Stomach flu

Dear Ask The Doctor: Dear Dr. My daughter got the stomach flu last Saturday. It just hit her in the afternoon. Until hen she had been fine. she began with body aches, diarrhea, low fever and nausea with vomiting. she doesn't have the body aches, fever or diarrhea, but is still slightly nauseated. It has been eight days since this began. I took her to the doctor last Monday and she felt her stomach area and did not feel anything unusual. My daughter was given a prescription for nausea and was told it is most likely the stomach flu. Can the stomach flu last this long? She did try a subway sandwich on Thursday and that came back up, but the chicken I boiled for her and mashed potatoes were ok so was the banana and applesauce she ate. It seems to be a low grade nausea but still bothers her. Should I worry it may be something else or does it just need to run its course. any response would be greatly appreciated. this would be something I would normally ask my mom, but I lost her last year to lung cancer. Please respond. thank you

Dear Julie:

I understand how concerned you are about your daughter’s condition.  Viral gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses those results in vomiting or diarrhea. It is often called the "stomach flu," although it is not caused by the influenza viruses.

Certainly according to the description of your daughter’s symptoms, it seems that she caught a virus such as rotaviruses, noroviruses, or adenoviruses. In general, the symptoms begin 1 to 2 days following infection with a virus that causes gastroenteritis and may last for 1 to 10 days, depending on which virus causes the illness.

I would suggest you to keep your daughter well hydrated and give her a low fat diet for the next days until she recovers completely. The virus will need to finish its process like any other virus causing flu or cold; there is no need for antibiotics. I wish her a prompt recovery.