So on Sunday night before Tyler went to bed his temp was 99.9 and then when he woke up at 3am it was up to 102.4. I called the nurse hot line and they said that temp was nothing to worry about unless it persists for 24hours and to just give him Tylenol. They also said that a temp taken in the arm pit is 1 degree less that what his temp really is which would have made his temp 103.4 that night (??Are they seriously trying to say that's nothing to worry about, you've got to be kidding me??)
So 24 hours later on Monday night while I was at school, I find out that his temp was up again to 102.2 and he wasn't himself, then it went up to 103.0, Derek gave him some Tylenol and I came home and we took him to the hospital. Of course, once we get into a room, his temp went back down to normal, which is good, but it kinda made us look like fools, but I don't care because it's better safe then sorry but what I don't get is what the doctor said.
The doctor said that a babies temp shouldn't be worried about until it reaches 105.0 or 106.0 Doesn't that sound a bit CRAZY! I've never heard of any such thing. I know that when my temp was over 102.0, I felt horrible, I can only imagine that his little body feels horrible too.
If anyone has any input on what a doctor has said to be a bad temp for a child please let me know.
Thank you.
T.
Tyler is doing much better now. He hasn't had a temp over 99 in about 48 hours now. He's just been a little whinny, but I think it's because of a top tooth that refuses to cut through. I can see it pressing against the gums (for atleast a week and a couple days) but the darn thing will not come through. I'll be so relieved once it does.
Thank you to everyone who responded. And to anyone who mentioned it, the doctor that I went to wasn't my regular doctor but my regular doctor didn't have any available appointments then once we took him in, it was past business hours.
yeah I thought once it reached 101.1 or something like that you were supposed to see a Dr at that age.
I think you did the right thing and would have reacted the same way!
105 - 106 is getting into brain damage level. I would report that Dr. and yes alternating the Motrin and Tylenol is very helpful
ratemd.com is a great place to find a new doc and rate the one you had if your not satisfied with the way the clinic handled things however if you look it up on the net 107 is when you would take a child older than 1 to the er , 105 is where you would start to panic ...however the older you get the lower it is before you should panic ..adults its 105 and your to go to the er....idk why but yeah thats what i read but i take my child in anyways even at 101 and my doc always helps me calm down even if there is nothing we can do
We were told the same thing with out son. But if his temp is 102-103 we usually take him in to be checked out just to be sure.
I have heard the same thing. However, when my son's temperature reaches 102/103 I always take him to the docter so i can find our what is causing the temperature. In our case it was usually ear infections. But I always took him straightaway BEFORE I gave him anything, so that he still had a temp when we got to the docter. They will then usually give them Tylenol or Motrin at that point. Keep in mind for a high fever you can alternate Tylenol and Motrin. Provided you child isn't allergic to either medicine. I'm not a nurse or anything, but you can take each every 6-8 hours but the can be taken at the same time. When Jayden runs fever like that we alternate giving him Tylenol and Motrin (obviously the infant/child kind) every four hours. That really brings donw a fever. Make sure you ask your docter how much he can have. We found out that we weren't giving our son enough because we were giving him doses based on his age instead of his weight. He is a big kid so he wasn't getting enough medicine for it to really be effective. OUr docter also told us when he is running a high fever it is really important to make sure he is hydrated and told us to give him pedialyte to do that. Jayden loves the pedialyte and they even make it in freeze pops which can be really soothing for a kid with a high fever. Hope this helps!
Hi T.
I've been told the same thing by two Peditricians and nothing serious has ever come from my kids high temps. Scary for parents but not for Doctors I guess. My 2 year old is dealing with the same temp as we speak.
Best of Luck
Kat
T., my dr says the same thing, that there is no need to worry unless it gets above 106 degrees. My son has went up to 104.5 multiple times, at one point tylenol/motrin would not even touch it~ I took him into the ER (mainly because it was right after his surgery and I was a bit worried about infection)I also think its a little crazy that they cant do anything with a 104.5 temp! It is worrisome, but I guess we have to go by what the doc says, and administer meds to help keep it at bay... Good luck and I hope your little one feels better soon~
I'm with you. I think it's crazy. Bonkers. Insane. Borderline malpractice! So what if babies are often known to run high temperatures? Just because it's common doesn't mean it's okay. (For crying out loud, whooping cough used to be common and it darn sure wasn't a good thing!) When my son recently ran a temperature that ranged between 101 and just shy of 103 even with Tylenol our nurse had me removing his clothes and wiping his neck, chest and back with cool baby wipes to get his body temperature down. My doctor gave me instructions that if I could not get and keep my son's temperature down below 102 I needed to bring him in. I ended up having to take him in and the doc gave me instructions to alternate doses (which he provided to me) between Children's Tylenol and Children's Motrin. The combination of the different medications brought his temperature down and helped him feel better.
