At what point would you bring your child into the horrible local dr?

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Dd4th has been sick since Saturday. Our doctors are idiots (seriously, most people drive an hour and a half to 'real' doctors) but her temp is 104.1. She has cold symptoms.

 

I don't have time to drive to the dr an hour and a half away because they will be closed. Should I take her to the ER there or dr here?

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

If she just has cold symptoms, I probably wouldn't take her in. They're just going to say it's a virus and send you back home. Save the poor girl the trip and just try to cool her down with wet cloths and keep her hydrated. Hope she feels better soon.

[gingersmom]

I would take her in just to make sure she does not have an ear infection or strep throat. No symptoms (in my house at least) means nothing.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

If she just has cold symptoms, I probably wouldn't take her in. They're just going to say it's a virus and send you back home. Save the poor girl the trip and just try to cool her down with wet cloths and keep her hydrated. Hope she feels better soon.

 

 

 

I am just freaked out about the temp. That is really high. I am going to help her take a cool-ish shower and see if that helps.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Put cool rags pn her neck, armpits, and groin area. If she takes a shower keep it lukewarm.

[SJ.]

How long has she had the fever? If it has only been a day or two I would wait it out. If it has been longer I would consider going in because when ds1 and I had roller coaster fevers for days we had pneumonia.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

How long has she had the fever? If it has only been a day or two I would wait it out. If it has been longer I would consider going in because when ds1 and I had roller coaster fevers for days we had pneumonia.

 

 

 

Since Saturday morning. I don't want to rush her in. I don't usually do doctors. She has been sleeping since Saturday basically. Hardly eaten anything. Can barely open her eyes-- she is really really flushed. But- if it is just a cold I don't want to take her in for that, kwim? I have never seen a kid act like this for a cold though.

Edited April 2, 2012 by wy_kid_wrangler04

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Since Saturday morning. I don't want to rush her in. I don't usually do doctors. She has been sleeping since Saturday basically. Hardly eaten anything. Can barely open her eyes-- she is really really flushed. But- if it is just a cold I don't want to take her in for that, kwim?

 

I'd maybe take her to the better doctor tomorrow, then, just to rule anything other than cold/flu out. When my kids were 3 & 4, they had the flu and had very high fevers and were SO lethargic and glassy eyed for many days. I took them to the doctor twice and the second time he actually swabbed them and they did have an influenza virus. There was nothing to do, but it was awful to see them like that. :grouphug:

[athena1277]

104 fever for two days? I would go to the ER. I would be worried about her being dehydrated as well as the high fever.

[frugalmama]

104 fever for two days? I would go to the ER. I would be worried about her being dehydrated as well as the high fever.

 

:iagree: I'd be worried that it isn't just a cold.

[Harriet Vane]

104 fever for two days? I would go to the ER. I would be worried about her being dehydrated as well as the high fever.

 

:iagree:

[SJ.]

Since Saturday morning. I don't want to rush her in. I don't usually do doctors. She has been sleeping since Saturday basically. Hardly eaten anything. Can barely open her eyes-- she is really really flushed. But- if it is just a cold I don't want to take her in for that, kwim? I have never seen a kid act like this for a cold though.

 

We Arent big on Drs either and prefer not to take antibiotics. When we were sick I was convinced we had the flu. Like I mentioned it was pneumonia, I had never been so sick, I just kept vetting worse and worse. I think you could get away with waiting if you are careful about hydration and are looking out for things like labored breathing and lethargy. I would definitely take her in if she is still sick Wednesday morning.

 

I hope your daughter feels better soon.

[almondbutterandjelly]

I would call the "real" doctor and ask to speak to a nurse. Explain the symptoms and your being an hour away. Ask them to advise you.

 

OR if they're closed now... some insurances have 24 hour nurse hotlines you can call for advice. They're actually quite helpful. Look on the back of your insurance card for a phone number (if you have insurance).

[Ottakee]

Since Saturday morning. I don't want to rush her in. I don't usually do doctors. She has been sleeping since Saturday basically. Hardly eaten anything. Can barely open her eyes-- she is really really flushed. But- if it is just a cold I don't want to take her in for that, kwim? I have never seen a kid act like this for a cold though.

 

With that high of a fever and lethargic, I would be headed to ER if I couldn't get into a doctor. Colds can make you miserable but dont have fevers and don't make you THAT sick.

 

At the least I would call a good doctor and ask for advice. Is she drinking enough? Urinating regularly? If not, head to ER for fluids.

[LittleIzumi]

If you alternate/stack Tylenol and ibuprofen, does it bring the fever down?

[Susan C.]

