Living with a child that has cvs is a very hard thing to do. It is one thing I never wish to ever have any parent must less child go through. It is like when your child is having an episode you are just watching them suffer and can not do anything about it. your hands are tied almost. A little background on CVS:

CVS has four phases:

prodrome

episode

recovery

symptom-free interval

The prodrome phase signals that an episode of nausea and vomiting is about to begin. This phase, which is often marked by abdominal pain, can last from just a few minutes to several hours. Sometimes taking medicine early in the prodrome phase can stop an episode in progress. However, sometimes there is no warning: A person may simply wake up in the morning and begin vomiting.

The episode phase consists of nausea and vomiting; inability to eat, drink, or take medicines without vomiting; paleness; drowsiness; and exhaustion.

The recovery phase begins when the nausea and vomiting stop. Healthy color, appetite, and energy return.

The symptom-free interval phase is the period between episodes when no symptoms are present.

The problem with all of this is that there are what they call Triggers. Most can identify a specific condition or event that triggered an episode. Another, often found in children, is emotional stress or excitement, often from a birthday or vacation, for example. Colds, allergies, sinus problems, and the flu can also set off episodes.

Other triggers include eating certain foods (such as chocolate or cheese), eating too much, or eating just before going to bed. Hot weather, physical exhaustion, menstruation, and motion sickness can also trigger episodes.

Then you have the Symptoms. The main symptoms of CVS are severe vomiting, nausea, and retching (gagging). Episodes usually begin at night or first thing in the morning and maybe include vomiting or retching as often as six to 12 times an hour during the worst of the episode. Episodes usually last anywhere from 1 to 5 days, but they can last for up to 10 days.

Other symptoms include pallor, exhaustion, and listlessness. Sometimes the nausea and vomiting are so severe that a person appears to be almost unconscious. Sensitivity to light, headache, fever, dizziness, diarrhea, and abdominal pain may also accompany an episode.

In addition, the vomiting may cause drooling and excessive thirst. Drinking water usually leads to more vomiting, though the water can dilute the acid in the vomit, making the episode a little less painful. Continuous vomiting can lead to dehydration, which means that the body has lost excessive water and salts.

Before you get a diagnosis of this you are looked upon as if you have done something to your child on purpose and since there is no one test that can narrow it down, many of us parents and their children have gone through years of searching. To have to sit and watch your child in such pain and so listless. You begin to pray and plead with god to please do something and anything. You begin to bargain almost. Let you take their place. We as parents are not supposed to watch out children suffer ever. You talk to many doctors and many times you are looked at like you are really crazy. One day you get lucky, after many hospital and doctor visits you find one person that really knows what is going on and you start to get some relief for your child. The episodes start to be less frequent and less intense with medicine and treatment. It never really goes away completely but it can be minimize.

CVS is hard to diagnose because no clear tests—such as a blood test or x ray—exist to identify it. A doctor must diagnose CVS by looking at symptoms and medical history and by excluding more common diseases or disorders that can also cause nausea and vomiting.
Diagnosis takes time because doctors need to identify a pattern or cycle to the vomiting.

The sad thing is and the hardest part for parents to know is CVS cannot be cured. Treatment varies, those with CVS are generally advised to get plenty of rest; sleep; and take medications that prevent a vomiting episode, stop or alleviate one that has already started, or relieve other symptoms.

There are also complications with CVS.
The severe vomiting that defines CVS is a risk factor for several complications:

Dehydration. Vomiting causes the body to lose water quickly.

Electrolyte imbalance. Vomiting also causes the body to lose the important salts it needs to keep working properly.

Peptic esophagitis. The esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) becomes injured from the stomach acid that comes up with the vomit.

Hematemesis. The esophagus becomes irritated and bleeds, so blood mixes with the vomit.

Mallory-Weiss tear. The lower end of the esophagus may tear open or the stomach may bruise from vomiting or retching.

Tooth decay. The acid in the vomit can hurt the teeth by corroding the tooth enamel.

Like I said before it's very hard to have to sit and watch your child hurt and there is really nothing you can do but maybe drive them to the hospital and watch them be hooked up to I.V.'s so, there for you are really still watching them suffer and hurt. I guess what you really can get from this is that we go through so much for our children and we never want them to hurt ever but when you have a child that have a disease or illness it is really very hard to wake up every morning facing it all again. The scariest of all is you wonder very morning and every night will you child be there with you for you to love in the next?