Giveaways

Win a Family Theme park trip plus hotel stay with Dioralyte

We all know the dreaded horror stories we hear when either you or family members get hit by the dreaded Norovirus or Rotavirus.  Days in bed ill, the kids have to be kept of school for days, constant cleaning the bedsheets to keep them fresh and germ free, and most importantly keeping everyone hydrated.

Dioralyte Family

I remember back a couple of years ago, when my daughter Miss M came home from school telling me that several of her friends were off school ill.  The next thing I knew, poor Miss M herself was poorly and totally unfit for school.  She was on and off the toilet with diarrhoea all day, couldn’t eat and so the one thing I tried to make sure was that she stayed hydrated.  I remember giving her a few sachets of Dioralyte to drink as I had some in the cupboard at the time and they are so much better than just plain drinks as they help to replace essential salts in the body.  It did take her a few days to get better then a further 48 hours off school so she didn’t spread it to others, although my now it seemed to have made it’s way around a fair few members of the class.  My little boy also suffered a little although I really pushed the point of washing hands all the time to prevent the spreading of germs.  Fortunatley the adults escaped this episode but with both children poorly, it wasn’t a very nice week at home at all!

Dioralyte is the number one selling rehydration drink and available in three variants, natural, citrus or blackcurrant. Suitable from 2 years of age, it’s worth keeping some in the medicine cabinet for all the family to use at time of diarrhoea and viruses.

DioraleZe is another product in the Dioralyte family, which aims to stop diarrhoea in it’s track with just one does.  Suitable for adults and over 12’s, this is definitely worth keeping an eye out for should you start suffering from such symptoms.

Some important facts you should remember if a bug reaches you or a family member are:

• Norovirus, is one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK. Sometimes referred to as the “winter vomiting bug” it causes diarrhoea and vomiting.
• It’s important to STOP & rehydrate from the first signs of illness, so it can be helpful to have the Dioralyte family on hand to help
• Dehydration is the loss of water and electrolytes (mineral salts)
• The Dioralyte family includes Dioralyte, Dioralyte Relief and DioraleZe
• Dioralyte provides the right balance of mineral salts and water to combat dehydration and rehydrates better than plain water, fruit juice or fizzy drinks
• Dioralyte Relief includes rice powders to reduce symptoms of diarrhoea as well also being formulated to hydrate better than plain water, fruit juice or fizzy drinks
• Drinking plenty of fluids, taking antidiarrhoeal and/or anti-emetic (anti-vomiting) medication, as well as getting plenty of rest are just some of the ways you can help manage the symptoms of norovirus
• Oral rehydration salts are recommended as good sources of rehydration in guidelines
• Even mild dehydration (between 1% and 2% loss in bodyweight) can cause a lack of concentration in the short-term, headaches and reduced mental capability

** Winner as picked by Pegasus is Rebecca Beesley!**  Congratulations!

I’m pleased to announce that in association with Dioralyte I am running a fabulous competition for my readers “Gastro Ghouls & Noro Stories”.

All you need to do is comment below with your Gastro Ghoul & Noro Stories including the following information:

• What gastrointestinal illness (gastro ghoul) did they suffer from?
• When did they get ill?
• What happened?
• How did it affect the family & in which order did it travel around the family?
• How quickly did it spread?
• Who was affected the worst?

Feel free to also submit a ghoulish video of your story which you can email over to me.

The winners story will be made into a promotional video by the promoter Pegasus to which you will be invited to a screening. Your details can be anonymous for this if you wish.

In return one winner will be selected according to the terms and conditions below and can choose one of these fabulous prizes!

Option 1
Family mini break (2 adults and 2 children) to Legoland Windsor, including centrally located hotel accommodation for one night and tickets to Legoland.

Option 2
Family mini break (2 adults and 2 children) to Chessington World of Adventures Resort, including centrally located hotel accommodation for one night and entry to the resort.

Option 3
Family mini break (2 adults and 2 children) to Longleat Safari Park, including centrally located hotel accommodation for one night and entry to the safari park.

Competition terms and conditions:
1. This competition is open to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland.
2. All information detailing how to enter this competition forms part of these terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the competitor agrees to abide by these rules. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions.
3. Entries should be submitted as a comment on the blog post or via the bloggers given email address. Entrants should include their own name and relevant contact information i.e. email address.
4. All entries must be received by the midnight 1st May 2016
5. Each entrant grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual licence to Sanofi to feature any or all of the submitted story in consumer and trade press and Sanofi company publications, on their websites and/or in any promotional material connected to this competition.
6. Late, illegible, incomplete, defaced or corrupt entries will not be accepted. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of transmission will not be accepted as proof of receipt. Entries must not be sent through agencies or third parties.
7. The winning entry will be chosen by Pegasus. The winner will be notified within seven days of the closing date of the competition.
8. Offensive or entries deemed by the competition organisers to be inappropriate will not be accepted.
9. The winning entry will win an experience with a perceived value of £560.
10. The winners may be required to take part in publicity.
11. Events may occur that render the competition itself, or the awarding of the prize, impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Promoter and accordingly the Promoter may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the Promoter as a result thereof.
12. English law applies and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts shall prevail.

