Trying to Figure Out If My Son Needs Medical Attention

Every child and their symptoms are different. It sounds like your doctor feels this is just a norm for his age. From one mom to another I would recommend...

Giving him tylenol in regular doses as on the bottle, don't skip those doses during the night either.

You need to be giving him pedialyte or gatorade instead of water/juice/milk to help replenish his electrolytes (lost when you have diarrhea). I recommend the Pedialyte popsicles because the cold will feel good to his body and gums. In addition, they are specifically made for toddlers.

At walmart in the baby section you can find Hyland's Infant Teething Tablets ~ They are 100% herbal and can not harm your child. I started using these with my son when his teething first started (about 3 months old) and still use them today (at 2 yr old) when he is teething or has sore gums. They are like little magic pills and I swear by them!

Keep taking his temperature, cool baths when it gets high, keep an eye out for bumps appearing on his body or any other symptoms that would alert you to something else (besides the common cold or teething).

M. H I"am a 45 year old mother of 4 boys and grdmother of 5.My first thought was ear ache until I read about the added diarrhea, Next would be teething, especially if he's irritable and chewing and rubbing on lightly firm objects usually fingers.(freezer teething rings are good for this.)the Temp your son had was a concern, this is not a low grade fever,you where right in using fever reducers as long as they are working the time quoted on the directions for his age.I hope you've been informed of cool baths(not cold).wet rags and towels help also. Always be watchful over fevers they could mean many things over our whole life.It's very hard just to watch.Doc's orders are hard to accept when there's nothing more we can do for the ones we love. You acted very responsible in this matter.Water is best Idea for body fluids.

My son is 19 months and he had possibly the same thing. He had a fever for about a week, but no other symptoms. I was concerned that it might be something more serious but everytime I'd get ready to make a Dr. appt. his fever would go back down - so I didn't want to call and say, "Well, he had a fever, but now it's gone, and I'm still worried." It went away on it's own and he's fine. I think there is a nasty virus going around. I'm a teacher and many of my students are having fevers (some quite high) with various symptoms. But if it doesn't go away after another few days, I'd certainly be on the phone with the doctor.

I think it's dangerous to seek medical advice here- call your doctor's office and ask the nurses what you should look for as far as what would be a red flag where you should bring him back in, how long of a duration of the fever before you should be concerned that he still has it, and what you can SAFELY do to keep him comfortable. You are getting conflicting advice here and I'd hate to see him get dehydrated or have a febral (sp?) seizure because of taking advice from mamasource instead of following your doctor's advice. Yes, sometimes they poo-poo a fever and send you on your way and tell you to "watch him", but I always ask what I need to be "watching" for and how many days until I take him back if the symptoms haven't improved.

Contrary to myth, a fever is NOT a sign of teething! A fever is a sign of infection--our bodies raise our temperature to help fight the infection.
So just watch the number and do what you can to keep it down. Alternate Motrin with Tylenol (Both can be administered at the same time, so you can give him Motrin ever 6 hours and tylenol every 4 hours) and if it still remains over 103--cool baths.
With Diarrhea, white grape juice is MUCH better than water--white grape juice specifically since it does not cause diarrhea but can still help replenish his hydration better than water....
peidalyte and gatorade is better, but if he's anything like my son he won't drink them--try them first though. You can also get ice pops and jello made for dehydration at drug stores like Walgreens.
Babies can dehydrate very fast--so look for signs that your son may be dehydrated and if he shows them, take him to the dr./hospital immediately!
Please see this article for the signs and what to do:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_dehydration_11527.bc

M.,

Probably is teething as that is usually what happens. However, cut down on the water as that will also give him the runs. May be try giving him a couple of ounces of gatorade or pedialyte so you keep him hydrated.

Hope this helps.

hello my name is J. and im a mother of three.all my kids have had the same thing.up untill they are 2 years they can get what is call rosiola,sorry if not spelled right.this is a type of scarlet fever.they will run a very high fever for about 4 to 7 days.they the will break out in a rash then ist gone and will never get it again.they is no meds to help just the one you are using.my kids got as far as 107.0.you are doing a great job by giving the med just remember to do them alternating.and cool baths.in do time it will past.i know it is very scary till then but just know it will go away.if you have more questions you can email me at ____@____.com

M.,
I have seen many children come down with cold symptoms when teething. It's actually quite common. However, the diarrhea sounds like there could be a virus involved. Drinking Gatorade and eating oatmeal can help with that. Stay away from milk products and fruit/fruit juice. Keep up the motrin for the fever and give him a lukewarm bath if it gets too high. Does he take vitamins? Now may be a good time to start them. There are liquid ones for babies. Liquid ones also absorb into the body easier and faster than chewables.
Water is fine, but for the diarrhea, he needs a bit of sodium, so the Gatorade should help with that. God Bless You!

