My daughter who is almost three has had a fever since Tuesday when I picked her up from school. They said she woke from nap with a 101.7 temp. I got her home and she played awhile then laid on the couch I took her temp before bed and it was 100.7 gave her tylenol and she woke the next morning with 99 right out of bed. She was really whiny though so she stayed home with my husband. She had no other symptoms other than being tired and wanting to lay around. She did get up and play and acted normal he thought she was over it and brought her to gymnastics with her sister. She made it through her class but by time she was done she was tired and you could tell her fever was back. She ate pretty good but at dinner gaged and vomited she went to bed with a low grade fever and woke Thursday without a fever. She was still really tired and whiny and wanted to be held, she drank a ton of water and then vomited again. She laid around all morning sleeping she sprang up (literally) after a few hours and was fine she ate a good breakfast and played she ate a little lunch and then went to nap. She woke up with a fever and laid around the rest of the night. This morning she woke without a fever was a little whiny but wanted to go to the sitters and she was normal all day. She has been normal all evening but I noticed her eyes were getting droppy and she felt really warm so I took her temp and it was 102 the highest yet. She got really tired and went to bed pretty much willingly. The only symptoms she has now is a cough and runny nose. I checked with a nurse last night and she was not concerned she said it wasn't consistent and she should be fine. I have just not had either of them carry a fever this long so I am a little concerned.
She seems to be feeling better now... Saturday was an improvement and today was almost 100%. She has a loose cough now and little bit of a runny nose. It must have just been a little cold or something. Thanks for the advice.
Take her to doctor! Similar situation just recently it was a sinus infection and ear infection. You may need anitbotics.
Deb
M.,
I also have two small daughters and fevers can be scary. My 6 year old just was sick and her Pediatrician said that he is not horribly worried when they start out with a fever (over 100). But if the fever continues for more than like a day and a half he wants to check them. With your daughters symptoms of her fever going down and up and then now it is the highest yet I would say you need to take her to the Dr. I know you talked to a nurse but if you are concerned, follow your instincts. Also our pediatrician says if they have a 102 fever but are acting fine then he is not too concerned but if they have even a low grade fever and are acting like they feel really bad then he is concerned. I hope this helps you? I will pray for your daughter.
Best Wishes, K. E.
Is see you've gotten some very different opinions. I always just listen to my mommy instinct. If you have good insurance coverage USE IT!!! My insurance is great, my doctor easy to get into so I usually err on the side of caution & take my little ones in if they have a fever for longer than 72 hours. But be careful that they aren't always prescribing the same antibiotic since kids do build up a tolerance to them. I hope your little one feels better soon!
As soon as you found out she had a fever you should have taken here to the doctor, and ESPECIALLY when she began to vomit. TAKE THAT LITTLE GIRL TO THE DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!!!
Fighting a low grade fever for a week is not atypical if it is not associated with other symptoms, so listen to the nurse. What is of a greater concern is that you and/or your husband chose to send your daughter to gymnastics and the babysitters less than 24 hours after she demonstrated no fever and because she appeared to play 'normal' all day. As a parent myself, I am ALWAYS aware of the other children my own could come into contact with out in public and not wanting a parent to go through what I have gone through my child is sick (or worse depending on their child's immunity system) I would and will never send my child to school, practice, the sitter's, etc. until she has been free of a fever for at least 24 hours. I work in a school system and even schools do not allow children to return until they have been fever free for at least 24 hours.
I would take your daughter to the Dr. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
Jance
Hi M.,
While I'm not a doctor (so, please consult w/ your doctor's nurse if you have any medical questions), I believe that too often parents kind-of freak out when their child feels warm. But, do call your doctor's office if you are ever in doubt. Often there are free nurse lines at your local hospital, too. Now, I feel inclined to respectfully disagree with previous poster.
A fever is the body's way of fighting off an infection. It is really a good thing... it means the body is doing what it's supposed to do. Unless your dd is uncomfortable and/or complains, you don't need to give her anything to bring down her fever. This especially goes for low-grade fevers. Once it hits 103, I would feel a little more inclined to give her something. Start with Tylenol, then rotate Motrin and Tylenol according to their directions.
As for the vomiting... kids vomit. It's not a reason to drag your dd into the doctor. For something like this, I just make sure to keep offering lots of fluids -- dehydration can occur quickly in little ones.
All that said... since your dd has had a fever since Tuesday, I actually would take her in on Monday. My ds went through a similar thing two weeks ago. He ran a fever for five days straight. He did vomit once, but it was all mucus from his stomach. He also had coughing and his nose was congested/runny. When I took him in, they had no prognosis other than to say he had a "bug" that was probably going around. The doc ended up putting him on an antibiotic just to cover the bases. Even after the medicine, he still had the cough and congested/runny nose until the following week.
