Fever All Week - 2 Year Old

It's very important to understand that a fever is a normal response of the body to foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. The body recognizes a foreign invader and the brain acts to increase body temperature to make things unsuitable for the foreign invader. Most bacteria can only tolerate a certain temperature range and once outside of it, do not survive. It's important to understand that fever is not the result of damage to the body by germs; the body creates fever in response to exposure to germs. Fever has been shown to increase levels of antiviral substances the body produces and also minerals like copper and zinc, the combination of these and other changes help the body's immune response ward off infection.

What's a high fever and what are the dangers?

A fever is any temperature between 99.6° - 105°F. Fever that results in brain damage is a fear that many parents have, but this concern is not warranted. The body won't let a fever get too high from an infection unless there has been damage to the temperature regulator or "thermostat" of the brain, the hypothalamus. Damage to the hypothalamus can occur from a brain infection (meningitis or encephalitis), or a poisoning. When the weather turns warmer, there is a danger of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. During heat stroke, the body loses the ability to cool itself and control body temperature, and brain damage can result. It is very important to remain well hydrated and cool during extreme temperatures. Another major concern for parents are febrile seizures (convulsions). Seizures occur in 2-6% of children with high fevers. It is thought that these seizures are the body's protective mechanism against rising fevers, like a circuit breaker. Although they can be quite traumatic to parents, they are not the result of, nor do they cause damage to the nervous system. It is very rare for a fever to go above 105°F unless there has been damage to the brain.

Treatment of fevers:

Any treatment with a main objective of lowering a fever is generally a mistake if the fever is not very high (over 105°F.) Most moderate to high fevers (up to 105°F) rarely last more than 3-5 days and can usually be allowed to "run their course." A doctor or parent who worries about bringing down a fever is like a fireman who tries to turn off the fire alarm rather than fight the fire. Fever is a symptom of illness, and suppression of a fever does not make an illness go away. The child should be checked for dehydration and be allowed to rest. Vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration, which makes it harder for a body to maintain a stable temperature at high levels. Fluid and electrolyte replacement should be used if this is the case. Excessive bundling, or wrapping of a child should not be done as this could interfere with normal body temperature regulation and could lead to heat exhaustion and even heat stroke. Suppression of fever with aspirin in children is not recommended due to risk of developing Reye's syndrome. Further, long-term acetominophen and ibuprofen use has been found to cause liver and kidney damage. This article is intended to be educational and informative in nature and is not a substitute for medical evaluation and examination.

SOURCES: Victor G. Strang D.C. Ph.C.; Robert Mendelsohn M.D.

In the past I have had a bowl of water and ice, and after wringing out a facecloth you can then press it gently against the childs skin. The child is likely to cry (as my son did) but very quickly I notice his temperature decrease. This can be done reguarly and the fever will pass.

All the best,

N.

Hi J.
My 2 yr old daughter who is in daycare has had numerous high fever viruses (on her 8th right now ugh) and 2 viruses ago her it lasted for 8 days and I went through so much motrin and tylenol. I took her to the Dr and they tested her urine (not pleasant) & blood to make sure it wasn't bacterial related and everything came back normal. They said it is unusual for a virus to last that long but not unheard of. Now her viruses have been lasting from 2-4 days...I am hoping for the shorter one this time and hope it is the last before spring hits here in CT. Usually right around 2 they build up their immune system and really don't get sick anymore at least if they are in daycare. That is what happened to my son who must have gone a good 4 years before getting sick again...It will get better.
Good luck and let me know what the Dr says.
B.

I think it's going around. My daughter had the same 103 for several days & many of her friends at school are in the same condition. In addition to the motrin, give your little one lots of fluids, popsicles, etc, whatever helps him feel better. I put my daughter in the tub to cool off when she's that hot, or use icepacks wrapped in wet washcloths on her forhead, wrists, and behind her neck. It helps to soothe her.

Good luck, it should break soon!

hmmm... what did you Dr. say today? Here's my rant on fever stuff and little ones... I have only good intentions and hope I don't come off as offensive in any way,,but since i'm not talking to you personally I don't know what you know and what you don't, so I'm just gonna put it all here.

Nasty viruses can cause this.. or sometimes piggy back viruses..it will pass hang in there! My 2yr old has run a fever for that long, but when he was much younger. the basic advice I got from my doctor is always to give Tylenol EVERY 3.5 hours (not 4, because by then it has time to wear off and before the new dose kicks in now he has an hour for the fever to get back out of control) Dress him appropriately..do not bundle!! I have had cold winter days and that boy is in here with a diaper on taking a nap..the body needs to get rid of the heat not create more.. sometimes just a light teeshirt or onesie..but nothing super warm and no sock.. let the heat escape.. If I go outside to get him some fresh air, then yes of course i use his winter coat, appropriate gear, once we are back inside we are basically naked again... If the fever hits 103 and as long as there is NO VOMITING my doctor said to go ahead and give him a 1/2 a baby aspirin with the tylenol one time, when you mix tylenol and aspirin it makes excedrin.. he said for high fevers that usually brings it down quick... and most important to put him in a tepid bath (he may not like it) keep him in the bath until his fver comes down to 101.5 might take 1hr or more.. just keep pouring water over him... (not to the point of shivering) If he won't drink fluids you have to pipette it in..either with a straw/ syringe/ or turkey baster.. have to make him drink!! not optional -- but food doesn't really matter. I do tylenol so I can clock it properly at 3.5 hours around the clock,, even if baby sleeping, I wake him for tylenol or give it too him and hope he stays asleep. the last thing you want is for tylenol to wear off in the middle of the night, you don't get up and he has febrile seizures from a skyrocketing fever. Sometimes I cheat and give Motrin at night, figuring it'll buy me an extra 1-2hrs of sleep but my dr. doesn't really like motrin...

i hope all this helps! My little guy was sooo sick practically the first 15mos of life,,one virus after another. The good news is now he's a trooper we haven't really been sick yet this year!!

My almost 2 yr old daughter had a fever of lik 102-102.5 for like a week. I brought her to the doctor and they told me the same thing only she had Croup. So I was dealing with the fever and the cough. Another way to take care of the fever (keep doing the tylenol and motrin) but give him a tepid bath. Just hang in there once that fever breaks you will see a huge difference in your son. Good Luck I hope he feels better.

Is the only symptom a fever? I ask because my 7 month old daughter had a high fever for 5 days (as high as 103.9) with no other symptoms (other than crankiness and random screaming). We went to the ER and the doctor diagnosed her with a stomach virus. Motrin would bring the fever down, but she did not get better. Went to the pediatrician, had her urine tested and it was a urinary tract infection. The random screaming was due to the stinging when she peed. She was put on antibiotics and the UTI cleared up within a week.

It does sound like some kind of infection, that is the only thing I know that would make him run a fever that long, you are definitely doing the right thing taking him back to the doctor's today, if she cannot come up with another diagnosis I would even consider taking him to teh ER or an urgent care because whatever meds she gave him for teh viral infection obviously aren't working and that poor boy needs an answer.

Good Luck!

We just went through this and we were on vacation. Spent the entire week in the hotel room and my 4 yr old would spike a fever as high as 104. We piggybacked the motrin and Tylenol like our ped. told us to and on the day we got back, he got better. This was a total of 6 days. Oh, then I got it. I was only bed ridden for 24 hours unlike his 6 days, so that was good. I totally can sympathize with you and hope this is the tail end. Dont waist your time like I did and try to push food...no use. Liquids are your best bet. Anything he is willing to drink is better than nothing according to my doctor. Best of luck.