There are few things more stressful than having a kid who is feeling sick. Stomach bugs can be particularly difficult to manage as a parent, and can cause severe illness in children. There are many different reasons why a child may be feeling sick and throwing up. Stomach symptoms can cause severe dehydration which can be dangerous for young children.
If your child is feeling sick, AFC Urgent Care Southcenter offers rapid same-day medical care for children over the age of 3. Our clinic has a full laboratory on-site, allowing our medical staff to accurately diagnose the underlying cause of your child’s symptoms and effectively treat it. Our clinic accepts walk-in patients and has short wait times. We accept most medical insurance plans, including Cigna, First Choice Health, and United Healthcare. To learn more, contact the clinic directly by calling (425) 291-3300, walk into the clinic, or schedule an appointment online.
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Common Illnesses That Cause Vomiting
Identifying what is causing your child to vomit can be difficult. There are many different illnesses that can lead to vomiting, however, the symptoms often look similar. This is especially true in children, because they cannot communicate their exact symptoms and explain how they feel as clearly as an adult.
Common illnesses that can lead to vomiting include:
- Norovirus
- Food poisoning
- The flu
In many cases, vomiting is caused by eating contaminated food or contracting a virus from someone who is sick. However, there are other conditions such as anxiety that can lead to regular vomiting. It is important to seek medical attention if your child is vomiting because it can quickly lead to severe dehydration which can be serious for young children.
Is Vomiting Contagious?
If your child is vomiting, you may be wondering whether you are at risk for contracting their illness. In reality, it depends on the underlying cause of their symptoms. If their vomiting is caused by a virus, then you can contract the illness that is causing your child to vomit and need to take precautions to ensure that you do not get sick while helping your sick child.
If your child is vomiting due to food poisoning, then you cannot get sick from your child. However, it is not uncommon for an entire household to get food poisoning at the same time from eating a contaminated meal accidentally. Food poisoning occurs when you eat food that was stored or prepared incorrectly, and you often do not know you ate contaminated food until you start feeling sick. It can be difficult to identify what is causing your child to feel sick without diagnostic testing. In many cases, stomach viruses and food poisoning share similar symptoms.
How to Treat Vomiting in Children
If your child is nauseous or vomiting, it can be difficult to handle. In many cases, your child may lose their appetite, which can make it difficult or impossible to get them to hydrate. Vomiting causes you to lose fluids very quickly, so if your child is refusing liquids or cannot keep food or water down at all, you should seek medical care for support to avoid severe dehydration. Your healthcare provider can help by providing anti-nausea medications and administering fluids as necessary.
Vomiting in children usually passes quickly and symptoms should resolve within a couple of days. If symptoms last longer than a few days, or your child has a high fever, you should seek medical care. Children have weaker immune systems than adults, so they may require additional support to help fight off the infection that is causing their symptoms.
Visit AFC Urgent Care Southcenter for Walk-In Illness Care in Southcenter, WA
Having a sick child is never easy. Vomiting can cause severe illness in children and should be closely monitored to avoid severe dehydration. If your child is vomiting, AFC Urgent Care Southcenter can help by providing rapid medical diagnosis and treatment services on a walk-in basis. Our board-certified medical providers can treat children who are over the age of 3. Our clinic maintains short wait times and is open Monday-Saturday with extended business hours. Simply walk into the clinic when it’s convenient for you if you’re in need of medical care near Southcenter, Kent, Tukwila, SeaTac & Renton, WA.
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Our clinic accepts most major medical insurance plans including Cigna, First Choice Health, United Healthcare and more. We also offer affordable healthcare for patients paying out of pocket for their medical care. If you’re in need of rapid pediatric urgent care services for your child who is over the age of 3, look no further than AFC Urgent Care Southcenter.
