Consistent, Persistent Fever, Going on 48 Hours Plus

I would take him to a pediatric dermatologist to see if they can identify the bump - it may be an infection - I personally dont use motrin - We prefer tylenol for infants - but he multi-day fever could be tetthing, growing, figthing off an infection but i would definitely not ignore the bump.

Sounds like it could be roseola. If his fever suddenly breaks and then he gets a fine red rash all over his chest/arms/legs, you'll know that's what it was. It's a relatively harmless childhood illness but I know the fever causes concern. I hope he's feeling better soon!

I know how hard it is to just sit and wait...Personally I think I would call the ped again in the morning...Is he teething at all?

Hey CT,
The gland behind the ear is the mastiod gland, and it is common for it to swell when your child is sick and he's trying to fight "something." Let the fever run (not medicated) if your son is not in pain or overly irritable, because the fever is doing the job. I never medicate until it's over 103, and then I still won't unless they're uncomfortable. My oldest son had this all of the time when he was little, and now he's a big, bad marine. (24 now) I have 5 children and 4 grandchildren and have cared for all of them for so long and usually, this too shall pass. I do give plenty of supplements (I use Shaklee) and especially garlic and vitamin c. They act together to make a natural anti-biotic and it works beautifully. They will smell like a garlic factory for a while, but it is safe and actually builds the immune system during sickness rather than tear it down like anti-biotic do. When the kids are little, I crush the supplements and mix them with honey and the kids love them. Sometimes I would spread them on bread with butter and that worked too. I still have 3 at home, but they are older, so enjoy your son as much as you can, because they grow up so fast. God bless you!!!

My 15 month old son had a fever for four days about 2 weeks ago. He also had no other symptoms. I heard from several moms that a fever with no symptoms was going around. My son's fever was very high (ranging between 102-103). He did not have any lumps though. Needless to say, I was very worried but he wound up breaking the fever and was ok. I pray that there is nothing with your sons lump.

Dear C T,
Hello, do you by chance have a cat or your son have access to a cat lately? A good friend of mines, son got an unexplained lump with fever and it turned out to be cat scratch fever. His lump had to be removed, but he is fine and healthy now. If your son has been around any cats or animals, maybe mention this to your doctor! He is in my families prayers! God bless you!
Sincerely,
Kathy N.

CT,

I don't know about anyone else but the fever that doesn't go down in addition to a lump would cause me to be concerned as well. I think I would call the Ped. again and explain that you feel this needs to be addressed further, if you get no response then I might consider the ER for an opinion. I would not wait for more than a week without the lump going down and/or the fever. The fever could be caused by teething, have you noticed him chewing on his fist or drooling? The lump is something else altogether and should not (I feel) be dismissed so quickly by his Doc..

A.

Hi,
I just got over an 11 day on going fever with my 22 month old. It was horrible and it seemed that there was nothing that I could do, but this is what happened to us:
It started as very high going up to 104 to 105 in the first couple of days. All I could do was bathe him, and alternate Tylenol and Ibuprophen, and it still wasn't taking it down. I took him to the doctor on 3 different occasions during the 11 day epsiode and the first time, the doctor said it was an ear infection caused by a virus and prescribed an Amoxicilin which did absolutely nothing. I was having to force liquids down him with a syringe because he was losing weight and refused to eat or drink anything except nurse which thank goodness he is still nursing because he and was mildy dehydrated and if it wasn't for the nursing they would have put him in the hospital to run an I.V. I just kept doing everything I could to keep him cool and the tylenol and motrin and popsicles and gatorade and water in a syringe, (he refused pedialyte).
Also, carrot and celery juice (from a juicer that you juice yourself is the best because it's fresh. Also add an apple to the juicer with the others to sweeten it) is good for fever and infection if you can get them to constantly drink it and they have to drink a lot to flush out their body, and with a toddler it's hard to get them to drink a lot when their sick. (with mine anyway).
Anyway, I went back to the doctor and he prescribed a different antibiotic and ear drops.
The 3rd time I went, a different doctor saw him and said that his ears were so full of wax that it could not have been diagnosed as an ear infection because you couldn't see the ear drums, so we did a complete ear flush and his ears weren't infected, so either the antibiotic worked or he never had one. Thankfully shortly after that he just all of a sudden got better. I really believe God just answered my prayers, because he did a complete turn around in a day and started acting like his normal self again. It was amazing. My 22 month old is my 4th child and what I have learned with viruses is that it can cause the child to run a fever, even a high one sometimes, but really the only thing you can do is try to keep them as cool as possible with temperate baths(not cold ones), the motrin/tylenol, and keep them hydrated. Liquid, liquid is the key and preferably the ones that replace electrolytes and water, and they usually just get better on their own.
Take care and may God bless you and your beautiful little one!
V.
Oh, yes, and I forgot to add that he had a swollen lymph node behind his ear which is the lump and is very common especially in little children and may even stay long after he gets better, but will eventually go away.

