Childs Fever

K. I know you already got a very good answer on this but I wanted to add my 2 cents. Fever is always a symptom of something wrong with the body. What most people do not seem to understand is that a fever is a necessary part of healing as well. When you reduce the fever with medication the body is unable to fight whatever it is trying to get rid of. The same way our body vomits something that is bad for us... if we take anti-vomit medication we are keeping dangerous stuff inside instead of letting the body do its job. I never ever ever give my kids anything for fever, they heal much faster. Give her tons of fluids, water, is best, some gatorade like stuff is ok... stay away from sugars (even juice and dairy) they feed infection not matter if it is baterial or viral. If the fever is making her terribly uncomfortable cool her off with cool compresses or luke warm baths. Let her body do its job and she will be healthier faster! Believe it or not fevers are a good thing. Obviously if they get in the danger zone call the doctor immediately but up to 103 is ok.

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Is your daughter uncomfortable with the slight fever? I know when my kids are febrile, I never treat them until they tell me they are not feeling well. I have 2 kids, and my son can't handle fevers, but my daughter has had 102 temps and still felt fine and didn't want to take any meds.
If she's eating and drinking well and not complaining of pain then that is a good sign. I would wonder about UTI's if she keeps spiking fevers though. A simple test can rule out a UTI. Hope she's better soon!

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I know you have gotten a lot of great advice, but I just wanted to share my personal experience with fevers and my daughter that may be of help to you.

When my youngest daughter was little, she often would get a fever with no other symptoms. I learned if I let it run it's course, only gave her water and Pedialyte (unless she asked for food) and let her sleep WITHOUT Motrin, she would get over whatever she had in 48 hours and be completely well again. The only time I gave her Motrin is if it got up over 103 and other home remedies wouldn't cool it or if she was awake and miserable. I was amazed at her body's ability to successfully fight off bugs so quickly with little suffering by just letting the fever do it's job. It used to be scary since I rarely had fevers myself as a kid, so I would get worried, but I finally just realized she has a great immune system response if I would just let it work it's magic :)

I hope your daughter feels better soon!

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You never let her fever do what it is meant to do - burn off viral invaders. You suppressed it so quickly, but her body still has the virus and wants to burn it off - thus the up and down. Motrin is ibuprofen - acetaminophen is for fever-reducing - but you only want to help bring the fever down if it gets really high. Otherwise, lots of fluids, rest and a cool cloth on her head would do wonders - and speed the healing process. Whenever we intervene with drugs for the common cold, it can slow the healing time and give this back and forth that you saw in your daughter.

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My daughter has this last Friday...and I kept her home since I had just gotten over the flu weeks ago....She started complaining about her legs hurting and later that day I wrote it off as just a growth spurt during the day...but now that I read your post....maybe it was a 24 hour bug that is going around.....

K.,

My 3 year old experienced an illness much like this two weeks ago. Her fever would escalate throughout the day, but was well controlled with medication. However the fever spikes had me concerned as well. I contacted her peditrician and told her about my daughter's symptoms. Her response surprised me. I was told not to bring my daughter into the hospital, as I had intended. Rather her doctor told me that they were seeing children/ patients only under dire conditions and all calls of this nature were given a tentative diagnosis of swine flu. I say this not to alarm you but to share my experience. Her doctor prescribed tamiflu, which my husband picked up from the pharmacy that day. The doctor said that my daughter would likely experience spikes in fever for about 3-4 days, which she did, and that I should continue giving her children's Tylenol to control the fever and flu like symptoms. The Tamiflu, which she took two times a day was to prevent the virus from spreding internally. I was concerned, but my doctor reassured me that with the medication and a careful watchful eye, my daughter would get better within the week. Just as my doctor had described, was the course of the illness.
My daughter received the first round of the nasal swine-flu medication, but because the medicine was unavailable, she never got the second dose.
I reccommend that you call your peditrician and discuss your daughter's sypmtoms and see what she/ he says. Good luck.
- T.

Ears?

If her nose is a little stuffy, and she's got a low grade temp, it may be a mild ear infection.
You could wait it out, try ear drops and ibuprofen for pain, and it may clear as her eustachian tubes dry up. Call your doc or your nurse for best advice, but in my experience, my kid's ears give her mild fevers if they get blocked by colds or allergies. She's otherwise fine and dandy.

FYI: I found out recently from our pediatrician that temperatures get higher at night naturally, so that may explain her being noticeably hotter in the afternoon/and upon waking up.

hey K. -
aren't we supposed to add a degree to the underarm temp? i think so...
also, i have had more then one nurse tell me not to give medication to bring low fevers down, only higher more dangerous fevers (over 102/103) - especially if the kid is not complaining of aches and pains - because the fever is the body fighting the illness and to tamp down the fever is hindering the bodies natural fight of the illness...
i'm sure you'll get lots of great advice and you're doing wonderfully :) - - also, if you have medical insurance they most likely have an advice nurse you can call: that will set your mind at ease, too, to talk to a nurse! :)
best regards,
S.

