9 answers

Reoccurring Fever

My 5 1/2 month old daughter has her 3rd fever over 103 in the last two months. The first 2 happened on Friday nights so her Dr's office was closed and by Mon she was back to normal and fever broke. This time the fever started Mon night so I got her in today, Tues morning and of course no fever when we get there. But tonight its back up in the 103's. Her ears were checked all 3 times and looked fine. The fever itself doesn't bother me as much as not knowing what is wrong and why this keeps happening. Any ideas what could be wrong? Kids don't get that high a fever for just teething, right? She doesn't seem to have any other symptoms beyond teething and throwing up.
Thanx for any input.
M.

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

well I took her back to the Dr with a urine sample they had asked for. The nurse said there was traces of blood and something else I don't remember, but she suggested it may be UTI. They are sent the urine to get cultured and they sent me to get her blood drawn. They found elevated white blood cells- indicating she is fighting infection and elevated protein which has to do with kidneys, I guess. Then they sent me to Mary Bridge ER saying we needed more tests done and she would be admitted. When we got to the ER it showed we were sent by her Dr., but they almost acted confused on why we were there. So for our 5 hour stay all they did was give her motrin, take a clean urine sample- which came back normal, and say it must be viral. It didn't even sound like the Dr there read her blood results. I am completely frustrated and exhausted. ugg
Thank all so much for your input, you were more helpful than the Dr.'s. lol or maybe I should cry!

Featured Answers

A 5 and 1/2 month old child is tiny, but I hate to tell you that you should go have her blood drawn to find out if she has a viral or bacterial infection. There are too many potent germs out there these days, and the smallest children are very vulnerable. My son just went in for what the Dr. thinks could be encephalitis. Be on the safe side...have some blood drawn. I know it's much easier said than done with such a tiny baby, but it is really important to rule out other things that could be causing the fever.

More Answers

My ped told me that reoccurring fevers of "unknown origin" can be often be caused by urinary tract infections in little girls. Perhaps your daughter is too young, but its something to consider. The only way to tell for sure is to collect a clean urine sample at the drs. office. Good luck, I know how stressful and scary it can be.

2 moms found this helpful

Could be urinary tract infection or kidney infection or some other infection other than ear infection. My niece has recurring fevers and it's because she has an extra ureter from her bladder that refluxes into her kidney. I would talk to your doc about it and ask that some extra detective work be done.

That temperature range is not usually teething unless it triggered the system into a secondary situation/infection. Her immune system sounds a bit frail and perhaps there is toxicity. Both of these can be helped naturally to get her immune system strong.
Liz

A 5 and 1/2 month old child is tiny, but I hate to tell you that you should go have her blood drawn to find out if she has a viral or bacterial infection. There are too many potent germs out there these days, and the smallest children are very vulnerable. My son just went in for what the Dr. thinks could be encephalitis. Be on the safe side...have some blood drawn. I know it's much easier said than done with such a tiny baby, but it is really important to rule out other things that could be causing the fever.

Hey, as far as my own experience goes, fevers can get that high and throwing up can occur just from teething. My children never had a problem with teething, but I understand that it can be scary. I was working in a child care where we had a baby almost 7 months old who would get a temp averaging around 104.5 every time she teethed. Her doctor had said the best they could do was some baby tylenol for the pain, and try a cool cloth or the cool patches until it broke. that little girl is now 6, getting adult teeth, and she still spikes a fever everytime one breaks through. Not to scare you with that, but I hope this helps to know that it can happen from teething. Good luck!

My daughter has had high fevers a couple times and usually gets a new tooth within a week of the fever without any other problems. If her ears are fine, then it's probably teething. Just make sure she's getting enough fluids to keep her hydrated and some extra cuddles if she'll tolerate it.

My 15 month old daughter has been having similar symptoms. I took her to the doc on Tuesday with a temp of 101 that she spiked during her nap. She had a short febrile seizure which scared me. The doc said that the seizure was from the rapid change in temperature. Supposidly, the seizures come from rapid changes in temp, not necessarily just a really high temp. She also said she has been seeing a number of viral infections that have included temps up to 103 and 104. I was told to bring her back if she isn't better by Thursday. (she didn't have any ear or throat infections at that time). Given your child has been having the fevers for what looks like 5 days, I'd call the doc again. She could have an ear infection that just hasn't progressed far enough that it shows up.

Good luck.
S.

Get an RSV test done. It can come as just a fever, as just a cough, as just a runny nose, or a combo of 2 or all 3 of them. Ask for the nose swab test, not the saline suck it out of the nose test, it gives false results. I think there is a blood test that helps determine too. Just getting a CBC will help figure out what's going on too.

Required Fields

Our records show that we already have a Mamapedia or Mamasource account created for you under the email address you entered.

Please enter your Mamapedia or Mamasource password to continue signing in.

Required Fields

, you’re almost done...

Since this is the first time you are logging in to Mamapedia with Facebook Connect, please provide the following information so you can participate in the Mamapedia community.

As a member, you’ll receive optional email newsletters and community updates sent to you from Mamapedia, and your email address will never be shared with third parties.

By clicking "Continue to Mamapedia", I agree to the Mamapedia Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.