The dreaded fever questions...
Background: Kate's fever has been getting pretty high, up to 103 which is freaking me out. I took her to the dr yesterday and she tested negative for strep, flu and her ears were fine. We are alternating Tylenol and Motrin at the max dose for her weight and giving her a dose about every 5 hours. At about 4 1/2 hours she becomes quite lethargic.
1. Do I wake her up to give her the next dose/ take her temp in the middle of the night? We went out and bought a fancy new ear thermometer, but they were out of the temporal thermometers. 
Last night she woke herself up at around the 5 hour mark (so twice) and we gave her meds. DH says not to wake her up, wait for her to wake herself up. My mom says wake her up every 3 hours and give her meds... If we wake her up she's going to be pissed and likely have a hard time falling back to sleep. She refuses to sleep in our bed.
2. Tepid baths? My mom says she needs to be put in a tepid bath if the fever gets over 103 even if that happens in the middle of the night. Seriously? That is going to infuriate her and she will never fall back asleep. Anyone do this tepid bath thing?
3. I want a numer on the thermometer to know if I need to take her in to the ER. I tried to ask the dr about this and he said that they see kids with 104 or 105 and it's not a problem. But that means they're being seen, right? I wanted to ask for clarification, but Kate was hysterical over the flu and strep swabs so we had to get out of there.
Re: The dreaded fever questions...
1. I'm w/ DH on this. If/when she wakes up, give her some meds. She will wake up if she's uncomfortable.
2. No. Even during the day, we don't do tepid baths. When I have a fever, the last place I want to be is in luke warm water.
3. There isn't a number, per se. It's more of how they are behaving. Can the fever be brought down? Are they eating/ sleeping/ active?
PSA- we have a temporal thermometer and have found that it's not very accurate when compared to rectal. So, we use it as a guide. If it's 101+ on the temporal, we do rectal (w/ Tops) or oral (w/ Jack) to confirm. ETA: my reading comp skills are lacking. I thought you said that you had gotten a temporal.
Baths don't help. It can actually trigger shivering or encourage the body to create more heat. Do dress Kate lightly, fan on in the room etc. In other words, don't cook her.
Just because the flu swab is negative doesn't mean she doesn't have the flu
The test is not perfect. She has a known issue already though, something is growing in her throat. Did they say they sent off for a throat culture even though the strep was negative? Because in our ER, we do.
For a fever that high at her age, I personally would wake her to keep her medicated.
If you want to take her in for a 2nd opinion tonight, just say the word and I'll be there with bells on! The full workup for this kind of fever at her age may include a repeat flu/strep swab and a urine catheter specimen. Do you think she's dehydrated or is she eating and drinking well? They may ask to draw blood to check her white blood cell count and or start an IV to give her IV Fluids and antibiotics. Basically, if you're taking her in, expect them to be doing things to her
. That's just part of what you have to expect. If that will distress you, then leave it up to the pediatrician to make the call tomorrow. Otherwise an ER doctor is going to CYA and evaluate just about every possibility.
ETA: I forgot the warm fuzzy part where I say "I'm sorry your kid has a fever and I hope they get better soon" but I'm sure you know that I already feel that way!
1- We don't wake for meds. She'll wake up if she is uncomfortable and needs some.
2- No bath. My understanding is that you only do a cool bath when you have to bring a temp down fast and that doesn't happen until over 105, I wouldn't put mine in a bath in the middle of the night unless there is vomit involved.
3- No number. If she's 105 an hour after meds, I'd take her, but that's my own guideline, not medical advice
Fevers are scary, but her mood is much more important. The fever means her body is fighting something, but being lethargic or inconsolable for an extended period of time means something is wrong and she needs help.
I chose to go up just now and wake Abby to check her since she was last medicated after school and I'm glad I did. 104.7
:::shakes fist at fevers:::
Thanks ladies!
They did not send of a throat culture. Should I bring her back in tomorrow during office hours and ask them to?
She just woke up and and we gave her another does of Tylenol. I guess I'll set my alarm for 4 AM and give her a dose of Motrin then, though I suspect that she will wake up on her own before then.
We've been really pushing the fluids. I was worried today because her diapers weren't very wet, but this afternoon she overflowed her diaper and peed all over DH after only having been in it for 2 hours. I was thrilled.
She's not eating great, but she is eating some.
I think we're going to let her sleep tonight and call the dr again in the morning. I'm probably worrying needlessly, but she seems so much worse today than even yesterday when we took her in. She didn't want to do anything but lay in my lap for most of the day which is very out of character for her.