ChristusG Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 My DD is 5 and started running a fever last night. It is at its highest point right now....right at 104. Is this okay? My kids do not really run high fevers often so I dont have much experience. She has a docs appt at 2 PM and it is 12:15 right now. I gave her Motrin....hopefully that will bring it lower. And I put cool wash cloths on her head and chest. I tried giving her some of that Oscillo stuff, but she gagged and spit it out. I'm just nervous about it being H1N1. She's had a cold and now she seems to be developing a cough. She's not TOO lethargic though....definitely not herself but she can stand up and walk around. Just a nervous mama needing reassurance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 104 is higher than I like. I will not give a fever reducer until it reaches close to 102 but then I will give one. If the Motrin does not bring down the fever, I would give her a tepid (not cold but warm water) bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoplayer Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 104 is higher than I would like, too. A couple of ideas (from my pediatrician and my sis-in-law, who is an RN): -Put an icepack, wrapped in a hand towel, under her armpits (in addition to the cool cloth on face & chest). -Can she suck on a popsicle? I wouldn't have her swallowing large amounts of stuff, as it could make her vomit, but if she can even hold something cold/slushy in her mouth for awhile, her mouth tissue will absorb some of the liquid and it will help bring down her fever. If you have some white grape juice, mix with a little water and put a small amount in the freezer until slushy. Give her just a small teaspoonful at a time, and encourage her to hold it in her mouth as much as she can. -My pediatrician has said to alternate the age-appropriate dose of Ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) and Tylenol every two hours for a high fever. That being said, I would advise you to call your pediatrician's office and confirm with a nurse that this is okay before doing this on your own. Hope this helps! I know how scary it is when our little ones are so sick. Hopefully you will get some help and reassurance from the doc this afternoon. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Thanks for the reply! I'm watching her closely. It's been about 30 minutes since the Motrin so I'll retake her temp again soon. Just added some cool wash clothes to her feet and gave her some cold water to drink. I also do not medicate for a fever unless it gets high. I checked her hours ago and it was 101 and I didn't medicate. Checked it again and it was 104 and definitely decided to medicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Thanks pianoplayer! I'm going to go get those ice packs and towels right now for her arm pits. Our ped okays the motrin/tylenol rotation every 3 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I'm all for letting fevers run their course, but 104 pushes a comfort zone for me! I had one child who used to run 105 degree fevers when he was sick. Talk about scary!! He's now 13 and his fever last week was at 104 too. Sounds like you're doing all the right things. Keep her hydrated. We're just getting over presumed h1n1. (Presumed because they aren't testing around here anymore.) Watch closely for secondary infection. Each of my kids got better for a 1/2 day to a day and then went downhill FAST again. Scary. Each got secondary infection - ear infections, bronchitis, and sinus infections. The one with asthma is by far the worst of the bunch. keep in contact with your doctor! Let us know what the doc says! :grouphug::grouphug: I know how scary fevers are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Ditto to all the advice already given and to look out for secondary infection. We had that happen to us last week with my 5 yo. As she was finishing her Tamiflu she had to start on the antibiotic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 n/t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 104 is scary! My 6 yo dd went through this in August, and it turned out to be mono. Here's 2 things I learned....be careful not to overmedicate-keep checking her temp regularly. My dr had us do the tylenol/motrin thing every 3 hours and it was too much and her temp went down to 95, which is WAY too low!!! Also, kids often don't test positive for mono, even though they have it! So, google the symptoms if you Dr can't figure out what it is and the fever won't go away after a few days. My Dr thought I was crazy, but after doing bloodwork realized it definitely was mono(even though the mono test was negative!). DD had HUGE tonsils, and she ended up needing to take steroids. Which were scary, and I hate drugs, but TOTALLY worth it in this case! ANYWAY, you are the expert on your kid :grouphug:! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yslek Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I just found this on fevers: http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_feverpho_hhg.htm Here's what it says about fevers of various temperatures: "100°F to 102°F Low-grade fever: Beneficial. Try (37.8°C to 39°C) to keep the fever in this range. 102°F to 104°F Moderate-grade fever: Beneficial. (39°C to 40°C) Over 104°F High fever: Causes discomfort, but (40°C) is harmless. Over 105°F High fever: Higher risk of (40.6°C) bacterial infections. Over 108°F Serious fever: The fever itself can (42°C) be harmful." Dh (who has taken a fair number of biology/science classes at the college level, and works as a Navy Corpsman) generally discourages me from bringing fevers down, as most viruses (& bacteria, too, I think :confused:) thrive and replicate best right around 98.6°F. I personally start to get nervous around 105. (I always thought brain damage was possible w/ fevers over 106, though. A couple of other sites I just looked at listed 107.6 as the point at which brain damage becomes a concern. Hmmm...