 

• This competition prize is provided by Dioralyte as part of their Gastro Ghouls & Noro Stories campaign
• Dioralyte has not influenced the content of this piece
• To find out more about Dioralyte, Dioralyte Relief and DioraleZe products visit www.dioralyte.co.uk
• Always read the label (to be included if referencing product information)

 

You may also like...

58 Comments

  1. Our family of 3 all suffered with rotavirus couple of weeks ago. Out of a blue my little girl started to behave weird, crying for no reason, I didn’t know what to think until the vomiting saga started. We went for a walk in the garden and she became sick all over me, we came home to clean up and she vomited again. I’ve lost count how many sheets, clothes I have washed. At the end of the day we had to walk in a nappy and pants and bra. She was off the food but kept water which was great. In the evening she seemed slightly better until we all woke up at night as she was sick. None of us could see where she vomited and we couldn’t fill it either so once she was calm we fell asleep. The next day my husband texted me to say that he is sick as well and coming home, later that day I fell ill as well. It lasted 3-4 days. Seems like the worst thing that can happen when none of you have any strength but for you little one who have to pull yourself from bed and carry on as normal.
    Victoria Mylittlel recently posted…Work vs staying at homeMy Profile

  2. olivia Kirby says:

    4 years ago my youngest boy became ill with a viral gastroenteritis. He woke himself up by being sick in his bed and screaming, he had just turned 1. My husband and me were up all night with him as he was so upset and poorly. The next day, my daughter Melody and myself caught it. Melody was 3. My husband had to come home to care for the 3 of us and my eldest son managed to get to school. Melody seemed to be the poorliest of us all. She slept more though so that was a saving grace. The house was full of ill people and it smelt so bad, I felt terrible but I was so happy my 9 year old son hadn’t caught it as he was due to turn 10 5 days later and I had saved up for him to do a zookeeper experience for his birthday. As the week wore on, the 3 poorly people gradually picked up and it was looking good for my son’s 10th birthday. Disaster struck and the night before Conor’s 10 birthday he began to get sick, he was so ill he couldn’t make it to the bathroom and we were back to cleaning up sick! I never told him about the zookeeper experience so at least he wasn’t disappointed about that. We never managed to reorganise it as it had been a Groupon type offer. I really felt for him and had been so sure he had managed to avoid it!! That week was hellish and our house smelt far worse than mucking out at the zoo would have!

  3. Rachael Hudson says:

    My husband, my son and I got viral gastroentiritis while on Holiday in Crete last year. We saved up for an all inclusive holiday for ourselves and my 8 year old son, and 18 year son who had not been abroad before. The first few days were fine, until my husband started to feel ill and in no time at all was being violently sick, with a headache and constant diroreaha .This lasted all night and all day the next day! Fortunately my younger son was sharing a room with his brother at this time. However, after a couple of days my older son suddenly rushed off to the loo and retired to his room with the same symptoms as his dad! I had to make a put me up bed in our room for my 8 year old and myself until my husband was feeling better. Just as he started to feel better, I started to get the same illness and was ill for a couple of days. Amazingly, my 8 year old managed to avoid becoming ill.Not a holiday any of us would like repeated. We stocked up on water, paracetomol and immodium , but unfortunately just over a week of a 2 week holiday was spent with one or other of us being ill. My 8 year old was bitterly disappointed and he had learnt to swim and was unable to enjoy himself, although I have to say that we were really proud of him the way he behaved during this time, despite his hoilday being ruined through our illnesses!

  4. Samantha Mann says:

    When my eldest was an only child he caught gastroentiritis from Nursery. I worked at the nursery that my little boy went to and i think nearly all the kids there caught it over the space of 3 weeks…. one day I sent 8 children home as they started to be sick… thats a record! And there was a massive clean every single day to try and rid the place of it!

    Luckily for my little boy, I didnt catch it but my husband did just 48 hours after M starting with it. It lasted about 4 days for each of them, starting with the top end and moving its way to the bottom. My little boy was still effected the most… I now have a mother little boy and I hope he never gets it as he really suffers when he’s ill and refuses to take anything out of the ordinary to get better.

  5. Rebecca Beesley says:

    We’ve got a few tales to tell but the one that comes to mind most is this one!!! Let’s call it “The tummy bug that triggered mummy’s labour and then ended up with the whole family and the midwife unwell tale!”
    • What gastrointestinal illness (gastro ghoul) did they suffer from?
    Sickness and diarrhoea – I’m guessing it was the Norovirus
    • When did they get ill?
    It dates back to when my son was born in March 2006 but we all remember it well and it has become quite the family tale to tell about the day that Daniel was born.
    • What happened?
    My older son who was nearly 2 at the time, came down with the bug and just couldn’t seem to shift it. Then I got it and being heavily pregnant at the time it triggered my labour a few days before my due date. So after a night of me vomiting, my baby was born the next morning.
    • How did it affect the family & in which order did it travel around the family?
    In the meantime, my first son remained unwell, but then daddy got it so couldn’t visit us in hospital, then granny who had been helping out got it, then grandad, then I went home from hospital and the midwives started visiting, one midwife got it so she was replaced by another the next day, who also got it. I don’t think we were very popular! So there I was home from hospital with a brand new baby, and my eldest son was still poorly so he then ended up admitted into hospital. What a palava! Thankfully all fully recovered afterwards.

