bedding etc? I've rinsed with disinfectant and hot washed so far. I've heard its very contagious and I really don't want his younger sisters to get it.
Prayers would be appreciated too, just that he'll get over it quickly.

[Barefoot Bookworm]

I think you've done all that you can do. Rota is highly contagious and lasts for quite a while. When I had it while working in a daycare center, I was sick for 9 days.

[AngelaVA]

Praying. We had the same thing when dd was 18 months old and we were on vacation. It is really contagious, clean everything as well as you can, give your other children probiotics and if they get it I'd suggest nursing only if you are still nursing, it may prevent dehydration.

[MarynMunchkins]

It lasts a long time. :hug Both my older kids had it at once (when there was only the 2 of them), and it was a good 3 weeks before they could leave the house again.

If you have some tea tree oil, I'd add a couple drops to your laundry.

[TestifyToLove]

J had it just before he turned two and he was in the critical puking and vomiting phase for nearly 14 days.

We did manage to avoid the hospital but it required round the clock Zofran and lots of electrolyte fluids. We reached a point where the pedi said if he threw up ONE MORE TIME he had to go inpatient for IVs. That was the last time he puked for two days and we were able to hold it off.

However, his whole body sunk in, he lost a good five pounds. He was SOOO sick and SOO miserable. He couldn't even keep down breastmilk well. He lost muscle mass. I had to check his mucous membranes, the precense of tears, and how ofte he was peeing religiously. He was on the edge of needing the hospital for a week of it, it was that severe.

The rotavirus itself was a nonsicomal infection that an ER resident gave my baby when he stuck his hand in my child's mouth for a mouth injury. I had a very HIGH motivation to avoid the hospital if at all possible. I'm a nurse and the ped was comfortable coordinating at home with me to do so.

[3boysforme]

are you nursing? Breastmilk will kill rotovirus in the gut. I would give all the children breastmilk, even the non nursing ones.

I second the TTO in the laundry.

[Niphredil]

We worked hard to keep my daughter super hydrated and gave her probiotics and she was over it in five days. We wash all our laundry in boiling water and TTO and neither of us got sick either.

[Clarkiette]

Thanks everyone. I tried to give him some expressed breast milk yesterday, but it didn't stay down very long. I will try and express some more to give to my 2 year-old daughter though, my youngest is almost 3 months so that's all she gets anyway.
DH & DS haven't seen the doctor yet this morning to know if he can be discharged, but he's been managing to keep some water down so far this morning so I'm hopeful. Otherwise if he has to stay I'll need to figure out how to get in to the hospital for a visit.