Does she typically burn high fevers? One of mine does, but he gets better quickly after the high fever. I've heard of some pretty bad ER experiences. I don't know if I would go either. Maybe watch her overnight and go to the good doctor first thing in the morning (be in his parking lot at opening). That probably wouldn't be that long after ER would see her.

 

If she is dehydrated, give her one spoonful of 7-up every 10-15 min. if she is throwing up, and little sips with breaks if she isn't. A nurse friend had me do that and ds perked up after an hour and the fever broke, it was dehydration.

 

The only reason I would go is if there are signs that it is pneumonia, shallow breathing and a fast heart rate would be signs to not delay getting help.

[kroe1]

Fever above 104 and a child who can barely open her eyes should be in an ER, in my opinion.

 

My vote is with the above posters who mentioned this.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Well I brought her to the Dr here in town and was told to come back on Wednesday :glare: Didn't seem to be concerned about anything. He sure was quick to offer her vicodin though for the pain :glare:

 

So I am back to step 1. She has been drinking Gatorade and water so she isn't super dehydrated though I am sure she is a little bit. How would you not with those temps? Dd8th made soup for dinner so I am really going to push her to eat a little bit. I bought her some vitamins to try to get some kind of nourishment into her. I am going to call the dr an hour and a half away in the morning and see what they say. I am not even going to bother with the app Wednesday here in town. Why would I? What is the point??

[speedmom4]

That is VERY frustrating. That doesn't sound like a cold to me. It could be the flu though. I would want a competent doctor to examine her. Can you call and speak with the nurse at the "good" doctor's office? Hope your baby feels better soon!

 

Elise in NC

[Starr]

It could well be flu. Dd just received an email from college saying it was going around. Alternate tylenol and ibuprofen every 2 to 3 hours. Don't max out on either in 24 hours. If things really don't feel right then take her to the ER. :grouphug:

[bzymom]

Vicodin??:confused: That is really bizarre to me.

 

Will she take popsicles, water ice, jello, Gatorade? Hope she feels better quickly.

[A.Balaban]

Vicodin??:confused: That is really bizarre to me.

 

I would check insurance for nurse line, keep up on the hydration, and stack/alternate ibuprofen and Tylenol.

 

At 104, I call the Dr. if it has not abated within 24 hours or does not come down with medication. If you are not medicating, due to family preferences, then a lukewarm bath is the best thing (some other PP mentioned cold cloths at various places- that is nice too) the one thing i loved when I had the flu last fall was cold cloths.

 

That being said, when I had the flu, I was a zombie (high fever, lethargic, etc) and couldn't get out of bed for about a week. (And yes I was tested for the flu). Some people can "keep running" with a flu so to speak, but I am the kind that falls flat on the floor. :P

 

I was going to post "Don't go see the idiot Dr. It will only be a waste because an idiot is an idiot no matter how sick your child is." but I saw that you went to him, and I can't believe a pedi would prescribe vicodin for a cold/flu!!!?!!

 

if she gets any worse, go to the Er. :grouphug:

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Vicodin??:confused: That is really bizarre to me.

 

Will she take popsicles, water ice, jello, Gatorade? Hope she feels better quickly.

 

 

 

Oh yes. Vicodin. For her headache and tummy ache ofcourse. :glare: :glare: AND-- not only did he offer but he asked HER if she wanted it. My 10 year old who is so out of it from being sick she can hardly open her eyes. Not me- her mom who KNOWS she doesn't need Vicodin. :glare:

[dancer67]

Vicodin???:confused:

 

I would be concerned that this is not just a cold. Not to scare you but my best friends son had a fever this high for a few days. She brought him to the ER and they passed it off as the flu. Fever persisted another 2 days and she brought him into another ER. Come to find out, it was NOT the flu. He had Meningitis. He is now 14 yo, and will never live a normal life. His mental status is that of a 3 year old. He is in a wheelchair, and has multiple seizures. My friend had to make the painful decision to put him in a group home. It was very sad. And extremely negligent on the hospitals part. If the first ER had picked up on this, this child may have never ended up like this.

Meningitis can cause very high fevers and lethargy. So it can mimic the flu.

I would insist on bloodwork and bring him to the Er tomorrow if he has not improved.

And dump the Vicodin. Oh my word.

:grouphug:

[Starr]

Are the meds bringing her fever down?

[nova147]

104 is too high . . . if it comes down with meds, I'd wait until morning and see the good doctors. Otherwise, go to the ER.

[Virg]

104 fever for two days? I would go to the ER. I would be worried about her being dehydrated as well as the high fever.

