my 4 month old has 104.5 rectal temp, HELP???

Question

My 4 month old is 16 lbs w/ 104.5 rectal temp. I gave him .04 of tylen. this is his 4th day w/ fever. each day it seems to get higher! He's conjested, lethargic and seems to have a sore throat. (hard time swollowing, crying, coughing) I took him to ER last night, where I was told to only give him tylenol once a day as it will make him more sick in the long run and his body wont fight infection. Is this true? My son seems misrable and sometimes almost lifeless.....Can anyone help me, with some kind of answer? I have paged his doctor 3 times with no responce! I do not want to go back down to ER it is truly not necesarry and I am just an overly conerned mom?!??!!

Answer 1

If it is an option, I would take him to another ER. 4 days of fever in an infant is certainly cause for concern. Additionally, as soon as your son is well, I would begin an active search to find a doctor who will respond to your pages. Fever by itself may not be indicative of a serious problem, but the fact that he is lethargic and almost lifeless are symptoms needing to be checked by a doctor. I have never heard of only giving a baby Tylenol once a day. That has nothing to do with him not being able to fight an infection. If he is feverish and uncomfortable, Tylenol will help him get some much needed rest that is imperative to fighting off an infection. Has your baby been nursing normally? Dehydration is of extreme concern in babies and children running a fever. I have been a mom now for 28 years to 4 kids and I am much more forceful than I was when I was much younger with my first baby. Over the years I learned that you have to follow your gut feeling. Your mother's instinct is very strong. Be firm, be persistant, be a pest if you have to. I think in a situation like this, I would be back down to the ER demanding someone pay attention to my concern over my baby. When our youngest was 5 years old, she had a fever for several days. When she became delirious, we took her to ER and they gave her multiple doses of Tylenol combined with Motrin to bring her fever down. All the doctors and nurses were very caring and helpful. In the end, they never did figure out why she had a fever except to say it was probably viral in nature. Your baby is so little, he needs to be seen by a doctor just to be sure it isn't something serious. It would be better to take him and they find out he is OK then for you to not take him and find out there is something serious needing medical attention. ADDED: It is a common misconception that a high fever will cause brain damage. However, the truth is that brain damage does not occur unless a fever is over 107.6 for an extended period of time. Please do not be worried about brain damage in your baby. Additionally, seizures with fever are most commonly related to a sudden spike in temperature and are not caused by a continuous high fever. Additionally, when our daughter was in the ER for fever they gave us a Professional dosage Schedule for fever reduction. Motrin (ibuprofen) is NOT given to babies under the age of 6 months. The chart says that a baby 4-11 months old, 12-17 pounds should have 0.8 ml of infant acetaminophen 4-5 times a day not to exceed 5 doses in 24 hours.

Answer 2

I understand being hesitant about taking him back to the ER. Why don't you call them and talk to a nurse and ask them what they think. No matter what they say go with your gut if you really think he should be seen take him in. If you don't want to go back to the same hospital try a different one. If you don't feel like your son is getting the care he should demand to see another doctor.
Have you thought about giving him Motrin it works so much better on fevers.
I don't think you're being overly concerned I would be the same way. If possible give us an update and let us know how your little guy is doing.

Good luck to you!

Answer 3

You must go back to the ER. Obviously the doctor you saw was very irresponsible, or you failed to communicate the severity of the situation. If the hospital you went to is known to be an unreliable hospital in your area, try going to a better hospital if you can. You don't have much of a choice.

Answer 4

I'd go back - perhaps to a different hospital if possible. Legarthy is not a good sign, and a high fever for an extended period of time could cause brain damage or even death. I'd continue with the Tylenol just to keep the fever down. Get to a hospital - one that actually knows what they're doing.

If you can, please let me know that he's okay. Drop me an email in a few days or whenever possible. [e-mail]
I'll send a prayer up for him.

Answer 5

go back to the er again and demand some help with your little one a fever lasting more then 3 days is not good.

Answer 6

take him to the ER ( a different one if possible) a temp that high could cause brain damage.....also tylenol has nothing to do with ability to fight infection (thats antibiotics) and i give my children tylenol every 4-6 hours when they have a fever at their doctors suggestion...you can even alternate tylenol and motrin and give it every 3 (as long as they dont get the same med within 6 hours its ok) if its something viral it could be possible that giving antibiotics could hurt his chances of fighting future infections so the tylenol may be all that they can do.

Answer 7

What? You take him somewhere else. 104 is way too high. I don't want to scare you, but you take him back or go to another hospital! You are not overly concerned. You are a mother and I guarantee this mother would not leave until that temp was down or she would be at another hospital even if it took 30 minutes to get there. I think that hospital is a moron. I'm sorry but it's my opinion. Go somewhere else. That high of temp can cause permanent damage and worse things.

Answer 8

He could really get brain damage or something and have a seizure. I would take him back down to the ER and demand they do something and find out what is wrong. At four months old it could be meningitis. That is what they think my daughter had. They had to do a spinal tap and never got fluid. I would go now and not wait. His body can only handle so much of a temp. Good Luck and keep us posted and what is wrong. GO TO THE ER. If you have to go to a different one. If I ever have to go to the ER I drive an hour and fifteen min so I can to take my daughter to Childrens cause it is the best one.

Why in the world did I get a thumbs down for that????

Answer 9

Give a dose of Tylenol and a warm bath. The fever should go down. If it doesn't or goes higher then you should go to the ER. Most fevers are easily reduced at home.

Answer 10

GO BACK....104.5 sounds dangerous, they need to monitor him. Do you have a childrens hospital in your city?? if you do then go there they have all the proper equiptment. Where i live if you go to a regular ER they send you to the childrens hospital becuase they cant treat infants, they can see them and try to diagnose them but without the right tools they cant treat them. good luck i hope your baby gets better, sounds like he is pure miserable!