I know chiropractors are into not using drugs, and I agree with them. I have been told not to give Tylenol/Motrin or anything like that unless the fever is above 102-104. Anything lower is the body working at killing the bug. By taking the temp down with medication, the bug just sticks around. I suggest talking with a doctor, of course, but stop giving Motrin for low grade fevers and let the body heal itself. My chiropractor also showed me how to rub just behind their ears and down, where it is not so bony. This is supposed to help the body relieve the temp if it is ready to.

K., I just got over a 10 day flu (probably H1N1) and both my kids had it, too. My 2 year old was grouchy and whining for most of the day while she was sick, but my 4 year old son was perfectly happy and playing during his 3 days of the flu. The fever was hard to control, so the only thing he did differently was to take a nap when he was hot. I think as they get older, they adjust better to illness...my personal thoughts..

The aspirin brings your daughter's temp down which explains why she feels better for a while until the aspirin begins to wear off. Also temps go up in the evening and are typically lower in the AM. I would not recommend taking her temp under the arm. She is old enough to hold the thermometer in her mouth (as you supervise) and the reading will be much more accurate than under the arm. My daughter has a temp today and I compared the under arm reading to the mouth. The mouth read 100, the under arm registered 96. The doctor won't do much for you if she isn't experiencing headaches and high temps (over 102) and indication of swine flu. Have her stay resting and drinking lots of water and juice. Most likely it's just a virus and I'd keep her home from school at least until the fever has been gone for 24 hours.

This is our "normal". My daughter gets these little fevers, and knows she doesn't feel well (asks me to take her temperature) but otherwise bounces around the house delighting in a day home from school. I only give her meds if she is achy-clingy-miserable so her body can use the fever to cook the germs dead.
Our pediatrician feels she just has a strong immune system, and rather than getting a full blown cold, she just gets these mini-versions, and we shouldn't worry. (It was distressing my mom.)

I figure her immune system is busy with the first bug, and if she isn't at school she isn't picking up a second bug and REALLY getting sick with symptoms.

So like the other posters, I would go easy on the meds and just let her immune system cook the bugs.

good luck!

There is definitely a flu bug going around. Both of my girls had it with a fever on and off. You wouldn't know my little one was sick however at one point she did get up to 103.3. It would go away for the day and come back at night and with me also. I wouldn't worry too much unless it gets up to the 103 mark. In my case I called the advice nurse. You may want to do that just to put yourself at ease. They ask you a series of questions which will rule out H1N1 or any other serious virus so that helped me to be calm knowing that it was not as serious.

My doctor's rule of thumb is to give tylenol or motrin if the child is fussy and warm to the touch. If the child is just warm, but acting well, leave him/her drug free. The "official" advice that the nurse practitioners give at my ped's office is no motrin or tylenol unless the fever is 102+. I think you're too quick to medicate your daughter. Let her go without drugs and see how the illness rides out. If she develops any worrisome symptoms, take her to your clinician.

Good luck!

Although most influenza syndromes pass quickly, what you're describing, somewhat high fever relieved only with anti-pyretic that lasts only about 4-6 hours sounds an awful lot like the H1N1 symptoms. Take her to her pediatrician because some of the meds like tamiflu only work if they are started within 3 days of the symptoms.
Good luck and I hope she gets better soon.

My 2-yr-old had a fever that spiked up & down with no other symptoms for 4 days. Our pediatrician told me to keep him home since his fever never went above 103.5 and he was still eating and acting like his normal self. I agree with the others that motrin/tylenol masks any discomfort and we used it sparingly to help him get through the night. Then he developed a runny nose and cough 2 days after his fever broke, and the fever returned for another 2 days - this time, he was miserable and clingy. He was sick for a total of 10 days. Our pediatrician thinks he had 2 different viruses, or a mutation after the first virus ran its course. I'd call your pediatrician for advice and I'd use the tylenol/motrin sparingly so that the illness will run its course. If the fever reaches above 104 or continues for more than 4-5 days, I was told to contact the doctor right away. Hope this helps, and hope she recovers quickly!

My son had the same thing last year and that routine lasted for 3 to 4 days and then he got the roseola rash, which you dont know that is what it is until the rash comes. Very common and the rash is gone in a day or 2.

If there is fever there is infection some where. I would take her in inspite of germs. I't sounds to me like she's got a virus of some sort. I would'nt wait for it to worsen.

Hi K.-
Does she have any teeth coming in? Is she going through any major growth spurt? I would check those- maybe a molar or something- or her first permanent teeth. SOme kids get them early...
Hope that helps
-E.

It sounds like you're suppressing the symptoms and they reappear. A fever is the body's way of coping and kicking out germs. If you get rid of it, the body has to find other ways of coping. And it is by raising the fever with successive tries.

At this stage I would not give her anything else and let it play out so that she can heal. Give it a couple of days and I bet if you just keep giving her soup and letting her heal she'll be all better in no time.

