A child and a fever. I need advice.?

Question

My 13 month old has had a fever for 2 days now. It has been 103.0 and up. I took her to the ER and they said it was ok to have fevers that it was nothing serious. Even that high. They told me to give her motrin.Last I knew a fever wasn't that good. She has been on that for 2 days and it still isn't breaking. She is also on atibiotics cause they thought she might have a sinus infection. Is it good to have a temp that high this long?What can it cause. What else can I do? I have tried sponge baths, and everything else. I need help. I need advice. Thanks.

ALL OF YOU WERE VERY HELPFUL. SO I CAN'T CHOOSE A BEST ANSWER. THANKS A LOT. :) SHE IS GETTING BETTER AS OF TODAY. HE TEMP REACHED 106.7 BEFORE IT WOULD GO DOWN.

Answer 1

Don't worry too much hon, 2 days is nothing! Although I know how you feel.
Here's what I learned when my son had a fever:
1. Fevers are usually caused by the body working overtime to fight a virus. So fever is a symptom, not the disease.
2. There is no antibiotic for a virus. Antibiotics do not fight viruses. The body has to rid itself of a virus all by itself. I also couldn't understand why they wouldn't just give him something, but then a very nice doctor (who unfortunately was not the first doc I saw) explained this to me.
3. It takes about 7 days for a body to rid itself of a virus. Again, something I wish the 1st doc I saw had explained, so I wouldn't have been going crazy when I got to the 4th day of my son's fever. But sure enough, his cleared completely in exactly 7 days.
All you can do is comfort her and try your hardest to make it a little less unbearable. A lot of people have suggested many good things. The alternation of motrin and tylenol worked very well for us, and actually sitting right in a little bit of luke warm water worked wonders in tempering a soaring fever. I would sit in it with him so he wouldn't be so scared and yes, he would cry a little at first because the water does feel cold compared to his current body temp, but after a few minutes he would relax. It never hurt him and would bring his temp down to almost normal in about 15 minutes. Oh and don't be surprised if she gets a rash. It is common with viruses. Sorry, I guess I've had a lot to say about this. I hope some of it helps.

Answer 2

They (the doctors) think up to 3 times 24 hours is normal to have that kind of fever. If she already has an anti biotic there isn't much they can do beside that any way. Most likely the fever will break by then.

Check her gums for extreme white spots.... or even a tooth coming through. It can be a real painful experience. There is some real handy medication specially for teething (here it is called Dentinox) It will bring down the pain and thus the fever. Some infants gain relief from chewing on cold objects.

Be sure she drinks enough. You may want to consider giving her ORS (Oral re-hydration salt) this will keep up her fluids as well as blood-sugar.

Keep close tabs on her 'lucidity' if she starts to roll her eyes or drops that isn't normal sleep, you will have IMMEDIATE attention of any doctor.

Keep up the sponge baths but let her get her rest as best as possible. A fresh damp wash towel will do the trick as well when she is resting.

Answer 3

I would take your child to her regular pediatrician, not the emergency room. Your peds doctor will have better information and more expertise at treating infants than the ER docs. If she has a sinus infection, it can take up to several days for the antibiotics to really kick in and start working, so she might still experience fevers till they do kick in. But I truly suggest having her checked by your pediatrician, the ER isn't always the best place to get a diagnosis on something that isn't an injury or something like that. Call your peds doctor and see what he or she says.

Answer 4

When my kids have a fever I have to give them both Tylenol and Motrin to bring their fevers down. I start with Motrin because I think it works better for pain and in a half hour to an hour if the fever is not down I give them Tylenol. I have had my regular doctor and ER doctors tell me that is fine, I even found it on the net on a kids health site. I keep them on both for a few days and usually by then the fever is gone or it is much lower.
It is so irritating when doctors say that, I do believe they know what they are saying but I had one tell me that when my daughters was at 105.6, I was furious and switched doctors.
Once my kids hit 101.5 to 102.0 I start both Tylenol and Motrin because their fevers tend to spike.
My mom always put a cold washcloth on our foreheads so I always do that for them. The doctors also said clothes and blankets can add 1 to 2 degrees. Keep her in just her diaper and just a sheet at night. Good Luck, hope she feels better soon.
Oh and also most of the time my kids fevers were that high at that age it was ear infections, she may need a re-check to be sure.

Answer 5

Is she teething? That is a very good symptom of teething. Dr. have disputed it since the beginning of time, but every mother will tell you their kids get a fever when teething. (My boy did and it was the ONLY time he got a fever)

What kind of antibiotics is she on? Maybe she is allergic to them???

A fever from 98 to 101 isn't really considered a fever as well.

Call your pediatrian and explain what the ER said. They might have you bring her in.

In the meantime, keep her hydrated with water, and 100% juice (ABSOLUTELY NO SUGARY DRINKS!). Give her light things to eat, toast w/ very very light butter, baby food fruits (bananas, apricots etc...) . Limit milk and milk based products while she has a fever, she may get sick from it.

If you can't get thru to the pediatrician, take her back to the ER and if they try to send you home and as a mom you feel something is wrong (sometimes a parent knows thier child better than any dr. in the world) tell them you want a second opinion. You don't gamble with your child's life! :0)

Answer 6

Try giving her pop sickles, and keep her warm. Schedule a doc appt asap. It is not good for a child to have a fever for long periods of time. Does the motrin break the fever at all?? If it does then keep giving it to her until the doctor is able to see her, which should be within a day or two. Keep fer full of liquids so she does not get dehydrated, pop sickles will do the trick. If she will eat then feed her whatever she wants, but if she refuses dont stress, most kids will not eat when they do not feel good...good luck,

Answer 7

I have always given my kids Motrin ( what ever dose w/ the weight of the child is ) then before the 6 hrs is up, I would then give Tylenol every 4 hrs. Trade each time. With that type of fever it does take time to break!
I am surprise they didn't take a urine test. That could be 1 reason why your child fever is up.
I would make an follow up appt w/ your child's doc.
In the mean while make sure to have the child drink water, Gatorade ( gatorade I been told now its better then the other one ( ped.)

Answer 8

try alternating Motrin with tylenol (follow the dosage and hours on the boxes) so if you were to say give motrin at 12pm, then you would give tylenol at 3pm, and then motrin at 6, etc....as long as the fever is coming down till the next medicine dose it is fine, believe it or not, babies are known for their very high temperatures, my daughter would get as high as 104, finally by the 4th fever around the age of 1 1/2, I was a pro, :) if she still has a temp in the morning call her pediatrician, unless some other signs show up.

Answer 9

A fever is just a sign that the body is working to fight off something - an infection or virus.

No brain damage is going to occur, the anti-fever meds are solely for comfort, they do NOT cure anything at all.

How is she acting ?
Is she alert ? Eating ? Sleeping ? If so, don't worry about the fever.
Or is she in pain, lethargic ? Then this is the time to be medicating her.

Answer 10

You take her to a different one and force them to do something to get that fever down. If there isn't a different one, go ahead and take her back, but you have an ambulance take her in. They will see her faster that way. Force them to get it down and find out what is causing it. My niece ended up having the little hairs in her ears burnt off because of a prolonged fever. She lost her hearing completely at 3. She was found, finally, to have meningitis. They only found that out 2 days after the fact. The hospital works for you and can't refuse service. Don't worry about hurting their feelings or being to loud. this is your child and you have a right. Get this baby some help.