My 2 yr old has had an fever between 103-104 for the past three days and a cold sore on his lip. I looked in his mouth and he has some sore there too. He won't eat anything and barely drinks. My question is, does he need to be taken to the doctor to be properly diagnosed? I know oral herpes has no cure, so I am not sure if it is mandatory I take him in or just wait it out. Thanks so much!
Thank you all for the advice. He does have primary herpetic gingivostomatitis, and I got medicine, although it's in his body forever, poor guy.
Hello, my daughter had the same thing and her gums were so inflammed and bright red. We took her to the doctor and they gave us some antiboiotics (Acyclovir) because it was her first time to get a cold sore. Once they have had it once, there's nothing you can do. The only thing you can do it wait it out, try to keep them hydrated. There is some over the counter stuff (Abreva) you can use to help ease some of the discomfort. Good Luck!
Personally, I think you need to take him in to the Dr. as soon as possible. With you being pregnant and ready to give birth, it would be good to get past any infection prior to bringing a baby home. It's possible that it may go away, but the fact that his fever has been pretty high for 3 days, I believe warrants a Drs. visit. He could get dehydrated quickly. Also, you may try Pedialyte popsicles since he is not drinking much.
Good Luck.
P.
My children have had the coxsackie virus a couple of times. Because this could be any of the below, I would seek professional advice from your pediatrician.
See the below information which was obtained from http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T082600.asp
TOP THREE CAUSES OF MOUTH SORES
Hand, foot and mouth disease (coxsackie virus) – this is by far the most common cause of mouth sores. It usually affects children ages 6 months to 3 years. Symptoms include:
High fever – often up to five days.
Severe fussiness – this is often the worst part of the illness.
Severe mouth pain or sore throat
Copious drooling
Refusal to eat or even drink
Rash – small, red or white spots may, but not always, appear on the hands or feet (thus the name of the illness). A red, lacy rash can also appear anywhere on the body.
Herpes virus– this is different from genital herpes. Symptoms are generally the same as for hand, foot, and mouth disease except that herpes does not cause spots or rash on the rest of the body. There are two unique points to know about herpes of the mouth:
Recurrence – once your child contracts this illness, the virus usually will dwell within the nerves inside the mouth for life. It can flare up during periods of stress, illness, or injury to the mouth. It can also cause cold sores on the lips throughout life.
Finger sores – occasionally the virus can spread to your child's fingertips from chewing on them during the illness. This will cause very large, white and red sores and swollen fingertips (different from the small sores and no finger swelling with hand, foot and mouth).
Canker sores– these are usually one or two large white and red sores in the mouth that result from trauma such as biting the tongue or bumping the lip.
HOW DO I TREAT MOUTH SORES?
Cold liquids – Popsicles, slushies or frozen juice can both sooth your child and provide needed fluids during this illness. Acidic foods like orange juice may be painful for your child
Medications
Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help with the pain and fever. If needed, you can alternate between the two, giving something every three hours. Click on each for dosing.
Mylanta/benadryl/xylocaine mix – this is a very effective regimen that will sooth and numb the sores for a short period of time. The first two are over-the-counter, and the third is prescription. A pharmacist can mix them for you. This should only be used by children old enough to rinse and then SPIT it out. The xylocaine shouldn't be swallowed.
Benadryl– this antihistamine is available over- the-counter. It does nothing for the pain or fever, but it can help make your baby drowsy so he, and you, can get some rest. Click on it for dosing.
Acyclovir– this is a prescription anti-viral ointment that can be rubbed onto external sores. This only works for herpes sores that are on the outside lips or face. It works best if started at the first sign of a herpes or cold sore. Preferable when the itching begins and by past experience the child know the rash is soon to appear
IS MY CHILD CONTAGIOUS?
YES! It is VERY contagious, mostly via the saliva. When the fever has been gone for 2 days, and your child is back to her playful, happy self, then she is no longer contagious.
WHEN TO WORRY (AND NOT TO WORRY)
This can be a very painful and bothersome illness, but it is not dangerous. The expected course is fever, fussing, drooling, not eating, and barely drinking for up to five days. The sores and drooling can continue on longer than this, but they are usually less painful with time.
Dehydration– this is a big worry for parents during this illness since kids will go for days not seeming to drink much at all. Most children will get mildly dehydrated, but it is very rare for a child to get too dehydrated where medical intervention is necessary. Just do your best to push cold or frozen liquids, and your child should be okay. Click on dehydration for more info.
My child hasn't eaten for days! – Don't worry. Children can go without food for several days during an illness, as long as they are getting some fluids with sugar. Your child may lose weight during this time, but he'll gain it back when he's well!
CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR IF:
Your child has a fever more than five days.
Your child is acting unusually ill.
Your want your doctor to confirm the illness so you know what to expect.