    • How quickly did it spread?
    • Who was affected the worst?

  6. Rebecca Beesley says:

    sorry I hit ‘send comment’ before I finished…
    • How quickly did it spread?
    Spread fairly quickly, day after day another person became unwell.
    • Who was affected the worst?
    My eldest son Josh, who was nearly 2 as he was the first to get it and the last to recover from it. I am so relieved and thankful that my newborn son didn’t get it at all! I am assuming he coped because he was exposed to the virus whilst in the womb and got immunity from it that way perhaps?

  7. Carl Mitchell says:

    My 3 year old daughter came home from nursery and played as usual before teatime. She didn’t eat her tea as normal but carried on playing with her older brother after he had finished his tea. After around 30 minuets of playing I noticed my daughters colour to literally drain from her face and she started to complain of tummy ache.

    I went over to her to see if she was ok when she started to projectile vomit, I have never seen someone be so aggressively sick like this. It continued, for the rest of the evening with my thinking how can someone so little have so much to throw up!! I took her to emergency doctors who diagnosed gastroentiritis.

    The following morning I also had a bout of sickness but it wasn’t as aggressive as my daughters, thankfully my son was spared the bug, a good job really as he had an important football tournament the following day! Phew! My daughter started to feel better the 24-36 hours after her initial sickness.

  8. Becci cleary says:

    I am rather lucky that the kids have never had a gastro virus – my oldest being 11!! Myself however was another story….so to set the scene ….. my Grandad is in hospital (luckily) recovering from a super bad bout of pneumonia…a 2 month (so far at that time) attempt to recover and he is finally conscious enough to watch TV….get a TV card and find that his TV is broken….ask a nurse, they’re rushed off their feet and advise me to go to another TV and ring an engineer. My Grandad is in a private room so I venture into the next bay, use the nearest TV phone, 2 minutes in and out,…..apparently 2 minutes is enough to catch the Neurovirus that’s passing round the bay that the nurses didn’t mention to me
    So next day…apparently round 18 hours later, back at the hospital is my Grandads room, feel a bit iffy…get hot and tired and shaky….think it’s just tiredness catching up on me as he was in a critical condition previously and I was spending 12-14 hours a day with him, I make my excuses and leave. The journey home is a blur….most of the next few days are too!! I remember being at home, I must have slept the day away but that night I vividly remember sitting on the toilet sideways with diahorrea so that I could be sick into the sink at the same time!!! The cramps were terrible and I told my partner that if I didn’t know any better I would say I was in labour as they had the same frequency and strength as a contraction! I was rolling around the bed in that much pain that my partner was seriously considering calling an ambulance!! This lasted for 3 days, gradually easing until the 4th day i felt strong enough to venture out…only then I realised that although my tummy and head felt better, my body wasn’t, I felt jittery and shaky and everything seemed to take an age, it was like I couldn’t function! It took another few days before I finally got over it!
    Luckily enough it didn’t spread to any of the others in the house, either they have a super defence system or they were giving me a very wide berth as they know that I’m a terrible ‘patient’
    I am still amazed at how fast I picked it up and the effect that it had on me! Fingers and toes crossed I haven’t had it since and hopefully will never have it again!!

  9. JOEDI ROSE-JONES says:

    My son was Lactose intolerant, and then got sickness on top. He was already struggling to keep fluids down. With his intolerance he was just constantly sick. We wouldn’t go out anywhere because he would be sick soon after eating or drinking. We ended up staying in. He was so floppy and just wanted to lay on the sofa. Because he hadn’t eaten or drank for so long the doctor gave us Dioralyte to replace some of the fluids and essentials his body had lost. My daughter closely followed with the sickness. Hers didn’t last as long but it was hard having two unwell children. My son suffered the most because of his lactose intolerance the illness lasted longer.

  10. Jaimee Dee Norris says:

    Thank you for the chance!!

  11. KERI H says:

    I was a nanny for 6 years before having my own children, so have experienced some Gastro Ghouls over the years. However when I had my twin girls – I think they were to top it all off! Both suffered from reflux so there was always a lot of sick, and one would ALWAYS projectile vom in the evening just before bed! Anyway when they were just over a year old, I went to check up on them in their cots. What greeted me was like a scene from a gross movie! Both were fast asleep (somehow) and lying in sick EVERYWHERE! They didn’t stop being sick all night long, so the next day I spoke to the Dr and she confirmed they had Norovirus. She actually prescribed Dioralyte, but in a smaller dose due to their age.

    Just as they were starting to feel a bit better and perk up after 2 days, I felt very weak and caught it too. My husband was away with work so I was alone with our sick buckets! My mom popped in to help and the next day she had to it, so it spread very very fast.

    I’d say one of my twins suffered the most as although she was used to being sick from reflux, she was also suffering from cramps with norovirus and was screaming in pain. She was also scared to drink as she associated it with being sick after.