As long as the fever doesn't rise up to a high level (104+) and stays faily low, stop with the Motrin. The body needs the fever to fight the infection. Keep track of the temps as you'll need to know when the fever breaks. The lump sounds like an inflamed lymph node. That in itself is nothing to be concerned about. If he is fighting an infection, ear or otherwise, this is the body's way of fighting back. Also make sure he's getting enough fluids, ie, water and clear liquids, to stay hydrated.

Have you tried any of the Herbs for Kids?

I hope he feels better soon! Nothing like a sick kid to make a mom worry.

i do not know but the lump does not sound normal. i would go to a different doctor. maybe ask for a CATSCAN on the lump or some sort of X-RAy i can not believe the doctor do not suggest this since they can not explain the bump.it could be a lymphnode. they really really need to check into it. some things do not show up in blood test.especially lymphnodes stuff. not trying to scare you but just saying i'd take extra care to find out why the lump.because my brother had one that came and went. so get it cheked into please.i see a lady on here mary thinks the lump could be an inflamed lymphnode and says it's nothing to worry about--but trust me it is.just get a catscan or exray on it. for your own piece of mind.good luck.

do not take any chance with him to much medication is not good take him to the hospital and tell then that the fever is not going down to help u because he is just a baby still and that u are worrier, i am happy that u love motherhood god bless you and your son.

Have them check for a sinus infection. I went through this not too long ago with my youngest. I thought it would be the ears, but they said the ears were all fine. Then they looked up his nose. A lot of times they forget to check that and just write it off as a kid with a fever.
But definitely, take him back in until you find what's actually going on.

Hi, CT. Well, the doctor said he didn't have an ear infection, but did she do blood tests to see if he had any other kind of infection? That lump could also be an infected or inflamed salivary gland (spit gland). I would get him re-checked for any other type of infection that might be in his body. There are very few good reasons for fevers to last this long.

Another reason for unexplained fevers and general discomfort is teething. He might be getting another batch of molars farther back in his mouth, and that could explain a lot, especially if he's getting more than one at a time. Have him re-checked for bug bites, especially ticks or spider bites. Get a second opinion. I think you have every reason to be concerned.

I hope everything turns out just fine for you both.

Peace,
Syl

my daughter wen thtrough the same thing. She had swollen lymphnoids behind her ear and on her neck, which turned out to be an infection that she was fighting in her hair(craddle cap). She had that at 1 month old and didn't believe that she could develop it again at the age of 11 months. Once i treated the problem in her hair the bumps wen t away( took about 2-3 months for them to go away). I'm not sure if this is the problem, but she had the same symptoms and it didn't bother her either.

Good luck

Was he just given any shots? Many Drs. refuse to admit that immunizations are a shock to babies bodies and are the cause of many problems. They are also uneducated in natural ways to fight infection, telling you that healing comes from drugs, that good health and nutrition can be obtained in food alone, that's just not true. If you are interested in natural ways to protect your baby there are tons of great resources, you just won't learn them from most docs.

My four year old has the same symptoms except for the lump. He is irritable and has a fever, but not sick to where he needs to lay down.

