Hi Mel! My dd had a fever all the way up to 105 a couple months ago. I posted here because it really freaked me out. But her dr was not concerned and she came through it just fine.
If you are worried at all, I'd call the dr and just check in with a nurse.
What they told me:
The important thing is ... How does he look? How does he seem to you? Is he acting limp and lethargic? Is he pale? Does something seem wrong? Or is he more or less himself, maybe just a little slower or cranky because of the fever? They told me that how the child is acting is more significant to them then what the temp number is.
They can have a high fever, but if they are acting normal then they are not nearly as alarmed as they might be if the child only had a temp of 100 but was pale and unresponsive or SUPER cranky and flipping out.
Some kids are just prone to high fevers ... and some, like my dd, don't seem to be bothered much by them either. She was acting fairly normal the entire time she had the temp. Then when the temp came down, because she was sleep deprived by then after two nights of being sick, she started acting a little nuts. It was really wild. I do think that if the temp had gone much over 105 ... if it got anywhere near 106 ... I wouldn't have cared what they said on the phone. We'd have gone to the urgent care or the ER.
As for seizures ... now they say they are not caused so much by a specific high threshold of fever, but by how *rapidly* the temp rises (or falls). If it goes up to quickly (or if you dunk them in a tub of cold water and it falls too quickly) they think that might be what can cause a seizure.
I'd give him some Motrin (esp because the fever can make you feel so achey) and lower it just to be safe. Though they say it's not absolutely necessary to treat the fever ... because the fever is a helpful response to the virus or infection and you want it to do it's job -- as long as they are not too uncomfortable and as long as they can sleep. My dd is TERRIBLE about taking medicine and half the time she just spits it back out. They told me in that case to just use a cool compress, not to cover her up too much and dress her lightly (so as not to raise the temp) and just keep an eye on her behavior.
Hope Andrew feels better soon!
Edited to add: LOTS of fluids. Popsicles. Jello. Gatorade or Pedialyte.
Oh. And you might want to test the thermometer on yourself and your dh (if he's home) and maybe on Dalton ... just to make sure it's accurate. If it's battery operated, you never know ....
Thanks........ I called his ped after I posted this and she said it was fine. That at around 104-105 that I should then take him to the ER if I cannot get it down. I am about to guve a luke warm bath to help. It has gone down to 100 thank goodness. Thanks again for the post.
Hi Mel! My dd had a fever all the way up to 105 a couple months ago. I posted here because it really freaked me out. But her dr was not concerned and she came through it just fine.
If you are worried at all, I'd call the dr and just check in with a nurse.
What they told me:
The important thing is ... How does he look? How does he seem to you? Is he acting limp and lethargic? Is he pale? Does something seem wrong? Or is he more or less himself, maybe just a little slower or cranky because of the fever? They told me that how the child is acting is more significant to them then what the temp number is.
They can have a high fever, but if they are acting normal then they are not nearly as alarmed as they might be if the child only had a temp of 100 but was pale and unresponsive or SUPER cranky and flipping out.
Some kids are just prone to high fevers ... and some, like my dd, don't seem to be bothered much by them either. She was acting fairly normal the entire time she had the temp. Then when the temp came down, because she was sleep deprived by then after two nights of being sick, she started acting a little nuts. It was really wild. I do think that if the temp had gone much over 105 ... if it got anywhere near 106 ... I wouldn't have cared what they said on the phone. We'd have gone to the urgent care or the ER.
As for seizures ... now they say they are not caused so much by a specific high threshold of fever, but by how *rapidly* the temp rises (or falls). If it goes up to quickly (or if you dunk them in a tub of cold water and it falls too quickly) they think that might be what can cause a seizure.
I'd give him some Motrin (esp because the fever can make you feel so achey) and lower it just to be safe. Though they say it's not absolutely necessary to treat the fever ... because the fever is a helpful response to the virus or infection and you want it to do it's job -- as long as they are not too uncomfortable and as long as they can sleep. My dd is TERRIBLE about taking medicine and half the time she just spits it back out. They told me in that case to just use a cool compress, not to cover her up too much and dress her lightly (so as not to raise the temp) and just keep an eye on her behavior.
Hope Andrew feels better soon!
Edited to add: LOTS of fluids. Popsicles. Jello. Gatorade or Pedialyte.
Oh. And you might want to test the thermometer on yourself and your dh (if he's home) and maybe on Dalton ... just to make sure it's accurate. If it's battery operated, you never know ....
Edited 2/23/2005 5:02 pm ET ET by donachiara
I called his ped after I posted this and she said it was fine. That at around 104-105 that I should then take him to the ER if I cannot get it down.
I am about to guve a luke warm bath to help.
It has gone down to 100 thank goodness.
Thanks again for the post.