  12. Mrs Rachel Heap says:

    I have 3 children, aged 10, 8 and nearly 4. I also work in a Nursery so am very use to sickness. Most recently I got a sickness bug and was really ill for a few days, just as i was recovering my 3 year old daughter started, then a couple days later the other two, it was horrific! I never felt so ill and never done so much washing before!

  13. Nicola Sadler says:

    My oldest daughter lost alot of weight due to sickness bug and wouldn’t eat or drink so dioralyte saved the day

  14. Rebecca williams says:

    My youngest got gastroenteritis when he was 2 years old, it then passed to me and it was horrendous I was constantly cleaning vomit and pooh while feeling like death myself.

  15. Liane Amos says:

    I have 2 great nephews that I love so much, I would love to take them to Chessington.

  16. Sarah Mackay says:

    Dioralyte has been a god send in our family, where seems at times that it is a constant battle against a diarrhea and vomiting bug. With the most recent encounter a couple of weeks a go, my daughter was the first to very suddenly start vomitting.

    And sure enough before we new it every member of the household came down with D+V withen 24 hours. My mum came down with the bug the worst but she has a weekened immune system from numerous ailments.

    Dioralyte helped greatly in keeping us all replenished and not dehydrated (it is also great if you have a hangover).

  17. kerry whincup says:

    One of my twin sons picked up a nasty gastro bug when he was 3 years old, which resulted in vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes both things happening at once. It took less than 24 hours for his brother to get it too and not long after me!. Being alone with them and us all feeling so poorly and weak was one of the hardest things I had to go through and Dioralyte was a god send. It meant the children were hydrated and this was a relief for me, it also meant that I had a little more energy to get through this in order to help them effectively. Interestingly, the twin who got it last took longer to recover, he was the smaller of the two and had some health issues from birth and slightly weaker immune system than the other.

  18. Rachel Tomlinson says:

    Luckily enough we have managed to escape any gastro bug which is positive , shame we have had everything else going!

  19. Lucy I says:

    Since having my son we have not been too bad with stomach bugs. In 2010 I came home from our honeymoon with a bad bout of food poisoning and was in pain for about a week before the doctors would give me antibiotics. They kept saying it would clear up on its own. As I was diagnosed with a notifiable disease, I can to fill in a form about what and where I had eaten, well I was in a hotel in Cape Verde that had a buffet menu so I had eaten all sorts.

  20. Christine Reid says:

    • What gastrointestinal illness (gastro ghoul) did they suffer from?
    • When did they get ill?
    • What happened?
    • How did it affect the family & in which order did it travel around the family?
    • How quickly did it spread?
    • Who was affected the worst?

    Our worse experience of gastro ghouls happened on holiday in France. We were self catering so can`t blame anything in particular. I was the first to get ill and at first I thought I had sun stroke.
    By that evening the two youngest (5 and 6 at the time) were being sick. a few hours later the oldest aged 11 came down with it.
    I was nasty, violent vomitting and tummy ache. I had brought a first aid kit with us including Dioralyte and anti sickness tablets. It took two days before we all felt better and I did get local advise from the pharmacy, they said just drink water. Easy to say but hard to get little ones to drink anythink when they are ill.
    It spread throught the family within 12 hours and lasted about 30 hours.
    The youngest aged 5 suffered the most but only marginally worse than everyone else.
    I did feel better giving them Dioralyte because I thought they wouldn`t get dehydrated using it.

  21. zainab hassan says:

    When we travelled to meet family back home in Pakistan last year,we got affected by viral gastroentiritis. Unfortunately my husband and my two year old daughter was affected the most. All through the night they were vomiting and had an upset stomach.Thank God we were carrying Dioralyte from back home in UK.it was a life saviour. as when we went to doctor in the morning they said the oral salts helped my 3 year old hydrated. my 3 year old and husband were admitted for 3 day in the hospital after that they fully recovered.

  22. Bridget Heather says:

    My family had the Norovirus a year ago. We had saved for about five years to take the children back to New Zealand where i am from so they can meet their family. I was nervous for the long flight with two children under 5 but had prepared well so thought it would all go ok….enter the Norovirus! Both kids starting feeling ill about half way there just after we had boarded the second leg which is a 13 hour flight. Luckily – if you can say that it wasnt sick to start with and started the other end but this is not easy on a plane especially with them both going!! All of the spare clothes were used and by the time we arrived one of them was wearing one of my husbands t-shirts to greet the family at the airport! Once we were there, the kids then starting being sick which carried on for about 4-5 days. It was such a shame as for most of the 12 days we were there the kids had no energy, didnt eat and were not themselves at all. There were people we couldnt see as didnt want to pass anything on and i felt so bad for everyone we did see and stay with. During the last week, my husband came down with it also. Strangely i didnt get more than the tummy pains but it just made for a stressful time. This was a bit of a once in a lifetime trip for us too as not sure we would afford to be able to go back with all of us so was a real shame that the entire trip was affected by it. I had taken Dioralyte with me so the kids did have this which i think made a great difference to avoid them being dehydrated.