I asked my Dr. this same question last year when my kids had high fevers but were still bouncing off the walls.. He told me that kids will get fevers and to not base how sick they are on what the thermomiter tells you, go by how they are acting, if they are playing and eating and taking in fluids like normal they processing thier illness perfectly! If they are becoming lethargic, not drinking, or eating, and fevering then its time to take them into the Dr.'s because the illness is starting to bog down their system.. I hope this helps ease your stress a little! And Happy Holidays!

I would take her to the dr. if I were you. Something similar happened to my husband last Christmas (fever but no flu symptoms) and it went on for days until his mouth finally started hurting and swelling up...turned out he had an abscess in his tooth and needed a root canal. Fever is a sign of some type of infection, and it could be bacterial if she has no symptoms. It could be nothing, but better safe than sorry if you ask me. I hope she's better soon!

there is this virus going around where the only symptom is a moderate fever. My 2 y.o. son had it in early Nov. I kept waiting for the illness to grow into stomach flu, or a chest or nasal infection but nothing happened except the fever. He ate pretty well and played,he was a little tired but overall was fine in about 3 days Keep up with fluids and hopefully it passes soon

If she's cooled down an hour after taking the Motrin, then it's most likely the medicine taking her temperature down, but she's still sick. Fevers usually peak in the late afternoon so don't be surprised if she's sicker then. You'll know if her fever is broken because she'll break out in an all over body sweat. Keep her home but call the doctor for advice. Give her plenty of juice, rest and TLC and follow the doctors orders.

The motrin is keeping her temp "normal", you notice it goes in cycles? You don't say whether she has any other symptoms. Is she achy? Fatigued? Runny nose? Sore throat? Loss of appetite? Throwing up? One of the problems with the flu is you can have any or all of these symptoms. Keep an eye on her temp, make sure you stick to the schedule with the motrin and definitely make sure she is getting plenty of fluids. Don't be surprised if she isn't eating but make sure she has liquids. If she continues for more than about 3 days I would call your doctor, especially if the temp continues to spike over 101 or seems to be getting worse.

Just wanted to second the teething response by the previous mom..I know they say fever isn't a sign of teething. But my 51/2 yr old nephew has had sporatic fevers over that last month or two w/ no other symptoms either. Only thing different is that he's cutting his molars. His temp also ranged from 100-102. Other than getting sick everytime his mom medicated, he's had no other symptoms at all. Apparently his body can't tolerate the high fever w/ meds. (he's been that way since an infant).

The underarm temp is actually one degree cooler than the core temp. So if the arm temp is 101 the oral temp would be 102. Fever in children, as opposed to adults is usually not an urgent or worrisome problem. Swine flu is a respiratory flu, so if she is not coughing, discard the swine flu diagnoses. I say if she has the elevated fever (101 or over) for more than 48 hrs, call her pediatrician, and see what they want to do. They will probably say to just watch it. Without specific symptoms, no headache, belly pain, no painful urination, not lethargic, No cough, rash, or difficult breathing, it is probably just a viral infection of some sort, but won't hurt to call your Doc. Kids get many viral illnesses in childhood, which usually last about 10 days, and gives them life-long immunity to that virus in the future..!!It's how our bodies are made. An elevated temp of under 101 is not usually cause for concern unless it goes on for days. Just be sure to keep her hydrated, but that doesn't sound like a problem at this point as she is eating. Good luck. T.

She just has a virus of some sort. If she is acting fine and eating well I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just keep her home to rest. Don't send her back to school until she has been fever free (without motrin) for 24 hours.

My daughter had a weird fever recently for 3 days with no other symptoms at all and it ended up being Roseola, because she got a rash on the 4th day. My doctor said to not treat a fever unless it is really high or the child is uncomfortable, because the fever is what your body is using to fight the virus.

Sounds like she has a virus and you're just lucky that it isn't making her feel bad. Call your doctor if she develops worrisome symptoms, such as pain, bad cough, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, lethargy, or if the fever lasts more than 3 days.

I'm a pediatrician, father, & grandfather.

I know the stress is high when your child gets a fever. But fevers are not necessarily a bad thing, they're a sign that the body is fighting something. Motrin or any other fever reducers just remove the symptom of that "something". You should let the fever run its course unless the temperature is much higher (about 102F but check doc for number for your child). If your child has a fever on and off for more than 48 hours with no other symptoms, go to the doctor immediately. If it's the weekend, go to the ER. With the H1N1 virus going around, you wouldn't want to have something really bad happen. It's also not just a bad sign but a serious signal if the fever comes and goes over several days. Don't be afraid to call her doctor or nurse.
I also have a 5 1/2 year old daughter. I don't care if the doc tells me I overreacted. Usually the pediatrician does rely on the child's mother's intuition. What's the worse thing if you overreact and you're wrong? Nothing. Or maybe money. Money is nothing though if you didn't act and you were right.
Sorry for all the admonition, but I lost a precious dog a while back because I didn't act fast enough. To deal with the loss, I told myself it was the guy above teaching me to believe and act on my instincts.
Go to the doctor.
Best of luck.
A.