Can you call his dr and talk to a nurse? My ped always says she needs to see my boys if the fever lasts longer than 7 days. If they do nothing GET A SECOND OPINION!! a little one can become very sick quickly. Your the mother & you know if something is wrong.

My daughter, now 14 months, has also had a fever up to 103 and some diahhrea with her teething for just about every tooth. At first I worried too, but when I saw it happen each time I started to understand that it was just the way her body responds. No one knows your son better than you do so always go with your gut no matter what, but don't rule out that it very well could just be the teething.

I don't see you mentioning what happened when you went to the doctor besides being told to watch him. Did she look in his ears? Did she swab him for the flu?

Get a second opinion. I think you are waiting too long. I took my son to the ER when he had 103 fever and they took him right away... even though it was a 12 hour wait time!! He had a double ear infection.

Some times it is normal for these things to happen when they are teething, but other things might be going on such as the flu or ear infection. If you realy feel he needs to be seen then you need to take him in and be checked. That would be the safest way.

Last year my 3 yr old (2 at the time) had this horrible virus. It scared the daylights out of me and finally went to the doc. Needless to say she told me there was nothing we could do but ride it out. He would get horrible fevers everynight, up to 105 a few times. He would vomit all night and have diarrhea. I would give him tylenol and motrin, which is no easy thing to do with a 2 yr old, but they only helped for a short period of time. After 7 days of this it finally broke one night and he got better. The poor thing was so weak all he did was lay around all day. And it was the worst thing to stand there and watch my little guy throw up in a toilet! But he did get better and the doc was right it was just a horrible virus. Put cool rags on his body, and keep him naked except his diaper. Don't try to feed him anything unless he wants it, they know what their bodies can handle. Also, I went out and got our son pediapops, pedialight, and lime gatorade. Be more concerend with fluids than anything. And be sure if he starts showing signs of dehydration to take him back to doc or ER. I like to go to those After Hours Pediatric centers if your insurance will cover it.

I feel so bad for you. Going through this is very hard and not being able to help is the worst thing in the world. And it is scarey as heck! Oh yeah, if he starts really pulling his ears I would call the doc. If he has ever had an ear infection, if he is teething heavy, or if he has had a stuffy nose lately he is susceptible to ear infection too.

Good luck and take care of yourself
T.

There are some nasty bugs going around right now, everyone I know has someone in their house sick. With the fever going that high, it is definatly his body trying to fight something, and he probably needs to be checked out.
Hope he feels better soon!

I would definately suggest that you seek more medical attention if he has had a fever of more than 100.5 for more than a week. If it comes and goes with no tylenol or motrin then I would say it is only teething but if you are constantly giving him something to keep it down that doesn't sound like just teething. Also read the bottles and see how long it suggests you give it to him before seeing a Dr. Just sounds to me like its a bit more than a tooth. Good luck!

Teething you don't get a fever that high. But if the fever goes up that high, he can have seizures that can cause brain damage. A fever indicates an infection. And luke warm baths will help bring down the fever temporarily, along with tylenol. Read dosage again and make sure you know his weight. But anything over 102 is dangerous. Change doctors or take him to the emergency room. And with such a fever and diahrea he could dehydrate which is even more serious!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would say that it is probably a virus that you will have to wait out. My girls had something similar a few weeks ago and that is what the doctor said it was. Did your doctor do a Flu test? Could be that. I think a fever of 103.1 is a little high to be casued from teething. If he isn't getting better or is getting worse within the next couple of days then take him back to the doctor. Also if his fever is not responding to the motrin or tylenol and stays high or if he gets dehydrated (make sure he still has wet diapers and tears) then definitely have the doctor check him out again. I hope he will be better soon!

M.

Contrary to belief a fever of 103 is not associated with teething. Plus he has diarea, he sounds like he has a virus. If you want to cool him down since it is at 103, use a cool cloth across his head and back of his neck. He may not like it but try to be consistant and just cool him off. Keep his shirt off if you want.

