Need Reassurance- Sick Kid

Updated on March 25, 2016
M.M. asks from Tampa, FL
9 answers

Backstory- Saturday night through Monday morning my 3 year old was running a fever 101-103. Doctor said it was viral and would run its course.

He hasn't had a fever since Monday & was acting normal again but started having a cough. I took him today & they gave him an inhaler for wheezing. Said in a few days he'd be better. A few hours ago he started running a fever again. I called his doctor and he said he may have caught something else and it isn't uncommon. Doesn't seem worried and doesn't want me to bring him in unless he still has it next week.

He has never been sick like this before. It's usually gone 24-48 hours later so I'm just panicking. It's been a really rough week, my 6 year old caught it and so did I, I'm just now being able to get out of bed so him having ANOTHER fever is just giving me knots in my stomach.

Anyone else experience this? I'm just at a loss. :(

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So What Happened?

thank you all for the reassurance. I guess I just panicked a little because I thought we were all getting over this and now its back. And they've never been sick for more than a day so it really worried me.
Everything I found online made a returning fever seem serious so I just needed some reassurance from someone who has went through it and could say it was "normal"

Featured Answers

D.B.

answers from Boston on

It's so hard when they are little, but this is SO common! Sometimes they get the same thing back again (because they weren't really over it), sometimes they get something else (because the immune system is already suppressed from the first illness). And when a family starts passing it around, it just cycles and cycles - and you have less energy because you've come down with something too. A lot of colds settle down in the chest and result in wheezing.

Sometimes it's worse when they get to be 3, 4, 5 years old because they are less isolated - they are in more play groups or preschool classes or whatever, and exposed to more kids. Just keep letting him play in the dirt and get exposed to germs in small amounts, don't use antibacterial products (just regular hand washing with regular soap, lots of bubbles), and keep the fluids going.

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

One thing that our pediatrician told me that was really helpful was that she focused more on how the child was behaving than most symptoms. She said she would rather see a kiddo with a 102 fever who was smiling and chatty than one with 100 and listless. Same with a cough, if they are acting totally normal with a bad cough, much less troublesome than a more mild cough but not interested in getting off the couch.
Keep in touch with your doctor and keep communicating your concerns. Hopefully this will pass soon!!

6 moms found this helpful
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M.G.

answers from Portland on

In our house, it's very common for us to take a full week or more before we're back to normal.

I take an extra day with my kids and keep them home even if they seem better. Because we'll get a call from school to say they're running a fever. They often are completely normal playing wise, but they get the fever - it's just their body's way of saying they overdid it a bit.

We also get coughs after colds. Inhalers. That's how they go through our kids' systems.

We only go in if our kids are listless or if they start having pain. Sometimes we'll have a cold, but then the kids get a throat infection later or an ear infection. We had pneumonia once - but you'd know. There are other symptoms. Kids can't sleep etc and just look sick.

So if it's fever but he's still pretty alert and active, and not complaining of pain - I think it will just run it's course. Call your doc if anything changes.

2 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Once my maternity leave was up, our son was in daycare.
For 2 years it was one cold after another - it seemed so constant.
We did allergy testing - and he didn't have allergies.
We just had to deal with each illness as it came up.
BUT, after 2 years - things settled down quite a bit.
It got even better once we had his tonsils/adenoids out (he'd just turned 4).

Just hang in there.
It will get better sooner or later - but it seems like forever until you get there.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

My entire family just got over being sick. The cough is still hanging on in all of us even though the fevers are gone. When my youngest's fever spiked to 104.3 we ended up in the ER and it turns out we all had influenza B, it has been making the rounds pretty hard this year from what I hear. Did the doctor give your son a flu test (he would have collected snot to do so)? Contrary to popular belief the flu is actually a chest infection and rarely presents with stomach upset or vomiting, just a bad cough and a fever. If it was the flu it will take a little longer to get over then just a regular cold.

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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I don't think my kids have ever had an upper respiratory illness that lasted less than a week.

You had it and so did your 6 yo therefore you know this is viral or at most something that will develop into a bacterial infection which is easily cured by antibiotics.

What illness do you think your 3 yo has that is causing your stomach to be in knots? If your doc thought it was the least bit serious, he would have sent you to the ER at a children's hospital.

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Do not panic. It happens. Nothing to worry about

Updated

Do not panic. It happens. Nothing to worry about

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I've found that once they start feeling better and fever is gone, they need that one more day of down time, otherwise, it just starts all over again. And, he went to the doctor's office which is full of germs from the other sick kids. His immune system was low and it didn't take much for him to go down again. He'll be fine, as will all of you.

C.L.

answers from South Bend on

Every kid gets better after being sick.

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