There is some type of virus/cold going around here in the panhandle. My husband coaches soccer and 2 other kids did not show up due to the same symptoms. We took my son in to the doc's office and they just said that he has a cold.

Would the lump be something like a swollen gland?

Sounds like his body is fighting an infection. The lump might be a swollen lymph node, which is very common when the body is fighting infection. Most likely it is viral and will clear up in a few days. I would not worry unless his fever goes above 104, or he seems worrisome ill to you (lethargic, pale, listless, etc.) and then you would want to call your doctor again. If he is not uncomfortable when he is running a fever, I would not treat it at all...just let his body do its thing, and make sure he stays hydrated. If he seems uncomfortable, or can't sleep, then I would give him the Motrin.

Could it be a lymph node? Mine got swollen a couple springs ago, probably from pollen of all things. My doctor and my acupuncturist both suggested I apply hot compresses to it (to increase circulation to clear it out).

So, my daughter had fifths disease when she was a little over a year old. She had a low grade fever for several days with no other symptoms. Later, a lacy rash broke out, which confirmed fifths disease. It is harmless, but scary until you see the rash. The rash will stick around for a little while and get worse in the sun. It is harmful for a child with fifths to be around pregnant women.

Also, my 10 month old son just recovered from roseola. Roseola has about the same symptoms except that the fever is high grade (103+). Roseola is more typical I believe in chidren from 9-13 months, but can affect anyone.

I would think that your child has fifths, but who knows. My son had swollen glands in the back of his neck with Roseola. I'm not sure if fifths causes that or not.

Don't worry, he's probably just got one of these silly rash illnesses. Most children end up exposed to these things, but many just don't exhibit the symptoms.

My pediatrician has always advised me to do the Motrin/Tylenol tandem. This is done when you give the Motrin first then tylenol 4 hous later then motrin again 4 hours after that. It will not hurt your son but it will keep the fever at bay until whatever it is moves through his system. I have done this with both of my kids and they are now 5 and 2. It might be due to teething or just a plain virus that is in his system. But al in all the fever is a good thing because it means that his body is fighting back. You just need to keep it lower then 102 and he will be fine. Try this it works great. Good luck :o)

CT,
I don't think I'd worry. My 17 month old recently had the same symptoms as your little one and when I took him to the pediatrician I was told he had a virus. She then had me feel his head/neck where I felt two pea sized lumps that were inflammed. She told me they were swollen lymph nodes caused by the virus. They went away as soon as his fever did. The fever lasted almost 4 days followed by a runny nose and small cough.

Does your son have any other symptoms other than the fever? Do you know if he has ever had Roseola? Roseola is a virus that ALL babies catch and it's only tell tale symptom (that is obvious at first) is the fever. Fever comes out of nowhere and remains high, even with ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I can't explain the lump behind your son's ear as that could be unrelated to the illness but fever usually last about 5 days (up to 7 days ) and the fever will be the only outward symptom. When the fever "peaks" it will get to the highest it's been and then it will drop and disappear. Once the fever breaks, a rash wll develop over the trunk of the baby's body and could be all over the back and legs as well. The rash will be the last part of the illness and will last for a few days before disappearing altogether but the fever will have already broken once the rash appears.

Giving all the Motrin sounds like a hazardous idea (fever is the body's natural way of stopping viruses from replicating - if you suppress fever then it puts a lot of stress on the body to use its other means of dealing with pathogens, so you may aggravate an infectious situation by suppressing a fever)... giving your child fresh fruit and vegetable juices with some spirulina (blue-green algae) added would help. Some castor oil or aloe vera on the inflamed area of the bump would promote healing. You can listen to your MD if you want, but keep in mind that allopathic medical training is greatly influenced by pharmaceutical companies who want their products promoted and prescribed, so doctors don't really get taught how the body heals itself and how we best facilitate our innate healing processes.

I agree it sounds like a lymph node. I can always feel mine when I am fighting a cold. I was told not to do anything about them, even rub them. They always go away after my cold improves. There is also some truth to letting a fever run its course without artificially lowering it, but I would follow doctor's orders until you discuss them with her.