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 104 is right on the borderline for my comfort (my kids tend to always hit 103.8 which is just 2 tenths of a degree lower than 104). Does your child have other symptoms, or just the fever? Doctors will give tylenol and motrin just like parents - I am not sure there are other things that can be done for fever that you aren't already doing. The worry becomes "bacterial infection" if the fever doesn't come down much with the meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I don't usually treat low fevers. I find that if I give fever reducing medicine, then the kid starts feeling fine and starts running around instead of resting, so it defeats the purpose. By 102 I start medicating; by 104 I am freaking out and I definitely do everything I can to bring it down! I also find that at that level, even with medication, my kids are feeling sick enough that they don't feel like running around, so they're still having their rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I hope her fever is down. Poor kiddo, and mom.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey in MA Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 This is of course just a little anecdotal, but my 4 kids all had the flu this past week, and my girls ended up w/ the super high fever. (My 5yo had a high of 104.8, and my 7yo had a 105!! The 5yo did indeed vomit when I gave her the meds one time.) Those are the highest I have ever dealt with! I called the dr's office and they basically said that these types of temps used to be considered the flu, but now days are considered so "high", and that though they're high, they're not cause for a visit. Just keep them hydrated, were my instructions. I, of course, alternated Ibuprofin / Acetaminphin (overlapping - every 2-3 hrs), which helped some. Used cool wash cloths, light clothes, ice pops, etc. I was so worried, I asked "well, when DO I get worried and actually DO something like come in?"....She said that if the fever stayed up like that for a whole day (so, by the next day), then maybe we should come on in. Wow. Anyway, we're all over the fevers now. (They started low for several days then shot up for several days, then went away). But we still have aches, and coughs that don't seem to be going away. GL w/ your young one! I hope she is feeling better soon! - Stacey in MA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Thanks for all the replies and advice! Fevers scare me! We're back from the ped and they said it's viral, which I was afriad of. I was hoping it was something non-contagious like an ear infection, but that hope kind of diminshed when her fever rose to 104. Right now her symptoms are just fever and a runny nose. I hope it stays that way! Her ped said that there's things going around right now and they all seem to cause high fevers, but she didn't act like 104 was anything to worry about. I didn't like it though LOL! She has not had any meds since 12 PM. And her fever is still staying fairly low. I'm going to keep a good eye on it though so that it does not get up to 104 again. And with night time approaching, it worries me because fevers tend to rise then. I hope none of the rest of us catch it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I consider meds at 105 if a cool bath does not bring it down. I know it's hard but repeat to yourself, "Fevers are friends." Burn those yucky germs! I hope she feels better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 The temperature itself doesn't particularly, in and of itself, bother me, unless it hits 105. What concerns me is how they look and act, and what my mommy gut is saying. I would probably medicate for 104, but only bc they are likely to be uncomfortable. If they seem to be moderately comfortable, I won't necessarily do it, but will watch closely. But then, at 101, if they are uncomfortable, I medicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Thanks for all the replies and advice! Fevers scare me! We're back from the ped and they said it's viral, which I was afriad of. I was hoping it was something non-contagious like an ear infection, but that hope kind of diminshed when her fever rose to 104. Right now her symptoms are just fever and a runny nose. I hope it stays that way! Her ped said that there's things going around right now and they all seem to cause high fevers, but she didn't act like 104 was anything to worry about. I didn't like it though LOL! She has not had any meds since 12 PM. And her fever is still staying fairly low. I'm going to keep a good eye on it though so that it does not get up to 104 again. And with night time approaching, it worries me because fevers tend to rise then. I hope none of the rest of us catch it! :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I KNOW how scary it is. Keep strong. And, try to sleep yourself. Vaporizer in the room to help break up the mucous. Lots of tv. Lots. Water. Water. Water. And, if you do decide to give her a bath to bring the fever down, stay with her. My now-9 yo ds had a fever seizure right after taking a bath when he was 6. It's been three years now, but I STILL wonder what would've happened if that seizure had happened while he was in the tub!!! Not that she'll have a seizure. But, whenever my kids have a fever now, I stay VERY close by when they shower or bathe. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 High fevers are scary...but remember they are doing a job in your dc's body, too! Nothing new to add -- you've gotten good advice, just more :grouphug:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I just wanted to add that a fever of 105 or more can lead to seizures. Generally speaking, I am one for letting a fever run it's course and do it's work but I would be concerned about 105 and start taking drastic measures to bring it down some as well as watch for seizures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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