ORT stands for oral rehydration therapy. It’s something you can do at home to help prevent the dehydration that can be associated with vomiting and diarrhea.

Generally, what happens in the gastrointestional (GI) tract when it’s infected (either by a virus or bacteria) is that is get’s irritable. One strategy to help keep fluids down is to give very small amounts of fluid frequently. The stomach is more often able to handle these small amounts of fluid rather than just letting the child drink what they want. They’ll keep more down and you’ll be able to know exactly what they’ve taken in.

Pedialyte or equivalent is generally recommended for kids 2 and under. Sports drink preparations for kids 3 and up.

Sometimes, kids aren’t very fond of the commercially prepared flavors. One nursing trick for you to try at home is to get unflavored Pedialyte or an equivalent knock-off brand. Get a sugar-flavored drink mix and put just enough crystals in the fluid to give it a decent taste. It doesn’t take too much and mix only a small volume—a couple of ounces at a time. Then, if your child doesn’t like it, you haven’t wasted much of the Pedialyte which tends to be more expensive and you can try another flavor with the less expensive drink mix.

Once mixed, give small amounts every five minutes. For babies under 3 months—give 3ml. For 3mo-3yr—give 5ml. For 3+yrs—give 5-10ml to start. Once your child has tolerated this for 30-45 minutes, you can try to double the dose of the fluid.

What if they vomit? Give it 15 minutes and start over.

How long do I do this? It can be labor intensive as we’ll want to stay this route for several hours—like 4-8 hours of giving these small amounts of fluid frequently. Often times, parents will keep up the routine for an hour and if their child has done well, they’ll let them drink what they want. Sure enough, everything comes back up. Better to stick with the slow route.

When should see a doctor?

1. Concern for dehydration. Some of the signs are as follows: Dry, cracked lips. No tears when your child cries. Pale color. Listless. Lack of a wet diaper in six-eight hours. Vomiting will lead to dehydration more quickly and the younger the child the more at risk they are. An infant 0-12 months who continues to vomit even with the small amount of fluids frequently needs to be seen. There are some concerning gut issues (like obstruction) that occur in this age group that is worthy of an MD exam.
2. You notice blood or bile. Any time blood is noted in diarrhea or vomit, you should see your doctor. Bile looks either bright yellow or vivid green. Old blood can look like brown flecks. All of these should be evaluated.
3. Your child fails ORT at home. You’ve given it your best shot but your child continues to vomit despite giving the small amount of fluid frequently.
4. Abdominal Pain. This can be hard because stomach cramping is not unusual with gastroenteritis. This is at your discretion if the pain is worrisome considering your child’s normal baseline and how they handle pain.
5. They flat out refuse oral fluids. Here, you’re backed into a corner. Of the utmost importance is for your child to be drinking. They must stay hydrated. So, if they won’t take anything at all, you’ll need to be seen by your doctor or in the ED.

Have you ever tried ORT at home?

Jordyn Redwood has served the pediatric population and their families for many years. She has five years of experience in the pediatric ICU and ten years of pediatric ER nursing which is the area she currently works. Jordyn also teaches CPR and advanced resuscitation courses.

Jordyn is also a suspense author. Her novel, Proof, will be published by Kregel June 1, 2012. She also hosts a medical blog for authors which you can find at www.jordynredwood.com.

 

Disclaimer: Remember, these posts are for education and discussion. If your child is sick and you think they require medical attention, take them to their pediatrician or local emergency department.

by Jordyn Redwood

Don’t we need humor in life to make it through? Life is hard. I have two very serious jobs. I’m a real life pediatric ER RN and a suspense novelist. Those can be heavy days but they can also be fun days—by using a little humor to get through.

Marriage is no different, right? Humor is necessary. What are some of the funniest things that have happened between you and your spouse? To take a break from discussing serious subjects: like death, trauma, and writing suspense—I thought I’d take a humor break and share some funny highlights from my married life.

Do you find that opposites attract? That’s the truth with my husband and I. He’s the quiet introvert. I’m the more outspoken extrovert. He gets queasy at the site of blood. Obviously, I do not. What we have seems to work—as we’ve been married almost fifteen years.

During our dating years, we were set to see a movie. I drove to his place and let myself in—and then sat there fuming when he was nowhere to be found. This was before the age of everyone having a cell phone. Finally, his phone rings. I answer. He’s on the line. “Where are you?” He asks. “Where are you?” I ask right back. He says, “I’m at your place!”—“Well, I’m where you should be.”

Other funny moments? Let’s see—teaching kindergarten Sunday school with his ex-girlfriend. Well, we can laugh about that now.

My husband likes to trim his own hair. One day, he mistakenly forgot to put the spacer on the clippers and took a swipe. Without much introduction, he comes into the living room and asks me, “Can you fix this?” with one bald stripe down the middle of his head.

I burst out laughing so hard—I still crack up thinking about it. ER nurse honey—not hairdresser extraordinaire.

Then, add kids to the mix and the potential for a good laugh multiplies. We have two daughters age 7 and 9. When my youngest was perhaps 4 y/o—she was just in one of these pestering type moods. After several attempts at redirection, I finally just say, “Please, just get out of my hair!” In her sweet, innocent voice, she says—“But, I’m not in your hair.”

Sometimes, you need those lighter moments in life to get you through serious novels, too. I have a very dry sense of humor. My debut medical thriller, Proof, deals with some very serious subjects and I thought whilst writing the ms—I really do need some moments of levity.

Hence, the humorous pairing of my odd couple detectives, Nathan Long and Brett Sawyer. Nathan means business. He’s serious and organized—bordering on an undiagnosed case of OCD. A southern gentleman. Brett’s the laid back easy type—maybe plays a little bit loose with the rules to get the job done. Often, their interactions provide comic relief in Proof. Let me give one example: an elderly woman with some questionable underwear choices serving them tea with a heavy dose of liquor during an interview. You may think that would never happen. Well, just recently I had a 14y/o show up just in his skivvies—at the ER. That’s right—just the white cotton briefs. And let me say—he was not deathly ill. Plenty of time for that young man to get dressed.

What about you? What’s the most humorous thing that’s happened in your married/dating/writing life? I’d love to know—could end up in my next book.

Names withheld—of course.

Jordyn Redwood is a pediatric ER nurse by day, suspense novelist by night. She hosts Redwood’s Medical Edge, a blog devoted to helping contemporary and historical authors write medically accurate fiction. You can connect with Jordyn via her website at www.jordynredwood.net.

About Proof:

Dr. Lilly Reeves is a young, accomplished ER physician with her whole life ahead of her. But that life instantly changes when she becomes the fifth victim of a serial rapist. Believing it’s the only way to recover her reputation and secure peace for herself, Lilly sets out to find–and punish–her assailant. Sporting a mysterious tattoo and unusually colored eyes, the rapist should be easy to identify. He even leaves what police would consider solid evidence. But when Lilly believes she has found him, DNA testing clears him as a suspect. How can she prove he is guilty, if science says he is not?