my sons fever isnt breaking?

Question

my son is 9 months old and is teething...he just got his first tooth the other day. but he has diarrhea for 6 days and he got a fever on the 5th day, ussually when i give him tylenol or motrin it will break but sometimes come back, this time it will only break for maybe a couple hours if im lucky and then it spikes right back up again around 102 or so. i took him to the doctors this morning and she gave him an antibiotic shot and said he probably has a virul infection. i am still concerned because its not really breaking. when his fever is up he is really whiny but when its down he acts normal and plays. anyone with any suggestions i would really appreciate it!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Call the emergency room or your docter's office. You child sounds like he is sick beyond teething. The teething may have came at the same time but what you're discribing is beyond that. If he has had diarreha this long, is feverish, etc., his little body is dehydrating. You need medical attention for him.

Answer 2

Teething does not cause fever. This is the worst wives tale ever told. Nor does it cause diarrhea. The only thing teething causes, is gum discomfort. As he's already getting the tylenol, give him baby orajel to help with that.

Your son has a viral infection. I find it odd that your ped gave him antibiotics - as they do nothing for viruses. Antibiotics are for infections - ear, nose, throat, etc. And, most antibiotics make diarrhea even worse! Not only that - but antibiotic shots come in doses...baby has to get more than one shot.

#1 Make sure he's hydrated. Give him several sips of pedialyte, gatorade, or gerber now has electrolyte also. Gerber & pedialyte always has expiration dates, and we've always got gatorade on hand in my house, so I'm always more prone to give the gatorade. Stay away from apple juice, or any kind of juice for that matter, as juice will make diarrhea worse. Continue giving him formula.

#2: Alternate tylenol with baby motrin. Just remember, tylenol is only 4 hours between, but motrin is 6-8. So, if you gave tylenol now, give motrin in 4 hours, then 6-8 hours after that (check box for time intervals, I'm going by memory sorry), give tylenol again.

#3: Dress him lightly. In the summer, it's hot enough. Hopefully you've got air conditioning. If not, keep him in a cool place, and give him a cool (not cold) bath. Do not use rubbing alcohol - this will absorb into the skin and cause more harm.

Just remember, fevers tend to spike up more at night. If it's lower or gone during the day, and he still has that flu bug, continue to alternate the tylenol and motrin. Some flus can last over a week.

If you think your son is showing signs of dehydration (your ped should've given you the list of these symptoms) - no tears when crying, not peeing as often as he should, dry mouth & lips...
take him to the hospital immediately. If his fever jumps to 104, he should also be brought in - even though standard now is 105.

Answer 3

It's quite normal to have a fever and diarrhea when teething. Give your baby paracetamol for babies (ask doctor or at the pharmacy about the dosis).
I really wonder why the doc gave your son an antibiotic shot. What for? A virus infection will never be cured with antibiotics but only a bacterial one will. Didn't you say that your son is teething?
If you can't get down the fever with medication try it with cold water. Take a wet cotton cloth and wrap around his calves and cover with a dry towel. Keep it for about 10 minutes. Repeat. Take temperature again. If still too high, try again.
If you can't get the fever down after an hour or so I onced tried the following with my son. Take a large plastic bowl or baby bathing tub and fill it with lukewarm water (not too cold, only a few degrees colder than his temperature!) and allow him to take a bath for a few minutes. He will cry for sure, probably even scream because this water seems to be too cold for him. But this will cool him to quite a normal temperature.
Good luck.

Answer 4

Well, I am not a doctor, but I am confused. When a child has a fever and is miserable and then the fever drops and he is OK, it is usually a viral infection. Antibiotics have NO effect on viral infections and can create antibiotic resistant bacterial infections in your body (with the bacteria that our bodies normally harbor). I would call the doctor back, but if it is viral, little ones can run fevers for up to about a week with no other symptoms-my son did this all the time! Try to keep him cool with lightweight clothing and maybe a lukewarm spongebath and call the doctor if it goes higher. good luck!

Answer 5

It's time to take your son to the closest emergency room RIGHT NOW and let a pediatric specialist give him the once over.I am not knocking what his regular doctor did as not enough but when it comes to a 9 month old with a reoccurring 102 degree fever it's time to GET HELP IMMEDIATELY. If you have a hospital in your immediate area less than a half hour drive that specializes in pediatrics then I would go there first.

Answer 6

Well, it will go away soon. You can alternate Tylenol, and the Motrin if the fever is continuous, but I would give the shot at least 24 hours to get into his system. Good luck!

Answer 7

If your doctor gave him an antibiotic for a virus then she wasted your money. Antibiotics work on bacterial infections.
That said, have you tried giving him a bath with tepid, not cold, water. My son used to respond well to those. Also let him run around in as little clothing as possible and give him plenty of fluids. Popsicles are sometimes helpful too.

Answer 8

I would call the dr.'s office or ER and tell them what's going on..that you have already taken him to the dr. and what they told you to do, and what they did. Tell them that his fever is still not breaking. They may can tell you some things to do to bring the fever down.
But you can put him in a cool bath, and keep giving him the tylenol or motrin...other than that..that's what I would do.
Good Luck! I hope he gets to feeling better!

Answer 9

Strip him of his clothes and bathe him with tepid water. Children this age will scare you to death when they are sick. Their fever will go higher than an adults. If it does not go down after a few hours, call the doctor. Good luck~

Answer 10

you're baby probably has roseola..it's called baby measels (sp?)...my son had it...it's a really high fever for 5 days or so and then when the fever breaks on the last day, they break out in a rash. it's totally harmless. but go to the doctor anyways