  23. Rachael Simmons says:

    A couple of years ago I was on a mini break in Glasgow with my mum and sister and on the 2nd day I caught the Norovirus. Big time. I spent an entire day in the hotel toilet (having unfortunately made a mess of the bed – mortifying!) but thankfully they were very good and provided plenty of toilet roll and towels. The next day we came home and I was hallucinating and lost all track of time for about 48 hours. I remember not having the strength to even sit up. I was alone in my own place and heard later that my mum caught it a day later and was in the same state as me. I remember going to answer the postman’s knock and then projectile vomiting up the staircase. I have to this day NEVER been as ill as that, and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. The only thing I had to drink was blackcurrant Dioralyte to replace my fluids, as I was losing so much both ends. I was so disappointed as not only were we terribly unwell, but I missed most of the mini break, including a nice planned restaurant meal 🙁

  24. Tina mANSFIELD says:

    My son came down with the Noro virus last week, the night after we came home from our holidays. He heard this little voice at 2am saying help, as he made his way to the toilet. After cleaning up, and getting him back to bed he woke again at 4am and was sick again. This time he didn’t make it to the bathroom. Luckily there are just the three of us, so after a thorough clean up, and a disinfection of everywhere the following morning, non of us caught it. I was so pleased I had some dioralyte in the cupboard as he couldn’t manage any food and only water. Its good to know I could let his tummy get better before he started eating again. Thankfully we have only had this bug a few times in the family as its pretty unpleasant.

  25. Claire Scott says:

    • What gastrointestinal illness (gastro ghoul) did they suffer from? Noro virus
    • When did they get ill? About 4 months ago before Christmas
    • What happened? My daughter was at school saying she didn’t feel well, she looked ok so they made her stay and didn’t contact us..she then threw up all over the table at school, and all over the floor!
    • How did it affect the family & in which order did it travel around the family? I was the next one to get it a week later, only where my daughter only had it 24 hours before starting to feel better I was ill for 5 days but also was 8 months pregnant
    • How quickly did it spread? Took about a week before I got it, but I stayed in bed and used dettol spray around everywhere to try stop anyone else getting it
    • Who was affected the worst? Definitely me, length of time and a baby squirming around inside while you have a tummy bug isn’t pleasant

  26. vikki sanderson says:

    • What gastrointestinal illness (gastro ghoul) did they suffer from?
    – Gastroenteritis
    • When did they get ill?
    – Nov/Dec ’14
    • What happened?
    – Started with a few extra trips to the toilet, then as the day progressed we all ended up swapping and lots of buckets were needed #vom !
    • How did it affect the family & in which order did it travel around the family?
    – Me (Mum), Oldest then Youngest
    • How quickly did it spread?
    – Within 12-18 hours we were all ill.
    • Who was affected the worst?
    – Me!

  27. Joanne Baldwin says:

    My daughter got a viral gastrointestinal illness when we were staying with our in-laws over Easter. My niece felt unwell first, followed by lots of vomming, then my nephew. The next day my daughter felt unwell and proceeded to cling to her daddy for the next 24 hours while vomming all over him.

    Luckily I had to miss the visit due to work!

  28. Laura Harris says:

    We have a few tales, but when I was pregnant with my son, I caught a viral gastrointestinal ghoul from a friend of mine, who had kindly come to my scan with me, as my husband had been shipped abroad for work. When my husband came home, not only was I ill, but I then kindly passed it to him, and he also passed it on to his dad. As we were travelling back to Germany at the time, I had to be taken off the boat by ambulance when we docked, blue lights, sirens, the lot. Not a great way to welcome your husband home, but I was definitely the worst affected, as I was pregnant and had to be careful with what I could and couldn’t take. Dioralyte rehydration drink now lives in our cupboard, as It is just brilliant for an instant boost and pick me up. It has saved our bacon a few times, both at home and abroad!

  29. Natasha M says:

    • What gastrointestinal illness (gastro ghoul) did they suffer from? – My daughter had a vomiting bug which I think was Nurovirus
    • When did they get ill? She was sick all night & was very very poorly
    • What happened? She unfortunately was vomiting so much that she hadnt been to the toilet in 22 hours & after a second trip to the GP she was admitted to hospital. First she was given Dioralyte but she was still being sick constantly so she ended up on a drip.
    • How did it affect the family & in which order did it travel around the family? I caught it within 12 hours but the rest of the family were ok.
    • Who was affected the worst? My daughter by far was the worst, she was so young & became dehydrated so quickly. it was traumatic!

  30. Hannah read says:

    It was only last week, my husband and I had our first night out for over three months, as some friends had offered to babysit.
    The children were in bed when the babysitters arrive so we I visages no problems, (our children are fantastic sleepers). Upon our return, both children were awake, the babysitters looked stressed to the hilt and surrounded by towels and buckets.
    Thankfully due to deoralite, the illness didn’t last too long, and by the next evening both children were back to their old trouble causing selves.
    I’m not sure we will get another offer of babysitters anytime soon though 😉 .

