GI virus question--is excessive sleepiness normal?

schnappycat · March 2012

DD contracted a GI bug yesterday. She threw up most of the day and ran a low temp. No diarrhea, thankfully. She was quiet and sleepy and generally slept on and off much of the day on the floor on towels or on my lap.

She slept all night and today she seems better in that she isn't vomiting, but her temp is a bit higher (around 100) and she is SOOOO sleepy. She is either sleeping or just laying on the floor looking lethargic. I don't think she is dehydrated because her diapers are wet and she is able to drink water today.

Should I be worried about her excessive sleepiness? She is generally not one to lay around at all and some of the time doesn't even nap anymore on a normal day.

I already talked to the nurse yesterday and she said to just wait it out. But I didn't ask about the sleepiness because I assumed it would abate when she stopped vomiting. Instead it seems worse. I will probably call them back this afternoon.

DS only had one tummy bug so I don't have much experience with what is normal as far as how it runs its course.

AlexKate45 · March 2012

Is she eating/drinking anything other than water now? Because if not, she might be sleepy because lack of energy (from food). If she is lethargic still and has a temperature of over 100 you might want to call them back. Hope she feels better soon.

st.augbride · March 2012

Ugh, something must be going around. Ds was up all night throwing up : ( He is definitely struggling today and is very tired, though he has been playing well with his toys for the most part. He isn't really eating anything yet though, so we're just struggling to get liquids in him. I imagine the sleepiness is normal after this, since it's pretty intense. If it isn't better tomorrow, I'd call back.

HLPMama25 · March 2012

I think it is very normal for them to be sleepy. Stomach bug ran through our house about a month ago. DS was 12 months. He took a 4 hour nap in the morning the day after he got sick and then a two hour nap in the afternoon. I know I felt very tired when I got it, too. It can really wipe you out. And FYI...took a week for his BM's to get back to normal. He started with vomitting and then moved on to diarrhea.