 

:iagree: I've been through this a lot with mine. Most of the time it isn't anything serious but a few times it has been, usually pneumonia.

[Teachin'Mine]

What are you using to bring her fever down? I'm all for letting fevers do the work they set out to do - kill the germs. But when it gets to 103.5 or higher, IMO it's important to help the body bring down the fever. If it's been that high for a couple of days, I'd really be concerned if it's not responding to acetaminophen or ibuprofen. The gentle cooling of the body is good too. Hope she's feeling better soon. :grouphug:

[chepyl]

My kids both ran 104* + fevers for several days when they had H1N1 flu last winter. They were lethargic and glassy eyed. I knew what it was, I knee there was nothing to do but alternate tylenol and motion and push fluids....bit to appease my mother I dressed two miserable kids, and drove to the doctor in freezing icy weather. The doctor walked in and took one look at them and said flu before examining them. Exam confirmed, flu. Do nothing or take Tamiflu to maybe shorten it....plus do what I had been doing. We skipped the tamiflu and continued what we had been doing. They were not back to normal for 10 days.

 

One thing that helped my kids was Pediasure. They drank 2-3 chocolate shakes a day for that week they were sick. I could barely get them to eat anything. The shakes had a lot of protein and vitamins. I also gave them a good kids vitamin.

 

Will she drink pedialyte? My kids hate it, but the doctor always recommends it. It didd help dd when she had a tummy bug.

 

I hope your daughter starts feeling better soon. I hate having sick kids :(

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Vicodin???:confused:

 

I would be concerned that this is not just a cold. Not to scare you but my best friends son had a fever this high for a few days. She brought him to the ER and they passed it off as the flu. Fever persisted another 2 days and she brought him into another ER. Come to find out, it was NOT the flu. He had Meningitis. He is now 14 yo, and will never live a normal life. His mental status is that of a 3 year old. He is in a wheelchair, and has multiple seizures. My friend had to make the painful decision to put him in a group home. It was very sad. And extremely negligent on the hospitals part. If the first ER had picked up on this, this child may have never ended up like this.

Meningitis can cause very high fevers and lethargy. So it can mimic the flu.

I would insist on bloodwork and bring him to the Er tomorrow if he has not improved.

And dump the Vicodin. Oh my word.

:grouphug:

 

 

:001_huh: Yeah, gonna ask for blood work tomorrow.

 

We didn't get the Vicodin. I let him know my thoughts on that. That is one of the reasons I don't like doctors-- (not all) but so many like to mask symptoms instead of find causes.

 

Are the meds bringing her fever down?

 

Sometimes- but not for long. She just had about a 45 minute break of just 102's after her dose of ibuprofen. Its on its way back up though again already :001_huh:

 

What are you using to bring her fever down? I'm all for letting fevers do the work they set out to do - kill the germs. But when it gets to 103.5 or higher' date=' IMO it's important to help the body bring down the fever. If it's been that high for a couple of days, I'd really be concerned if it's not responding to acetaminophen or ibuprofen. The gentle cooling of the body is good too. Hope she's feeling better soon. :grouphug:[/quote']

 

 

I am alternating the Ibuprofen and Tylenol. She is drinking cold Gatorade and took 2 lukewarm showers today.

[Starr]

Is she better this morning or are you off to another doctor?

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Is she better this morning or are you off to another doctor?

 

 

We are going to the other doctor. She still is in the 103's. Atleast its not the 104's. We have an app at 4:15 so just over 2 hours from now.

[MeaganS]

Both of my girls had a fever sickness in the last few weeks with it lasting 4 or 5 days. Both had fevers that got as high as 104 or 105, although Tylenol and Ibuprofen brought it down. They had no other major symptoms. I let it play out and they were fine. Maybe that's what your dd has?

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

So-- took her in, then took her in again. She has bronchitis, bronchiolitis (sp? the little tubes that lead to your bronchial tubes) and respiratory influenza. Poor thing. She is so out of it :( Just glad I know what is going on now.

[LittleIzumi]

So-- took her in, then took her in again. She has bronchitis, bronchiolitis (sp? the little tubes that lead to your bronchial tubes) and respiratory influenza. Poor thing. She is so out of it :( Just glad I know what is going on now.

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[SJ.]

So-- took her in, then took her in again. She has bronchitis, bronchiolitis (sp? the little tubes that lead to your bronchial tubes) and respiratory influenza. Poor thing. She is so out of it :( Just glad I know what is going on now.

 

:grouphug: I hope she feels better soon :grouphug:

[Starr]

Wow, poor thing. I'm glad she's diagnosed and starting the long climb to feeling better.