  31. Suzanne Gaulton says:

    My son contracted rotavirus (we found out later) when he was only about 8/9 months old – he suddenly started being violently sick and was sick almost to the hour, every hour for 14 hours. I was frantic, being home alone (my husband was away with work) and a first time Mum – rang the NHS but there was nothing that could be done. He was absolutely wiped out by the end of it and I was utterly exhausted. Then the following day I started being sick – I vividly remember having him in the bath at bedtime and leaning over being sick into the toilet. A terrible, terrible time all in all! It took him weeks to recover…

  32. I still have bad memories of getting ill on holiday many years ago. Think I was 15 at the time and we were staying in a cottage in Denmark. My mum got ill first, really sick and couldn’t do anything but lie there feeling awful. My dad called a local doctor out to the house who diagnosed gastroenteritis. No sooner had the doctor gone, than my sister and I both started being sick too, although my mum definitely suffered the worst. Somehow my dad managed to avoid it altogether, but not really a great holiday for him either looking after the rest of us. Several days before we could even hold down dry toast. What a bad experience.

    (x2mum on twitter)
    Yet Another Blogging Mummy recently posted…Tidy – book review and giveawayMy Profile

  33. lisa evans says:

    When my eldest daughter was 11 months she had norovirus for a few days, I was so worried as it just seemed to go on and on. She slept in-between vomiting and diarrhoea and had no energy. The GP surgery advised me to keep away in case it spread. My lovely health visitor however popped in and really reassured me and told me to give her small sips of diarolyte which got her back on track and after a few days she recovered. It was an awful time but amazingly my husband and I didn’t get it, we’ve all had 24hour bugs since but nothing quite like that nasty one years ago thankfully!

  34. Sam Goodwin says:

    Recently I had an awful flu, I was completely knocked out, but I was also being sick, and had diarrhea too, luckily I had Dioralyte in my medical box, and thank goodness I did!! It brought me back to life, and let my body cope with the other symptoms of the flu. It tastes nice too, and is easy to drink.

    Dioralyte has literally saved my life a few times now!!

  35. Monica Gilbert says:

    I’m not sure which virus my daughter had when she was a year old. She was fussing in our bed and crawled to me for a feed. She then proceeded to vomit all over the bed, herself, and me. My husband was laughing as he took her to clean up. I had to clean myself, change my pajamas, and strip the bed. I got the last laugh a few minutes later. He was carrying a crying toddler, who vomited on him. Twice. Not a fun time for anyone (especially because we both ended up with the same virus).

  36. Tracy Gladman says:

    My husband caught gastro-entiritis when our daughter was 18 months old. My daughter had been off colour for a few days and really wasn’t well so I took her to the local hospital. They stated she just had a cold and would get better and sent me home. Within half an hour of getting home, she stopped breathing and collapsed on the floor. My husband was still sick in bed so I ran to the neighbours and bashed on the door. I have never felt so scared in my life. Whilst trying to resuscitate my daughter, my neighbour called for an ambulance. We spent a week in hospital where she was on a drip and thankfully recovered. I would never want to end up in that situation again. Thankfully, I did not catch the virus.

  37. Monica Gilbert says:

    I’m not sure which virus it was, because so many go around the nursery I worked at. Last summer, my daughter got sick on a Saturday and vomited. It made its rounds of the staff and children of the nursery (she was not the first). On Wednesday, I wasn’t feeling right, but I went into work. I had a feeling I needed the toilet and quickly rushed there. I managed to vomit in the toilet, and immediately had to go home. I stumbled home on foot and passed out on the couch. The next day, I was hoping for my daughter to get a ride. But the person who offered had come down with the bug. So I walked my daughter there (nearly a mile) and had her collected at the door. I stumbled home and passed out. A couple hours later, I got a call that she had a couple loose poos and needed collected. So I had to walk down, get her, and walk home. While feeling miserable. And she was full of beans and not at all sick. So I had a couple of not fun days.

  38. belinda hendry says:

    a few years ago when i was pregnant with my little one, i had gastric, i was about 6 months, omg i couldnt move everytime i did move i was vilontely sick, called doctor out he didnt do nothing went down to see another doctor, he sent me straight to hospital, then the hospital wouldnt admit me even though i was the walking dead, it lasted for about a week

  39. sarah mansell says:

    My son Charlie was only 5 when we went on a once in a lifetime family to China. We we on a group tour and only ate where we were told was safe by our guide. Sadly just after lunch one day Charlie came down with illness. He was so poorly and luckily we had packed our Dioralyte We managed to find a hospital who tested him and discovered he contracted salmonella & ecoli from some contaminated eggs he had eaten at breakfast at our hotel. We had to cancel the rest of the tour and let him recover. Luckily he perked up after a few days as we caught up with them just in time to visit Disney in Hong Kong and then come back home. I will never leave home with out Dioralyte!! It was a life saver!!!

  40. chris parham says:

    MY STORY :
    Dear diary,
    Today i woke up to my peaceful Christmas with a dreaded scream. It was my brother harry. What was wrong?
    Rushing to see what was going on, I saw Harry lying there, I watch the colour drain from his face. I said to Harry “I will get Mum and Dad”. As I sprinted to my Mum and Dads room I flung the door open.” Mum and Dad” I cried ,” Its Harry”, they jumped out of bed and went to see what was wrong. Mum said “it could be something like Gastroenteritus”, what a great start for christmas.
    Later on in the day, we came down the stairs tired and stressed. Suddenly, my sister Abbie began to retch then, in seconds ,there was bright yellow chunky sick all over the floor. Sickness was spreading throughout the house.
    Frightened to catch this traumatic virus, affecting both ends, I ran upstairs to my room and hid. i didn’t want this horrendous christmas present. I was just waitng for it to taunt me as it grew and infected my body.
    Then i heard another traumatised scream it was Ollie, my brother he had caught it Gastroenteritus. I knew this virus was watching me, mocking my weaknessess. Soon I began to drift off to sleep.
    As I woke with terror, I knew this virus had got my brothers and sister. Going to see how everyone was, my Mum and Dad were laying on the sofa with the same white look as everyone else, its got them too. I started to sweat, is it worry, or the virus. It had got everyone but me. Now i was the target.
    I better go my tummy is rumbling and squirming. Its coming for me

