When to worry about a fever..?

My kids have never really gotten sick. One of them got bronchitis as a baby so besides that and the occasional stomach flu that's run through the house, that's it.

Yesterday one of my twins, Alex, was complaining of a headache. The day before (Wednesday) we went to the splash pad where he knocked heads with his brother AND me. (I still have a black eye...) So when he complained about having a headache, I thought it was just from his head bonking the day before. Last night he fell asleep on the sofa a little after 8 which is unheard of for him. I woke him up and sent him to bed at 9. So today he seems pretty normal, he went outside with his brother to play with the neighbor kids. I went to run to the store and noticed he was laying down on the floor of the garage, I asked him and he said he was tired so I told him to go lay in his bed. When I got back from the store, the twins were at the table eating lunch. Alex was crying because he said he was too tired to eat. I made him finish his lunch and then he went and took a nap. He just woke up a little bit ago but said he doesn't feel like getting up, so I feel him and he's burning up. Check his temp, it's 102.2 with an ear thermometer. I gave him some Tylenol and he's still laying down.

So uhm... when do I start freaking out and take him to the ER? :unsure:

 

From here.

 

Is the ER your only option? I would go to (or phone) the doctor first and see what they say. If the ER is your only option then I'd wait and see if the fever goes down with the Tylenol. I mean if he played for a bit and managed to eat lunch (and hasn't thrown it back up) he is probably not super sick, it may well be just some bug that he'll get over by himself. If the medicine doesn't bring his temp down, or if he continues to run a fever for another couple of days then I'd take him to the ER.

Hope he feels better soon.

 

Ya know we just moved here so I'm not sure what the deal is. Every place is so damn different. I think after COB hours, it's the ER. So if they close at 4, it's too late and if they close at 5 there's no way anyone will call me back. I think I've heard of a nurse's advice line so I'll check on that.

I'm going to try keeping the fever down and just keep an eye on him for now. I hate to google these kinds of things because I'll end up diagnosing him with the bird flu or something! :lol:

 

At 7, I wouldn't panic until over 105 unless meds don't touch it or he's acting VERY strange. I usually don't treat a fever under 102 unless they are clearly uncomfortable. Illness stinks!

 

Sorry for my drive-by post!

I did call the doctor once about a fever of 102 and was told just to monitor behavior and treat with Tylenol.

I hope he feels better soon!

 

It's 3 hours after a dose of Tylenol and his fever is down though I haven't checked it with a thermometer, just by touch. He got up and played a video game with his bro and ate a little dinner. So hopefully it's just a thing. But I have to keep reminding him to stay away from the baby!

 

You've been lucky that your kiddo's have been so healthy! :lol:

I don't worry about a fever unless it's accompanied by listlessness, unresponsiveness, excessive exhaustion...etc etc. A fever is a sign that the body is doing it's job, raising the temperature to fight off a virus. If it gets into the 103 range I alternate tylenol and motrin, 1 dose of one every 3 hrs. Motrin works better to knock a fever down, tylenol does good in keeping it down. If it lasts more than a couple of days I'll take them to the dr, or if it gets higher than 104 I go to the dr.

Most of the time it's about a 24 hr run and then they are over whatever it is.

 

I would find an urgent care clinic if he is still feverish today, if I could not find one then I would take him Monday if he still feels bad. In my experience with a little bit older kids esp ones that are usually healthy and after swimming is that it may be an ear ESP if no one else it he house has any symptoms. My kids have had ear infections where they only complain of a e headache and no ear pain. The reason I would find a clinic is because if I is an ear, or strep the sooner he starts an antibiotic the sooner he feels better and with ESP strep the sooner he is not contagious. Also if it is just a viral thing, at least you know! I would not go to the ER unless he started doing something really bad or if his fever went to 105. CVS pharmacy has a minute clinic if you have a CVS nearby.

 

This is what my pediatrician goes by. They do not see a child with a fever if it is under 3/4 days UNLESS they are complaining about something. Odds are if they have a fever and generally feel ok, it is just a virus. But, if they complain their ears, throat, head or whatever hurts, then they go in to be checked. I hope he is feeling better soon!

 

His fever is lower today, 101.5 by ear, and he's acting more normal. He still says his head hurts a little though, though. :unsure:

 

Just keep monitoring the fever. Headache is a sign of strep and can be the only symptom sometimes.If the fever doesn't go away, I'd bring him in.

 

Well I took him in this morning after speaking to a nurse at the clinic and they did a throat culture for strep. Now we are just waiting for the results.

I mentioned in my original post that last week we all went to the splash pad where the twins knocked heads and then Alex (the sick one) slammed me in the face with the back of his head. Over the weekend I've developed a lovely black eye, every shade of purple & yellow you can imagine. I said something to my husband before I took Alex to the clinic this morning about if they would ask their usual "do you feel safe at home?" question since I have a very obvious black eye (I would say "Yes, but I don't feel safe at the splash pad anymore!). So at the clinic, nobody said anything but the receptionist, nurse & doctor all kind of did double takes. As they gave me his lab papers the receptionist half whispers "I put something in there for you too." I walk out the door and it's a pamphlet about domestic abuse and who to call for counseling,etc. I know it's not really funny because it is a serious problem, but I couldn't help laughing.

 

Well, I kinda hope the strep test is negative, but then again, I know it would give you answer, so I hope it's positive.

As for the pamphlet I had to giggle a bit myself! At least they noticed it and gave you something but it is kinda funny.

My father in law, oh about 8-9 years ago, had a major accident. He was walking on the roof of his tin shed, about 12-14 feet up, when his feet found a section of roofing that wasn't secured yet. (It was being worked on). He fell the 12 ft down to the cement pad, landing right beside a pile of 2x4's that would have broken his back if he'd landed on them. His wrist caught the majority of the fall, and it was smashed pretty good, he's had surgery on it and has pins in it still.

Anyways, when he recovered enough at the hospital to speak to someone, they asked him the same type's of things. You gotta understand, he's probably around 250-300 lbs, not a small guy, and they wanted to be sure his little wife wasn't beating him. It was kinda funny.

 

My husband was actually surprised when I told him that the clinic always asks me if we feel safe at home. The only time they haven't asked is when he's been with me, which is a rarity.