On Call

So my friend just called me to tell me that her twelve year old roommate has been really sick for an entire day. I got to run a differential! So, patient has had nausea for a day, with intermittent vomiting and diarrhea over the same period. Abdominal pain crampy. Pain is also diffuse and not localized to the RLQ (if it were, suspect appendicitis). Patient is afebrile (almost entirely rules out appendicitis). Most likely diagnosis: considering the age of the patient, most likely cause of pain is gastroenteritis, or stomach flu. Patient is advised to stay hydrated and replace lost electrolytes. It is recommended that patient also go to school tomorrow if she feels any better at all.