Doran Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Or, maybe I should say parents who prefer to avoid allopathic medicines... When I am sick, I generally try to get through the day without the aid of OTC medicines. I will often take cold medicine, like Nyquil, at night to help me sleep. I try to use the same approach with my kids, encouraging them to avoid medicine during the day but giving them pain relievers/decongestants at night. This works pretty well with my oldest who, I guess, has a different pain threshhold than her sister. When sister has a fever, she's really uncomfortable, even to the point of tears. It seems cruel to ask her to "tough it out" when a simple Tylenol would bring the fever down to a more managable level for her. So, I generally "cave" and give her something during the day when it gets that bad. Right now, dd's temp is 103°. That's high for any kid, but it's very hard for her. I'm giving her some pain reliever in just a few seconds. I'm just wondering how others of you manage this. Do your kids "tough it out"? Do you have a secret method to help them feel better without taking fever reducers? Or do you, like me, feel too sorry for them to not use the tools available to you? Doran p.s. We don't have a tub, or I'd put the kid in a tub of tepid water....sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I let the child guide me, Doran. If one of the boys is running a low-grade fever, I'll let him take it easy and make sure he's well hydrated, etc. If he starts to complain about a headache or other pain symptoms, I'll offer Tylenol or Advil. For higher fevers (102 +) I generally go straight to the OTC meds, probably because I know how bad I feel when my temp is that high. I have the sickies take vitamin C and echinachia, too. Hope your dd feels better soon. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Or, maybe I should say parents who prefer to avoid allopathic medicines... When I am sick, I generally try to get through the day without the aid of OTC medicines. I will often take cold medicine, like Nyquil, at night to help me sleep. I try to use the same approach with my kids, encouraging them to avoid medicine during the day but giving them pain relievers/decongestants at night. This works pretty well with my oldest who, I guess, has a different pain threshhold than her sister. When sister has a fever, she's really uncomfortable, even to the point of tears. It seems cruel to ask her to "tough it out" when a simple Tylenol would bring the fever down to a more managable level for her. So, I generally "cave" and give her something during the day when it gets that bad. Right now, dd's temp is 103°. That's high for any kid, but it's very hard for her. I'm giving her some pain reliever in just a few seconds. I'm just wondering how others of you manage this. Do your kids "tough it out"? Do you have a secret method to help them feel better without taking fever reducers? Or do you, like me, feel too sorry for them to not use the tools available to you? Doran p.s. We don't have a tub, or I'd put the kid in a tub of tepid water....sigh. a tub, my grandmother always dunked old pieces of sheets or any clean cloth into cold water and wrapped it around my calves when I was running a fever. I let my ds sleep and have him drink a lot (like Ria mentioned). If a child is so uncomfortable to the point of tears, I would give her something. You could try with half a dose at first and see if it makes her more comfortable. Best Wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*anj* Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hi Doran, I pretty much do the same thing that you do. During the day, we tough it out, but I will give a little something at night so that they can sleep without coughing or if their nose is stuffy, etc. If I couldn't put her in a bath tub I would get a little bowl of tepid water and wipe her off with a rag. As you know, sweating off that fever is a good thing, but if as you say, she's just miserable to the point of tears...well it's hard. Drinking hot beverages helps you to cool off. Anything with eucalyptus or mint is cooling. Rosemary too. Lots and lots of fluids, as much as she'll drink. Bone broth is also excellent. Cuddling with a quilt and a Mom are also popular remedies in my house! I'm sorry she's so sick! :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I mainly use homeopathics which have been very helpful. But if they didn't work and my child was miserable, I would give them an OTC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Although I hate to see one of my kids uncomfortable, I believe that forcing a fever lower interferes with the body's natural defense mechanism and prolongs the illness. (Our pediatrician supports this approach.) We do not use decongestants or other OTC cold medications either - we use herbal remedies, homeopathic remedies, hot teas, extra pillows, etc but do not believe that the temporary relief obtained by the meds is worth the trade-off. ymmv. :) ITA with this for my older kids. But, then last year my then 6 yo had a fever seizure. It was AWFUL to see him go through that. It lasted over 5 minutes (he was still seizing when the ambulance pulled up to the ER) and his post-ichtal (whatever that time after the seizure is called) was prolonged. It was three hours before he could talk or move much. So, I now treat fevers. I don't mean to scare anyone. And, fever seizures actually do bring the fever down. But, they are scary as HE** to witness. Now, my older boys don't take medications when they have a fever often. I leave it up to them mostly. My 11 refuses medication because he wants his body to fight it off. I had to force him last week when he had pleurisy to take Advil. (If he hadn't, he couldn't get a deep breath and it would've turned into pneumonia pretty fast.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Whenever my daughter gets a fever, I have her adjusted by our chiro. Her fever is usually gone within a few hours. If, for some rare reason I can't get her to the chiro (he's out of town or something), then it's lots of fluids and babying. She's not had a high fever since she was an infant, so I've not had to deal with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I agree, Doran. I think you're on the right track. My accountant husband would say you've done an accurate cost-benefit analysis. Or something. Hope everyone is feeling better soon. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 My accountant husband would say you've done an accurate cost-benefit analysis. Or something. That's about as close to being a good accountant as I'll ever get! :D Doran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 ITA with this for my older kids. But, then last year my then 6 yo had a fever seizure. It was AWFUL to see him go through that. It lasted over 5 minutes (he was still seizing when the ambulance pulled up to the ER) and his post-ichtal (whatever that time after the seizure is called) was prolonged. It was three hours before he could talk or move much. So, I now treat fevers. I don't mean to scare anyone. And, fever seizures actually do bring the fever down. But, they are scary as HE** to witness. Now, my older boys don't take medications when they have a fever often. I leave it up to them mostly. My 11 refuses medication because he wants his body to fight it off. I had to force him last week when he had pleurisy to take Advil. (If he hadn't, he couldn't get a deep breath and it would've turned into pneumonia pretty fast.) Fever seizures are why I will give OTC at night if their fever is high when they go to bed. I am not there to know if it spikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 are a thousand and one recipes for enemas. I know it freaks people out to "see" and "hear" that, but they have been used with amazing and swift success here. Sorry, I just had to offer it as a possibility. I just won't say anything more about it unless asked.:D ~Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I'd do the same thing you are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Yes, I find the idea of fever seizures very scary! We monitor temps closely - and set alarms all through the night so we know what is happening then too (my dh and I take turns getting up so it isn't quite as horrible as it could be). We've never had a fever that couldn't be curbed w/out OTC meds, but we make sure that we have (unexpired!) OTC options available in case we get one that can't be managed w/out them. We've found the approach that works best for our family, but I don't want to even appear to be encouraging anyone to do anything that feels uncomfortable - we each have unique sets of comfort lines, and... well, accounting systems I guess for these cost-benefit calculations! Eliana We rarely have high fevers (thankfully) so I don't have a whole lot of experience with them. I do know I go as long as possible without medication because of the healing effects of the fever. And my dc have been really good about just getting through it on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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