Fever, when to really worry

[LeesAnn'smommy]

Ok yesterday she was running a fever of 102 all day. Took her to the doctor and he said it was probably viral and give her tylenol. I was worried because she is on omnefic for an ear infection. Well today she was fine acted and wasn't running a fever until around 6pm this evening. Now her fever is 103.7. I am getting worried. It breaks for a period of time and now it back a alot higher. When do you get really worried about a high fever. At what point do i take her to the ER or whatever. I am really worried about this. I did give her more tylenol.

[jcc64]

I'm sorry- did you say how old your child is? 103.7 is a high fever, but it's not all that uncommon for kids to run high fevers with viruses. In and of itself, it's not a reason to run to the ER. Fevers can and do go as high as 105. My own kids have run 105.5 for almost a week, which of course freaked me out and sent me running to the dr, but again, there is nothing that can be done for a virus other than treating the symptoms. The most important thing with a high fever is to keep the child well hydrated- lots of fluids offered in small amounts frequently. Cool compresses and lukewarm baths are good as well, if the child is comforted by them. Call your dr if your child's behavior concerns you- if he's overly lethargic or unresponsive- believe me- you'll know.
Try not to worry if you can. I'm sure it will pass.

[jcc64]

oh and the other thing you can do with a really high fever is to alternate different types of pain meds every two hours if the fever's not going down. If you give ibuprofen( advil, motrin) at 1, and the fever's still up 2 hrs later, you can then give acetemetophen (tylenol). I would pass this by your own dr, but I have been given this advice when my kids fevers wouldn't break. Ibuprofen is generally more effective with the higher fevers, but it can unsettle their stomachs, so if nausea is also an issue, I would stick with tylenol. And one other thing- ear infections are really not an emergency, and many times, do not even need to be treated with antibiotics as long as the pain is addressed and the illness is closely monitored. In Europe, ear infections are seldom treated with antibiotics and most do clear up on their own. This is beginning to become an accepted practice here in the States as well, with the emergence of so many drug resistent bacterias as a result of the over use/abuse of antibiotics.
Anyway, this is a long way of saying- relax, your child will most certainly be fine in a few days. In the meantime, lots of healing vibes....