WWYD? Re toddler fever

Chicky0727 · April 2014

A friend of mine on Facebook just posted that her son has a 104.7 fever and is going on day 2 of him being sick. She's been alternating between Tylenol and ibuprofen but its still not going down. So she asked if she should take him into the urgent care now or wait until tomorrow...

Um...isn't that high of a fever really bad?? I freak out when my kids get close to 102. I'm trying hard not to side eye her, but my ass would be in the urgent care with my baby. What would you all do?

Lawgrl04 · April 2014

I would go bc it isn't going down with meds. Not sure if 104.7 alone is cause for concern...but if meds don't bring the fever down, he should be seen.

[Deleted User] · April 2014

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Chicky0727 · April 2014

scarfbandit said:
Yea if it's not going down with alternating the meds then I would've gone last night she needs to be "scared" into going and quit f**kin around and get that poor baby some help!! Kinda pisses me off!

My thoughts exactly! And the crazy thing is she works in pediatrics. OK...glad to know I'm not the only one who would've taken my kiddos in with that.

BabyM82714 · April 2014

She works in pediatrics? Oh geez. Basically I would take him in. He could use fluids, they'll tell her that she can give him more meds than she is, and make sure he doesn't have an infection.

Jennicillin · April 2014

My peds rule is 3+ days on meds bring them in. Over 105 under the age of 5 bring them in. It's becoming a lot more common to let fevers run their course and do their job for a while.

That rule doesn't apply to my daughter because she sufferes febrile seizures.

I can see how she would feel like it's a gray area given the trend with fever management these days. If he's drinking and peeing normal, I'd let it go to the 3rd day though.... If he's showing signs of dehydration or other alarming symptoms (tight cough or something like that) then bring him in sooner.

Third&goal · April 2014

If it's responding to meds (even just coming down to like 100) then I agree I might let it run it's course until day 3. It may just be that she wrote the post wrong that the fever spiked to as high as 104 but didn't BREAK with meds. But as long as it's responding to meds then I wouldn't side eye it.

also to note this is assuming the child is not dehydrated or anything else like that

BeachM · April 2014

DS had strep a couple weeks ago and got up to 104.5. Other than the fever, he was acting totally normal! Crazy, right? The on call nurse told me I was actually giving him too low of a dose of ibuprofen for his weight and I should give him a bit more, give it an hour, and if the fever didn't go down we had to go straight to the local children's hospital ER. Luckily it went down, we got in to see the pedi the next morning, and antibiotics worked quickly.

The points the nurse and our pedi made were that how the kid is acting is much more important than the number on the thermometer. Keep in mind this is for a 3 year old NOT a baby. The nurse said that while adults would be feeling near death with a 104 fever (I had one with mastitis and seriously thought the end was near), for a young child it's not as big of a deal if they are still acting ok. Fever that high + stiff neck = ER immediately though in case of meningitis. Supposedly the brain damage risk from a high fever is a bit of a myth in young children.

kiley820 · April 2014

FTM but worked in childcare for years. To the best of my knowledge, it depends on the age of the child and if there are any other symptoms besides a fever. That being said, no matter what your doctors "rules" are or what anyone else tells you....if you have to question on Facebook whether or not to bring your child to the ER, you have your answer right there. Always trust your Mommy instincts! No one knows your child better than you. Better safe than sorry!

lckcdc3 · April 2014

Yea DS has ran really high fevers like that before. 105.3 was the highest. I freaked the F out. Took him to the ER and they basically said the same, that it isnt so much the high fever to worry about, its that the meds aren't helping it go down. That alone should be reason enough for her to bring him in. I always error on the side of caution. If I bring him and it's nothing, then all I'm out is a co-pay. Totally worth it in my opinion.

PS. when DS has that super high fever it ended up being Roseola. Which is a virus and there isn't anything that they can do for it. If he has that she probably wont know until day 4 or 5 when the weird red rash appears.

MandMLeona · April 2014

Yeah, everyone has their own threshold for this based on their experience and family history. I've gone in within 24 hours for a fever that wasn't responding to otc meds and I've held a little one for a week with a fever as long as it was responding to meds and I knew what was causing it (she got in contact with an allergen). You have to use your best judgement.

Before I was a mom I couldn't understand my SIL who couldn't notice their child had croupe (sic) until he had to be hospitalized...not once or twice but three times in one winter. So far my kids haven't gotten that sick, but I can now understand that it's all a gray area and you do your best.

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WWYD? Re toddler fever

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