V.J. asks from Phoenix, AZ on January 20, 2009
Fever Question
My 18 month old son woke up with a 103 fever on Sunday morning. We were able to control it (down to 99-100) with Motrin during the day. The only other symptom he was having was a picky appetite. At 2 am yesterday, I woke to check on him and his fever was up to 105.4 at which point I took him to the ER. They basically said there is nothing wrong with him and to just keep treating him with OTC fever reducers for the next 4 days unless he gets worse. Last night, he started to become very cranky, acted like his skin was hurting, and was picking at his mouth. His fever went to 104.2 but came down with Tylenol. Today his fever has been under control and he's eating/drinking fine but he continues to be extremely irritable. He's working on getting one of his cuspids but I've never seen a fever this high just from teething.
I'm trying not to overreact and I want to follow the ER pediatrician's advice, but I feel awful for my little boy. Should I really let this continue for 2 more days or should I just take him to his regular pediatrician?
So What Happened?™
1/21- This morning he didn't want to eat breakfast which is very unusual for him and then he suddenly had 2 diapers with liquidy stool so I took him to his pediatrician. They said it is most likely a viral infection and to just keep him hydrated but not force solids. They said it doesn't sound like the flu because he also has a red throat- strep test was negative. His fever is lower today (running about 100-102) so they said to keep an eye on him for an additional 24 hrs and if the fever persists, they want to see him back for labwork and stool testing. He was eager to eat some chicken soup for lunch so I'm hoping we're on the tail end of this nasty illness. Thanks for the responses, ladies! Much appreciated! :)
More Answers
K.C. answers from Phoenix on January 21, 2009
just wanted to tell you that as a pediatric nurse I have seen kids come in with 106 temps all the time,you got him seen and the labs must have been normal so dont worry-thats how children's bodies fight the germs/viruses,its scary,but you did great! :)
1 mom found this helpful
A.G. answers from Phoenix on January 20, 2009
Fevers like that don't come with teething. But, it could very well be a virus, in which case the Dr can't really do anything but control the fever, which you are already doing effectively. But, if I were in your position, with such a high fever, I would at least put a call into your regular pediatrician and see if (s)he would like to see your little guy and confirm that it is in fact a virus.
If it is a virus, be sure to keep him as well hydrated as you can while he's running fevers like that. If he likes popsicles, they have pedilyte ones that are good for hydration and cooling off.
I hope your baby is better quickly!
1 mom found this helpful
S.H. answers from Phoenix on January 20, 2009
My daughter did get fever like that with every tooth and every shot.
I took her in to the pediatrician everytime just to make sure nothing else was going on. It is so hard to see your baby like that. Hopefully it goes away soon.
1 mom found this helpful
J.R. answers from Phoenix on January 20, 2009
He could have Roseola which causes a high fever for 4 to 5 days then they break out with a rash on the 4th or 5th day around their trunk region and the fever goes away. As long as he's eating and staying hydrated there's probably nothing to worry about. My daughter had it just after she turned 2 and her fever spiked to 104.7. My son got it at 8 weeks and his rectal temp was a little over 101. Unfortunately there's no current way to test for Roseola and you don't know that that's what they have until the rash occurs. Good luck.
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