Don't be alarmed if he gets a rash, he is just purging the virus. There isn't much a doctor can give for a virusl, if it were an infection then the doc could perscribe antibiotics, but viruses have to take their course unfortunately. If this fever continues then you need to take him back in immediately.

Best of luck...

Call the nurse at your doctor's office and see if they say to take him back to the doctor. Some kids do run fever with teething but 103.1 sounds high to me. Get an appointment and let the doctor know you are really worried. Most doctors also read the anxiety level of the parent to get an idea of how off normal the kid is.

Is he off his feed? If you are still nursing is he nursing like normal? Is he crankier than usual? The diarrhea I think is worrying but I'm not a medical professional.

You can ALWAYS call the nurse at your doctor's to see if they think you should bring him in. You can sometimes get a longer, more detailed response from a nurse than from a doctor. I would agree with the other mom that said this is no place for medical advice. It is comforting to hear that other babies react to teething like yours and to get an idea of what might be happening healthwise in the community, but you need to rely on your own instincts and the responses of your doctor's office for your son's health. If your gut tells you that something is wrong with your baby, trust it, and get a second opinion or switch pediatricians if you aren't comfortable with the one you have.

I'm glad that you were able to find something out from the second doctor. My son has ear infections in both ears and other than acting a little clingy and the fever I had no idea until it got really bad. Just remember doctors are human and if you think something is truely wrong, push the issue.

This is not normal. He is fighting some kind of infection. Take him back to the doctor, meanwhile give him plenty of fluids and keep him out of crowds of people.

I don't know much, but teething doesn't usually cause that high of a fever. My little girl had fifth's disease a couple of months ago. She too has been in good health, but when she got this mysterious fever that kept coming back, my doctor said to watch her. If it went on for more than a week, she wanted her back to do blood tests to determine the problem. Anyways, a few days later, she broke out in a lacy rash that was typical of fifths disease. The doctor was relieved and said that it was going around. I don't know if that's what it could be. One symptom is rosy cheeks, but my daughter did not have the rosy cheeks. She just got the rash on her neck and torso.

I don't know if that helps at all, but I would think that you might need to take him back to the doctor if you do not see a rash.

high fevers are dangerous. Keep going back to the doctor un till something is done! Diahrea dehydrates he needs fluids even if IV.. I have a kidney transplant if I start exiting a lot of fluids from either end; I get to stayat The Bay Medical Hilton with IV fluids for a couple of days or the kidneyeill reject.
Give plenty of clear liquids, gator aid pedialite

Hello M.,
I just went through this with my 7 month old girl, Her Dr. from Orange Park Pediatrics said that 101 and under is probably teething, anything over that is probably something else. Sure enough she spiked 103.5 on Saturday, and I took her in on Monday, she ahd a double ear infection. Poor thing. I would take him in again and maybe get a second opinion, have them check his ears and also take urine, he may have a urinary track infection. Who Knows? But I would definately take him back, this is too long. I do know the molars are tough, is that what is coming in? Anyway better safe then sorry. Good Luck and God bless. N.

Hi M.,

Continue to hydrate him and find out what is wrong. Fevers are a good thing that fight off infection. The fever is not the problem, the fever is telling you there is a problem. With a 103 degree fever, this is a fairly serious thing. It, of course may pass but I'd get to the root of the problem.

Has it been a consistent 103? When did he last have a immunization? Has he been out of your sight to get into something, like at a daycare or with grandma?

Some additional information is that if it is not serious and the fever is that high then you need to look at how effective his immune system is to fight off infection. Feel free to email me or call ###-###-#### and we can talk about building his immune system. I have seminars and speak to groups on things like this and I'll be glad to share!

Regards,

M.

No 15 mo old should run a fever for 10 days straight. Insist she examine him or get a second opinion.

I would suggest taking him to his pediatrician, as children do not normally have fever's that high from teething. Also, because the diarrhea and fever have lasted an entire week, I would definitely take him to the Dr again. Children can dehydrate very quickly. Hope this helps.

My experience has always been to trust my motherly instinct's. If you feel that your son's pediatritian left you with more questions than answers get a second opinion. A week and half of fevers is long time and 103.1 is high.

My 3 year old just went thru a mysterious fever. She was sick with only a fever for 3 days. She had no other symptoms, except a redness in her fash and on day 4 a rash. Day 4 I took her to the dr. She had scarlet fever, strep throat and a double ear infection.
You need to insist the dr does something. No child should be sick that long.
HUGS!