Your child shows signs of moderate to severe dehydration. Click on it for more info.
You may want to check and see if he has any little sores on his toes or fingers as it could also be hand-foot-mouth disease. We had that at our home a year or so ago.
I would take him. why sit and worry and let him suffer. poor baby
Yes! Take him to the Dr to be sure. There could be other illnesses you're not aware of that cause similar symptoms. It's never a bad idea to have the Dr confirm your suspisions and if it is what you think it is, the Dr needs to make sure that's in his medical record. Also there are medicines (not sure if children can take them though) that can speed up healing of the sores and help him not break out as often, even if there isn't a cure. Good Luck!
If you are due within the next three weeks, definitely get your child checked by a doctor and perhaps it will be something which can be eliminated with antibiotics or other medicines. You are bringing another baby into the world who will, at first, be extremely susceptible to ailments so I would get that taken care of right away.
take your child to the doctor, if nothing else maybe they can give him some pain medicine
I think a call to the doctor is in order. Definitely to get the sore checked out on his lip.
Just so you know, having a high temperature like he has is no reason panic. In fact, my daughter has been running a fever of 103 since early Monday morning. I have called the doctor several times about this (she has a tendency to run high fevers) and they say you don't need to bring them in until child has been running high fever like that for 5 days. Especially if that is the only symptom. Scary, I know!!! I couldn't believe it. Of course my doctor's office always says "Bring them in if it want and we'll check them out." Keep in a mind a fever, even a high one, is the body's natural reaction to fighting something either bacterial or viral. Most books will even tell you not to give fever reducers until temp reaches 102 or if fever is causing child to be uncomfortable/achy. A little trick I was taught by the doctor's office is to switch b/t children's tylenol and children's motrin. By doing this it seems to reduce the fever faster and you can give them a dose every 3 hours instead of every 4.
Signs of dehrydration include crying with no tears, diapers not as wet as normal with urine, sunken fontanel and dark circles under the eyes.
Good luck with this. My daughter will be 3 in April and has come down with everything under the sun from a staph infection, step throat under the age of 1 and multiple ear infections. I can't tell you how many times I have been to or called the doctor regarding fevers!!
D. TAKE him in immediately!!!! That could be way to many things and for a child to have a fever of 103-104 that is not something to mess with. He needs to be seen and you need to be careful yourself. Remember fever indicates infection and you are coming up on a delivery. DOnt take any chances.
That is such a high fever to run for an extended period of time, I think you need to get him to the doctor as soon as possible.
Any child running a fever of 103-104 should require immediate medical attention!
Yes, I would take him in to see the doctor.. Sounds like he is or could be come dehydrated and with a fever that high you are getting into other issues.. Has the doctor ever told you that he has herpes simplex virus (cold sore) and test been performs to verify that it is herpes? I would make an appt to day.. I hope this helps.. !
yes he needs to see a dr, it may be something more or could be totally different than what you think- maybe it's hand/foot/mouth-- with a temp ranging that high I would have been at the Dr days ago-
I would suggest going to your pediatrician. Even if the sores are viral, they can prescribe oral rinses to help with the pain so that he will eat and drink a little better.
No matter what you think it is, he needs to see a doctor. He's not drinking and that could lead to dehydration. You need to call the doctor.
I would say take your son to the hospital A.S.A.P. especially if he has a fever as high as 103-104. If you can't get the fever down take him to the hospital.
to me 103 - 104 is the danger zone, if he has been running that high of a temp for three days I say better safe than sorry. Take him to the doc.
Has he had any shots lately?
As the mother of an MR child these are the kinds of things I look back on and say, was that what caused it?
Now when I am unsure I call a nurse advice line...sometimes they say its fine...sometimes they say I should take my child to the ER within four hours. It helps me to gauge how bad it is.
I was thinking hand foot and mouth disease too, Dr can't do anything but treat the symptoms, but at least you would know for sure.
I would definitely take him to the doctor or er due to the fact that he has had a fever for more than 24 hours that hasn't broke. Those types of fevers can cause seizures. N-E-wayz I would not self diagnose until I have some professional advice like the doctor! Also the sores in the mouth is most likely why he is not eating, the sores may burn or distort the taste of the food. Take the baby to the doctor it could possibly be something else.
Hi there D.,
There are many different kind of illnesses that can cause fever blisters or sores inside your mouth. He is probably uncomfortable. I would take him to the doctor just to get the proper diagnosis and hopefully a little bit of relief. ;)
Good luck to you!
It sounds like Hand Foot and Mouth to me. I would always take my child to the doctor if she had a fever that high for more than a day. I suggest you take her to get a true diagnosis. At the very least, I would call them and ask.
If his temp gets any higher he is at risk for brain damage. Also, people cannot survive 105 or higher. He should have been brought to the doctor or ER the first time his temp was 101. If he has a high fever still, take him now!
