# Help! High fever in toddler! Scared!!



## TeaBag (Dec 18, 2003)

My almost 19 month old still bfing toddler is so sick. She's never been like this before and both my hubby and I are getting very concerned. It started on Thursday with some general fussiness. On Friday morning, she woke up early (2am) running a fever (don't know exact temp.) but then she started vomiting. She vomited several times during the day, but the fever was holding steady, not too high, so we left it alone. Figured it was some stomach bug, not to worry. On Saturday, very low fever, but no vomiting. Sunday, she woke up running higher fever, enough that I got the thermometer out. 103.8 rectally. Gave her a bath, brought it down to 101. Within 2 hours, back up. She's acting badly now, listless, just wanting to be held and nurse. Gave her a half dose of Tylenol, fever came down, within 2 hours back up. She is drinking both milk (mine) and water, so she's not dehydrated. But now her fever is spiking as high as 105!!! I am starting to get very worried! I even gave her some motrin this morning, as a bath only got it down to 103.6. She's sleeping now, with Daddy, restless, moaning, wimpering in her sleep. I am waiting for the peds office to open to call in, but does ANYONE have any suggestions on how I can help her??? Any ideas what might be going on???

TIA!!


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## amnesiac (Dec 28, 2001)

http://www.lpch.org/HealthLibrary/Pa...ing/Fever.html


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## Dragonfly (Nov 27, 2001)

amnesiac

Ds' temperature usually goes up to 104-105 when he's sick. As long as he's not showing other serious symptoms, I don't lower his temperature. I'm more worried about febrile seizures (from the fever spiking back up when medicine wears off) than I am about a continuous high temperature. Again, I say, that's in the absence of other serious symptoms (if he were unresponsive, refusing to nurse or drink, that sort of thing).

It's scary, I know, but sometimes it's better to let them ride it out. Fevers are the body's way of working through the illness. If you interfere with the process, it can't do so efficiently and expiditiously.

Fevers don't pose a danger of permanent damage until they get up to about 107 - and that usually won't happen unless there is a bacterial infection or some sort of toxin/poison has entered the body.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't artifically lower the fever unless it begins to approach that number. It all depends on other symptoms. But with your daughter's symptoms, I'd be inclined to wait. (That's just me, of course. Ds was the same way that you were describing your daughter when he was a little younger than her and it scared the HECK out of me. But I resisted my impulse to lower his fever and he worked through it in a little over a day).

Btw, a note about baths (just in case you're not aware): Cold baths are a no-no for fevers. They cause shivering - the body's cold response - which can drive the fever further up. I've heard mixed reviews about lukewarm baths... definitely don't want them too cool, but on the warmer side might be okay (though I would worry about taking the child out of the bath and having them get chilled).








Take care. I know it's scary when the wee ones are sick.... I hope your baby feels better soon.


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## Kundalini-Mama (Jul 15, 2002)

I agree with the above posts. My son regularly get a 105 fever when he is teething. It freaks out my hubby (although he is getting better







), but after doing a lot of reading, I felt much better about it.

I also do not use tylenol or motrin when Aidan is sick, just due to the higher chance of seizures when the temperature changes suddenly. When you give these medicines you are interfering w/the bodies abilities to heal itself. Fevers are good









And I have no idea what it is your daughter has, but w/the symptoms you presented, sounds like a really nasty stomach bug.

Oh, wanted to add, Mothering had an article a couple of issues back about treating fevers. I hope someone knows where you can find it.

hth
Amy


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## Snowy Owl (Nov 16, 2003)

It's true that that may not be a dangerously high fever, but all the health literature says that it is the nature of the fever, not it's temperature, that is important. I would consider an unexplained fever that persists for days, accompanied by listlessness, crying, and vomiting, to be serious. When my dd was that age and had a fever for three days she had roseola. The rash comes after the fever. But she was not vomiting. If she is still sick, see your doctor!


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## TeaBag (Dec 18, 2003)

I appreciate all the input! I think my concern was/is based on the idea that instead of getting better, the fevers continually get worse. Going up and up every day! And now with constant trembling with the higher fevers. And the listless behavior just isn't like her, she's usually a very active, happy toddler. I did take her in to see her ped, a nurse practitioner that I trust, to rule out anything serious. She agrees that it's just a virus and let it run it's course. My ds used to get higher fevers when he was teething, but she never has. Of course, all bets are off when you're talking about those horrid eyeteeth and/or 2 yr molars! LOL!

On the bath issue, what I do is run her a bath at it's normal temperature, and then let her play for 20-30 minutes in there. The gradual cooling off of the water seems to help, and if nothing else, she relaxes in there.

Anyway, hoping she starts doing better soon. It's just so hard when they are sick....

Thanks again.


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