Good to hear you listened and took him in again. If this is his first time with antibiotics be sure to watch closely for a rash. If it comes, it'll be about 3 days after he starts the medication. If he does start breaking out in red spots *usually starts in the groin/belly area first then spreads* you will need to take him back in to the doctor.
I hope he starts feeling better soon!

My mom is pediatric nurse...if a fever of a child, reguardless of age, is 103 and over, take them to the doctor. If it is after hours to the ER. If a child's body can't cool its self off, the child will go into convulsions. If your pediatrician has seen your son with the fever and does "nothing" you need a second opinion.

Yes, please do take him to the doctor because at this age they just can't always tell you what's wrong. My daughter once turned out to have pneumonia, and never did act really sick. It would be best to check it out. Good luck!

Hi M.
All my kids had the runs when they were teething,but I don't remember them having fevers along with that.Our Doc always said if your child's fever goes to 102 go to the to the office.You don't normally have a fever without some sort of infection.Maybe you should change doctors.

You didn't mention if he has any other symptons. This would play into how you react. For example, if he has a runny nose adn cough and other "flu" symptoms, then he's probably okay to wait it out for a about a week, but if he has no other symptoms, tht'a when I would be concerned about the more serious things.
I have never seen teething bring on such a high fever, although I have senn it with a low grade fever. If your son still has this high fever about two days after he's been to the doc, call her and tell her it is still going on. If she won't do anything (another visit to check him out), take him to the ER to get it done. You don't want to just wait. It could (although probbaly not) be something serious like menengitis or a kidney infection.

HI,
It sounds more serious to me. He could have a flu or a stomache bacterial infection. I got food poisonioning once and had diarrea and a temp for 3 days before I went to the hospital and they detected a bacterial infection right away. i don't want to worry you, but if he still is hot all over I would take him to another doctor for a second opinion or the pediatric urgent care in Orlando at waterford lakes and have them check him out. Just to be sure. I don't think a fever should go on for more than 3 days from what I've been told.. I hope this helps. by the way, Teething could cause a slight fever from my experience, but it shouldn't be 103.1 or anything like that.

I have never heard of a teething fever go up that high, personally. I would definitely stop the juice altogether, and get him strictly on pedialyte. That will keep him from getting dehydrated. Is he still eating ok? I know there are a lot of nasty bugs going around at the moment. If you can't control the fever, I would go back to the dr or to the er. My son has only had a fever that high when he has ear infections...good luck!! And I hope he feels better soon.

I had something similar happen before with my daughter. Not quite as long of a period of time, but for about 4 days she ran a fever of 101 - 102. She showed no symptoms and said that nothing hurt. When I took her in it ended up being strep throat which they determined by swabbing her throat. Sometimes I guess that kids keep their discomfort to themselves? I also know that ear and urinary infections can spike a fever. Maybe he just isn't a fussy sick baby. Mine isn't at all. She's a tough little booger.

Hi M.,

both of my sons would develop a fever and diarrhea when they were teething. It was not due to the actual event of teething but rather as a by-product. When teething, the child puts stuff in his mouth and unfortunately, we moms can't catch every last thing that goes in before washing it. If bacteria or germs are on an item that goes in the child's mouth, they can get sick. That is what I learned from the pediatrician when mine were younger. It makes sense to just watch your son and give him tylenol/motrin combo to keep the fever down. You are doing the right thing by giving him water instead of juice. Juice can add to the diarrhea. Also, you need to give the little guy some Pedialite to make sure his electrolytes stay balanced. It will run its course, but it is unnerving when you feel like you can't do anything for your child. We went through it, and so will children yet to come. I hope this relieves you some.

Good Luck,

S.

Is your son fussy or unusually irratable? My 8 month old had a fever that spiked some evenings up to 104 last week. I thought it was teething too, but when I called the Pediatrician, she said that a high fever of 103 or higher is usually not teething. I went in that day I talked to her after I told her he had been extremely fussy ( usually a very happy and go with the flow baby). He was diagnosed with an ear infection (no symptoms except for minimal congestion) and a viral infection in the throat (which was causing the high fevers). Because the throat was a viral infection, she cannot treat it, but he has been on antibiotics for the ear infection. Slowly getting better. The fever took 3 days after we started the antibiotics to break. Lots of sleepless nights. I would recommend a new pediatrician! Hope that is helpful.