My 6 yr old dtr has high fever,headache & elevated ketones in her urine. The Dr says it's dehydration. Advice?

Question

No other symptoms, just headache, high fever and elevated ketones. She is tired with no appetite, but the doctor seems unconcerned. I keep seeing diabetes everywhere I look, but fever is not associated with it. Has anybody else had experience with this situation? Should we get a second opinion?

Answer 1

elevated ketones are highly associated with dehydration b/c the body begins to break down fatty acids in attempt to restore the bodies electrolyte balance as a result of there not being enough fluids in the body....

getting her rehydrated is key to restoring her electrolyte balance back to normal, which will result in the ketones in the urine going back to normal levels and the headache and fever disappearing...

best thing for her is water but you can also try gatorade. pedialyte works great too. older children prefer the freezer pops over the actual liquid you can buy but both work the same. avoid sodas and juices as these have high sugar content and can worsen the dehydration. you can also give her clear liquids to eat such as soup broth,popsicles,and jello....

for the fever children's motrin works best.

for the chewable tablets give her 4 every 6-8 hours but no more than 4 doses in 24 hours.

for the liquid suspension give her 2 tsp every 6-8 hours and also no more than 4 doses in 24 hours.

you can alternate motrin with tylenol if the motrin doesn't seem to be helping-rotate them every 6 hours....

diabetes is hereditary so if the parents do not have it, the chances of the child getting it are slim. fever is not associated with diabetes and one of the most distinctive signs of diabetes is the "fruit smelling" breath. your daughters breath would have a very strong "fruity" smell to it and it would be constant.

just keep giving her fluids and treat the fever-don't worry so much about her not wanting to eat. It's common for someone to have loss of appetite when they're not feeling well-especially children. i'm sure she'll be back to normal before you know it-good luck

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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RE:
My 6 yr old dtr has high fever,headache & elevated ketones in her urine. The Dr says it's dehydration. Advice?
No other symptoms, just headache, high fever and elevated ketones. She is tired with no appetite, but the doctor seems unconcerned. I keep seeing diabetes everywhere I look, but fever is not associated with it. Has anybody else had experience with this situation? Should we get a second opinion?

Answer 4

If the weather has been hot where you are, and your child has been active, playing and not drinking enough fluids it will cause dehydration and exhibit the symptoms you describe. The ketones in the urine are the result of fat metabolism (the breakdown of fat in the body).

In summer, especially when it's hot people need to drink more than the usual 6 to 8 glasses of water per day. Sometimes it's tough to get kids to comply with that. However, encourage water, juices, lemonade, etc. Also, popsicles and freezies are always a welcome treat and will help to hydrate. You could also make jello, and instead of heavy meals, try soup. If you are concerned about the minerals lost during this episode, you could try giving her Pedialyte. You can buy it over the counter at the pharmacy. Kids usually like the fruit flavor.

Since your child is feverish, dress her in light clothing and sponge her down with cool (not cold) water and limit her activity until her body temperature returns to normal. Fever is the body's natural mechanism designed to try and induce sweating to cool down the body. If she is dehydrated, you don't want her to sweat and lose valuable electrolytes. If this situation continues more than 24 hours, take your child to the emergency room.

--from a registered nurse

Answer 5

Ketones In Urine Children

Answer 6

Ketones In Urine Child

Answer 7

Your physician is probably correct, however I assume that he had done a urinalysis and measured the specific gravity as well as doing a blood study (hematocrit and red blood cell count showing polycythemia). If so, then he is right on. Dehydration is caused by poor fluid intake or diarrhea or vomiting, and for a younger child perhaps best managed in a hospital situation with intravenous solutions to balance the electrolytes as well as to restore fluid, older children respond to juice, ginger ale, water melon and vegetable juices. You can roughly judge degree of dehydration by gently pinching the skin and if the skin forms folds like creased paper, dehydration is pronounced whereas the normal skin will form well rounded folds. I would advise following your physician's advice and giving lots of fluids for a few days, and the fever should begin to respond rather rapidly to the increased fluid intake, the headache may take a few more hours and the ketones will take still longer. You should also investigate the cause of the problem...exertion, poor fluid intake, vomiting or diarrhea and try to prevent re-occurrence as dehydrating cause urinary concentration and increases the chance of kidney stones, urinary discomfort and or infections. I am a physician.

Answer 8

I would hydrate her well and then see what happens. Ketones break down when protein breaks down and that can happen when a child isn't eating. Headache is side effect of fever. If you want ask your MD for a fasting blood sugar to be done on your child. It is a simple test.

Hydrate her with water, juice, popsicles, soup, jello, anything she will take in.

When she feels better, THEN check out ketones. The only thing that indicates anything of diabetes is the ketones, but they come with starvation and dehydration.

Give her children's tylenol or such for fever. Give her cool baths. Drink drink drink.

Diabetes is your least worry right now. Your child needs fluids.

Answer 9

I know what you mean - my child is almost 6 and asking a lot of those questions. I've tried to be honest and explain that even though I believe in God, some people don't. It's up to each person to decide. (Okay, so we have different beliefs, but the principle will still apply.) If you think he'll understand, you could give him a brief rundown of major beliefs and explain how they're all different - Atheism (no god), Buddhism (no god but god-like figure), Christianity (one god) and Hinduism (hundreds of gods). He will have more questions, especially at Christmas or Halloween when he realizes other kids beliefs are connected to those days, but you can use those for teaching opportunities too. I taught our little one about the origins of Halloween - and creeped her out - but explained that since we aren't Druids or anything we don't celebrate it that way, and I don't have a problem with a little candy. Hope this helps!

Answer 10

does she has diabetes? bec ketones in the urine is associaed with diabetes. fever maybe associated with dehydration as well as headache. you should consult a dr because she needs to be hydrated and the treated for diabetes if ever she has. get a second opinion if ur dr doesn't care at all.
for dehydration, i suggest you give your daughter some pedialite, that is a water you can buy in walgreen.