    Wish me luck Maddie

  41. Laura Bryant says:

    What gastrointestinal illness (gastro ghoul) did they suffer from?
    Almost certainly Noro virus – but undiagnosed.
    • When did they get ill? 24 hours prior to a road trip to Disneyland Paris from day nursery.
    • What happened? Our youngest of 3 boys aged 2 years started with loose nappies just before we set off to France. The car was loaded up with everything but the kitchen sink! As we drove out the Channel Tunnel in France he started vomiting and this continued until we arrived at the hotel. I was 6 weeks pregnant and feeling nauseous throughout. Thank goodness I had packed plenty of dioralyte because that saved the trip. For 3 days and 3 nights we struggled to enjoy our special trip with our poorly boy.
    • How did it affect the family & in which order did it travel around the family? Fortunately, with excellent hygiene and good hand washing no one else succumbed. But his infection impacted on us all as we couldn’t leave the hotel room on one day at all!
    • How quickly did it spread? It didn’t fortunately!! Only through all his clothing and we had to use the hotel laundry several times (It would have been cheaper to have bought new clothes for him!).
    • Who was affected the worst? Just Charlie – no one else, unfortunately having saved up for what was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime for the three boys – the trip was somewhat ruined for us all. We tried to make the best of it each of us taking turns to leave the hotel room with the other 2 boys. Sadly we never got back!

  42. Lola Skuse says:

    Brilliant prizes and great blog, thank you!

  43. Kerry Smith says:

    When my twins were little they caught an awful stomach bug it was coming out both ends so fast that as soon as I’d changed ones nappy the other had projectile vomited all over the lounge. Within 5 hours my husband had it everyone but me was vommitting everywhere. I was fine until the babies looked at me and smiled for the first time in three days and it was like my body just went it’s ok now everyone is getting better now you can be ill. Oh my I felt like I’d turned my body inside out

  44. Kerry Smith says:

    When my twins were little they caught an awful stomach bug it was coming out both ends so fast that as soon as I’d changed ones nappy the other had projectile vomited all over the lounge. Within 5 hours my husband had it everyone but me was vommitting everywhere. I was fine until the babies looked at me and smiled for the first time in three days and it was like my body just went it’s ok now everyone is getting better now you can be ill. Oh my I felt like I’d turned my body inside out bluggh

  45. Viv Gilbey says:

    Naughty Norovirus struck 18 month old daughter first,
    She’s the smallest in the family and affected the worst.
    She was quiet and pale, clearly wasn’t happy,
    and then came dirty nappy after dirty nappy.
    That night saw Mummy constantly cleaning up sick,
    Daddy helped wash the bedding and PJs really quick.
    But the next day Mummy started feeling really queasy,
    looking after a poorly little one whilst ill certainly wasn’t easy.
    Daddy came home early to look after the Norovirus struck two.
    But after a while poor Daddy started running to the loo!
    Luckily Nanny dropped by some supplies to help us feel well.
    Whilst we were better soon, I’ll never forget our Norovirus Hell!

  46. liz ferguson says:

    on a cruise too spain, it spread via the kids to us xx

  47. sarah mills says:

    not sure what type, but on a cruise, I had to go to doctor onboard and it cost me a £110 just to get through the door, we all got affected quickly after that, within 24 hours, my son

  48. laura morgans says:

    My daughter Molly got the Norovirus a few hours before travelling to Disneyland Paris – we hoped it was one off sickness caused by over excitement but unfortunately not & by the time we reached Paris me & my daughter were both suffering 🙁 diaralyte helped we both stayed as healthy as possible and after a while of hiding in the hotel room we were ready to hit the park. Luckily my husband managed to avoid the bug & did a great job nursing us better.

  49. Katie Sobol says:

    When my eldest daughter was 15 months old and I was pregnant with my second daughter, we were struck by a D&V bout – I am not sure quite what it was, perhaps the norovirus?

    At first when I started throwing up, I thought that it was just some particularly powerful morning sickness, but then when my husband started throwing up as well, I realised that it qas something else! When my little girl started looking poorly, I remember clearly trying to cheer her up, whilst having to stay very close to the bathroom door and as my husband and I were both suffering at the same time and we only had one bathroom, there were times that the bath, sink or a bucket were needed and sometimes it was coming out at both ends at once.
    I remember the first day I felt ill, when my husband was looking after our daughter during the day, whilst I was at work. My daughter had been missing me as I hadn’t long returned to work after maternity leave and I wanted her to see how pleased I was to see her. I had a big smile on my face, told her how happy I was to see her, turned and was sick into the kitchen sink and then she looked scared at the noise so I turned with althe smile still on my face to tell her again how happy I was to see her!
    Each day we expected her to come down with it, but she amazingly seemed to avoid it entirely!