I would have been absolutely livid if my call about a 102 temperature had been taken so lightly. I'm also NOT impressed by the doctor who said not to worry about a baby's temperature until it reached 105 to 106. I would be VERY grateful if you could identify this doctor so I know NEVER to take any of my children to him. I worry about my kids when they hit 100! And 103? I'm heading to the doctor! 105? I'd probably be calling 911!
I agree with you. You shouldn't mess around with a temp that high. A friend had a son who's temp was so high he started having seizures. I have a 2 1/2 year old boy myself when his temp gets over 101 via arm pit (102 is his real temp) I give him tylenol just like you did. If it doesn't go down or goes down and goes back up (like it did a couple weeks ago) I take him in. I'd rather look foolish and have it be nothing then try to save myself and have something go wrong with him. I had a doctor tell me once it is better to be safe than sorry!!! I couldn't agree more with that statement myself.
You could try calling a nurse line (like they have at Evergreen Hosp.)
T., I agree, it seems crazy, a high temp would certainly make the poor kids feel awful. When our kids have elevated temperatures, we give them Tylenol and Ibuprofen every 6-8 hours (whatever the label says) to keep the temperature down. I keep them on meds for a couple of days to prevent the fever from spiking and hopefully keeping them comfortable. And, yes, I am with all of the other moms, as soon as they hit about 102 I head to the doctor to get whatever is causing the fever diagnosed and potentially treated...again, better safe than sorry.
I agree that it's scary as a mother to see your child have such a high temp. I have had to deal with this situation a couple times so far and have been told by a few doctors and a few hotline nurses the same thing that your doctor told you.
When I questioned my doctor about this he explained that a high fever is actually a good thing because It means the body is activly fighting off whatever is cuasing the trouble. I think it's a pretty normal thing for small children to run high temp's and that it should'nt worry parents too much. That being said I still think that at 102.0 you should defiently take your child into the Dr to see whats causing the fever.
My son has a naturally high temp so when he gets sick it's close to 104.0 but with tylenol/motrin it always goes down within a day or two. I think times are different these days, when our parents were young and we were young a fever was a bad thing and could lead to death but these days with our children fevers are a normal and easily treatable thing.
Hi T. -
Yes, I agree it sounds crazy. But I assume your child is like mine - never really gets sick? That's what makes it so scary. My son had a fever of about 103 a couple months ago, and I was freaking out, but now I think it's probably because at 4 years old, he had NEVER had a fever before. If he got sick all the time like some kids do, I'm sure it wouldn't have concerned me nearly as much.
So - the doctor was right, technically - but if he made you feel silly for being concerned, then I agree with the other poster who suggested you change doctors. Doctors should assuage your fears if you're overreacting, but they should never make you *feel* like you're overreacting. You're a mom, and that child is your top priority.
Hope he's feeling better!
I think that if you are concerned, take him to the doc. I have heard that babies temps can be higher before they worry but if you are worried it is better to be safe than sorry. I would try giving your son some tylenol or motrin, and is the temp doesn't go down definitely take him to the doctor. If it were me I would want to be at the doctor already if his temp decided to reach that 105-106.0 degrees (I think that is a bit high) I personally think 103.0 deserves a visit to the doctor, especially if you are unsure of what is causing the temp. I'm not sure that I was of any help but really you just have to do what you feel is right. Moms know.
Hello,
Wow, I know it is scary when their temp gets up so high. That happened to my daughter a while back. The doctor told me that as long as it goes back down after giving her Tylenol it should be okay. The thing to be worried about is if it doesn't go down at all. Also, if it does persist then the doctor told me I needed to bring her in. I would be concerned if the doctor won't even see your son and this has been a recurring thing for several days. If I were you I would get him an appointment, if it continues, and have the doctor check it out. If they don't seem concerned you might want to get a second opinion. One thing the doctor did tell me is that a temp of 105 or 106 isn't necessarily bad as long as Tylenol brings it down. I hope he starts getting better.
A.
Yeah, that sounds crazy! I'd get a second opinion and, personally, I'd change doctors. I agree that alternating between Children's Tylenol and Children's Motrin is a good idea.