If she does take a turn for the worse... higher fever, seriously lethargic, then yes... take her in. But, I wouldn't have a freak out immediately just because she's running a fever (or vomits). Also, a good rule of thumb when your child runs a fever is to NOT expose them to other children within 24 hours of having a fever. If she were to have something, she could have spread it to the other children at gymnastics (or elsewhere); or she could pick-up something worse since her immune system is already weakened.
Good luck! I hope she feels better.
I've been in the medical field for over 11 yrs. & have 2 children myself & although fevers are a body's way of fighting off bacteria,germs, & viruses, if it goes on longer than 48 hours(even if it goes down for 12 hours or less), you should take her to see her pediatrician. My daughter is 15 mo. and gets fevers leterally once a month, and there's always an underlying cause. this month it's the measels.
It is probably a virus, but if she isn't better by Monday, I would take her to the doctor to be checked for ear or other bacterial infection. The fever is a sign of fighting a bug, so she should be considered contagious and kept away from other kids. Sick kids often play energetically. This doesn't mean the illness is gone. Lots of rest and fluids will be helpful in getting her well. The school should have called you immediately to come and get her when she woke with the fever. Hope she gets well soon!
Hey M. I hope you are hanging in there. My daughter had a similar situation aroung the holidays. It was weird cause she wasn't coughing or sneezing and she only vomitted once and it seemed like she just gaged. Well after 4 days of this I final took her to the doctor and it was strep. Afterwards it made since she vomitted b/c she was having a hard time swallowing her own spit. I hope everything works out ok.
My daughter had a fever for a couple days. I took her to the doctor after a day they found nothing. She had no other syptoms besides just wanting to lay around here it was her teeth...
The fever isn't constant. You are saying it is up and down. There are several viruses going around right now, unfortunately, and I went through this about 3 weeks ago with my 10 year old. He got up, complained a bit about his legs aching but had no fever. He came home from school complaining about his head and his legs. His fever was about 100.1. I gave him medication, an hour later it was 97.4. We went through this up and down temp for 3 days before he finally threw up. I had kept him home from school on Friday and again on Monday because of the vomiting on Sunday. He ran low grade all day Monday but got up Tuesday with a normal temp and has been fine ever since.
MIght want to purchase copies of NATURALLY HEALTHY BABIES & CHILDREN by Romm and
ENCYCLOPEDIA of NATURAL HEALTH & HEALING by Weber. These will BOTH give you info as to how to handle things NATURALLY. Might be able to find at Half Price Books or Amazon.
GEEZ, you poor thing, looks like some of the women who have responded did so before their morning coffee or something! What grumps! Anyway, thought I'd let you in on my daughter. She's 6 now, but she's my "fever kid". That child can get a little runny nose, no infection whatsoever, and run a fever of 102 or higher. It's crazy! The way you talked about your daughter, it sounds exactly like my daughter atleast a few times a year with the on and off again fever over a week's worth of time. I too will send her to normal activities if she had a fever the day before and woke up without one. No biggie if you have a child who's prone to fevers. I even called the school about it once because she'd had a fever the day before, but jumped out of bed the next morning and even THEY told me to send her in. So, I did, and of course, she was fine all day until that evening, then spiked a fever again. I usually don't worry about her fevers unless she has them constantly and also just plain doesn't feel good. The last time she had a week of spontaneous fevers I gave it all week and decided if she was still running a fever on Sunday, I'd take her to the doctors on Monday. She was fine though and I didn't end up having to take her. I think you've been doing the right thing, keep it up. You know your daughter better than anyone, and if she's feeling up to stuff and didn't run a fever that day, by all means, I'd let her go. Just so you know, if she does end up being a fellow "fever kid", be prepared for high fevers. I've had my daughters reach 104 many many times, but unless it's 105, they're fine. If it ever gets to the 104 mark, I alternate between Tylenol and Motrin, and if it lasts more than a day I call the doctor. I also call right away if she has other symptoms that are making her miserable along with it. Keep it up!
I don't want to alarm you... I am going to just tell you a tiny bit of my own story... my daugther had similar situation when she was 18 mo. We visited the doctor and said she was fine. She ended up having a seizure... we had given her benedryl and I guess when kids get dehydrated their sugar levels get low and some kids will have a seizure. She had seemed sleepy, but it was really early in the morning (we were traveling on an airplane when it happened) so we didn't think anything of it.
My point is make sure you push liquids, of any kind, to make sure she stays hydrated! And if she seems really sleepy, take her in to be checked! It was so scary for us.