  50. Melanie Burton says:

    My little one has been quite lucky. But me on the other hand………I actually suffered from Norovirus a few weeks ago, but that’s quite a boring story. One of the most memorable stories was when I was about 19. I was staying round my boyfriends house, when all of a sudden his mum came down with vomitting and diarrhoea. Then his dad a day later and then us! You can imagine how embarrassing it was throwing up and having severe diarrhoea at somebody else’s house! They only had one bathroom as well, so we were constantly battling with each other as to who would go first! It got so bad, that I woke up from dozing and vomit started coming out of my mouth! There was no way of stopping it. I felt so embarrassed – especially as they were very particular about their furniture and carpet! To top it all of my boyfriend and I were suppose to go away – but that had to be cancelled. Luckily it only lasted a few days and once I started feeling a bit better I got my dad to come and pick me up.

    Another story was I was at work and I had been feeling rather rough all day. I was in the middle of a phone call with a customer when I had a terrible urge to go! The customer wouldn’t get off the phone and as it was a small company, there was nobody I could pass the call to! In the end I had the phone in my hand and was jumping about trying to hold it in. One of the directors came in the room and I literally through the phone at him, apologised and ran to the bathroom. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it and ended up soiling myself! I had to take off my knickers and wash them out in the sink. It was so embarrassing! When I came out of the bathroom, one of my colleagues had to give me a lift home! You can imagine, they weren’t impressed as in the end they all ended up needing time off as they were all sick – thanks to me! This was gastric flu.

    In most situations I tend to end up suffering worse than anyone else in my family as I have an auto-immune system disease!

  51. Jacqueline Roberts says:

    My youngest was the first to succumb to the sickness bug and sat up in bed and literally sprayed vomit everywhere I didn’t even think he had eaten what he threw up, where did it all come from? We were all cooped up on the Haven caravan site and one by one we went down with like skittles. Luckily I was the last so played nurse until I came down with it. The kids for ages associated being sick with caravans and they wouldn’t go back. Luckily now they are older the sickness bugs are very rare.

  52. Jess @ Catch A Single Thought says:

    Just after Christmas we were hit with the dreaded gastroenteritis. It started with my youngest child who is 4, then spread to my daughter who is 6 and finally to my husband. I was the only one who remained sickness free and it definitely affected my husband; the children seemed to bounce back within 48 hours but he was struggling for almost a week. It began just as we were heading to bed one night; my son woke up crying and was then sick in his bed. He was sick a number of times and poor lamb, ended up having to be stripped down and sat in the bath whilst we tried to find clean bedding and sheets for him. My daughter was a little better, she got sick the following evening but could at least get herself out of bed in time to reach the bathroom. I spent the next day disinfecting absolutely everything I could!! Obviously wasn’t enough to save my husband though bless him.

  53. Farhana says:

    I was pregnant with my second when it hit our household. I was in the last trimester so already pretty big and useless. It started with my daughter who visited her cousins. We heard they had been struck down and feared the worst was to follow in our house too.

    Within a day my daughter started been sick constantly, so much so the Dioralyte would come straight out within minutes. Endless linen change and wash and tumble drying pursued. Things got worse within a day when my husband fell victim too. In true man flu style, he was worst than my daughter. There was only pregnant me dealing with the both of them, At one point I was out of linen and had to lay out towels!! The house smelt lovely(!!!) with the stench of sick.

    I persevered and just when both of them were recovering, I got the bug too. Thankfully mine wasn’t as bad -hence hubby calling me superwoman! In truth, I think if you have no choice of feeling sorry for yourself when you’ve got dependents (HUBBY and daughter), then you just find the will to fight it better.

  54. Paula gwynne says:

    Thankfully my children have not had a sickness bug for quite a few years. They did suffer more when in nuersery school.

  55. Thankfully Marianna hasn’t had more than a sniffle yet – touch wood! – but I remember some horrific bouts from my own childhood. I remember one episode in particular with flu / sickness and diarrhea. My dad fell first and it quickly spread to the rest of us, and my grandparents were on holiday in Australia for a fortnight so there was no helping hand in the babysitting department. I had bunkbeds at the time and projectile vomited from the top of them… The bathroom looked like something out of a horror film too! D:
    Jess Powell (Babi a Fi) recently posted…Blogging Calendar FebruaryMy Profile

  56. Jo Lisbon says:

    Looks like I am too late for this! Who was the lucky winner?

  57. Rebecca Beesley says:

    I just wanted to pop by to say a HUGE thank you! When the agency got in touch to tell me, they didn’t have many details about where the prize was from but I knew it must be from your blog. We have chosen legoland as I think my kids will love it there and they’ve kindly allowed us to pay extra and upgrade to take all 3 of my kids. We’re booked to go in summer holidays – very excited! Thanks so much for hosting this competition xxxx

    1. Fiona Martin says:

      Yay!! So glad to hear it’s all booked and really hope your family have a fantastic time at Legoland! Thank you also for entering! xx

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge