What Can This Be?????

I would tell her to take him to his pediatrician.
I saw a thing on TV lastnight where bacterial menengitis is going around. Since he has had fever so long, it probably isn't that, but the fever means that something is going on and his body is fighting it. The ER docs are there for emergencies; treat the acute quickly and get them out of there. The pediatrician is trained and experienced in those types of illnesses by that age group. GO TO THE PEDIATRICIAN. I wouldn't wait.
Good luck.

It is probably just a virus. My boys have done that several times. Usually toward the end, they get a rash all over. I would not be too concerned unless it continued for over a week.

My son did this last year when he had just turned 5. He had a high fever for about 5-6 days, no other symptoms. The medicine didn't even work that well at reducing his fever. It would go down to 101 and the weird thing was that he didn't feel that bad. He has a younger brother and still wanted to play with him like he was fine and we had to make him rest or his fever would get worse. I took him to his pedi and he said it was going around and we just had to wait it out. After the 5th day, which was Easter Sunday, we thought his fever had broken during the night so we went to church and it came back during the middle of it. The next day he woke up fine. It was just a virus going around.

my step son brought that thing home a few weeks ago over the weekend we gave him motron and it would drop then come back up and at the er couldnt tell us anything even did a strep test and it was neg and told us to alternate motron and tylenol may wanna look up scarlet fever my dad g/f said her kids or one of them had it (kids r early 20's now) but i still hear from time to time about it and thats where the rash comes in but as long as nothing else is wrong id still give the meds and use cool dampp wrags (they work wonders) and thats probably it i have been told there is a thing goin around thats mimicing the flu but its a virus that may be whats wrong good luck.

My daughter runs fevers like this. Right after she turned a year old she ran a temp of 104 for 5 days. At 3 days we took her to her primary physician and they did all the checks they did on your friends kid. There were no other symptoms but the fever. Nothing was found. Finally the fever broke and about a week later she started with a bad cold. She has done this several times since. She is now almost 3 and has had the fevers about 4-5 times with a cold coming after the fever breaks. As long as your friends son is acting ok I wouldn't worry to much.

I was just reading all your responses out of curiousity since I didn't really know anything about this, but I wanted to respond when I read the suggestion about baby aspirin. Your friend probably already knows this but just in case anyone reading this doesn't- baby aspirin is a huge no-no for kids. They used to prescribe it, but now they know it is very dangerous. So please don't pass that suggestion on. And I concur with most everyone- he needs to see his pediatrician to follow up after any ER visit. They need to know what is going on, and ER docs are not necessarily going to know as much about babies.

Something similar was going on with my daughter when she was 2-3 yrs. old. The fevers would come and go, about every three weeks or so. No other symptoms. The doctor ran every test he could, everything came back fine. Unfortunately for my daughter, we had to figure it out on our own and it took almost a year to figure it out. I had severe mold and mildew in my truck, when it was a really hot day or a really cold day and the heating system had to be on, the fever would soon follow. I got rid of the truck and got rid of the problem. They don't like to do allergy tests on toddlers under 3, but there are home test units, or you can have a professional test for you. Hope this helps, good luck.

Your friend needs to schedule an appointment with her child's pediatrician. The ER doctor was probably not a pediatrician. While they can determine whether a child has an ear infection or not, they are not going to know the illnesses that other children are coming into the pediatrician's office with this week.

My pediatrician let us give our child a dose of Children's Motrin and a dose of Children's Tylenol at the same time to reduce a high persistent fever. But, she needs to contact her pediatrician's office and talk to the nurse on duty to make sure they are OK with your friend giving her child two doses at the same time.

I had something like this last year. The only thing doc could come up with was that it was some kind of fever virus. I had a 103-104 fever for over a week with no other symptoms. The only thing I could do was alternate tylenol and motrin and my family kept cool rags on my forehead, neck, under my underarms and under my knees to try to keep my fever down.

sounds like he could be getting his 2 year molars... says ears hurt and fever are classic signs of teething.

This same thing happened to my daughter. High fever with no other symptoms. After a couple of days, I took her to the doctor and she checked out fine. The doctor warned that if she broke out into a rash, not to be alarmed because she had recently seen many cases of Roseola, a common virus. After 5 days, she broke out in a rash all over her body-just as the doctor described. It was Roseola. The fever disappeared and after a couple of days, the rash did too. Hope this helps.

I just went through this last week. My 4 yr old was running around 103 fever. Took him to the Dr. & they did a flu & strep test, both negative. He vomited in the office twice so they said it was a virus. the only thing they gave him was prescription med for the vomiting. that was on Wed. On Friday, still running high fever and the only vomiting was at the Dr. office on Wednesday. On the way to take him back to the Dr on Friday, I stopped by his daycare to pick up his sheet to wash it for the next week and they were closed due to 18 out of 20 kids testing positve for the flu. So the Dr did another Flu test and this time it was positive. The doctor was shocked at the number of flu cases he had seen that week.
Hope this helps

the child needs to go to his regular pediatrician.

could just be a virus, but a fever for that longwith no other symptoms kind of alarms me.

Was the child bitten by a bug or tick? If so, check for Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

It's possible that bathing water has accumulated in his ears, and bacteria is growing. Tell her to put Swimmers Ear in his ear 2x's a day.
If this doesn't work, he should see an Upper Cervical DC to clear the atlas so the immune system functions properly. R.

My son had something similar. It was some kind of virus. The doctor just explained that there are hundreds of them, and it's hard to pinpoint which one. She also sent us home and told us to give him Tylenol. The ped told us that when the fever broke that there would be a rash all over his body. Sure enough there was. I think that was the most disturbing part.

It is called FUO (Fever of Unknown Origin). There is a reason for the fever. It could just be something that his body is just trying to fight off however, she needs to see his pediatrician to try and find out what the fever is coming from especially if this keeps up. Most of the time it is nothing to be concerned about but there is a chance that it is a serious condition. Please encourage her to see the pediatrician.

My son had that about a month ago. We moved to Florida, and right about the time we got here, he spiked a fever for about 4 days or so, and he broke out in this rash all over his body. I took him to the ER, they said there was no ear infection, no other obvious issues. Put him on an antibiotic just in case, but it still took over a week for it to fully clear up.

My son had that last year during spring break. It lasted at least 5 or 6 days and the dr. said it was just a virus.

Everyone is right, it is probably just a virus. Combat the fever with cold cloths on wrists and back of the neck. That seems to help the most. Good luck to your friend.

E.

I had a similar issue when my oldest was 2. It went on from Friday, when I spent 6 hours in the ER having his lungs checked, they took a urine sample from him via catheter and drew blood and found nothing. They gave me Tylenol and Motrin and I was to alternate every so many hours... sorry I cannot recall the number, it may have been every two or four, but it was 8 years ago. Anyway... the following Tuesday I went in for a follow-up with our primary care clinic and they finally spotted an ear infection. I think some infections just take time, because the body is fighting them before they manifest. So I guess the short answer is, yes, this does happen... fever without there seeming to be a reason. If it continues I would schedule an appointment with her primary care doctor either until the fever stops or they get an answer.

Have they checked to see if he is cutting teeth or molars? My grandson runs a high fever when his teeth are cutting through.

I would also suggest she take him to a family Doctor as they will take more time to find the problem. ER now is get um in and get um out with Meds.

Check for teeth coming in.. that could be it.. If not.. Doctors Office Right Away. Good Luck.. Keep us Posted.

This happened to my son last year and it turned out to be hand, foot, and mouth. He had a high fever for three days on the first day it was 103 and we took him to the er and they said it was a slight ear infection so we went home with antibiotics. The next day I noticed little blister like bumps on his fingers and toes so we went to his doctor and she diagnosed him hfm which she said begins with a very high temp. So check out his hands, feet, and mouth for blisters. There is nothing they can do for it, it just clears up on its own within a few days. Hope this helps.

Sounds like a virus.
There are so many out there.

My child presents many illnesses with just a high fever. He burns around 104. I keep a close eye on it, but do not give meds unless is gets close to 105. The fever is the body's way of killing the virus.

Brain damage occurs when the fever is over 106. So, 104 is high, but will not hurt your baby.

Hydrate
Hydrate
Hydrate

Water, popscicles, whatever you can get in them.

P

ER docs don't always know a lot about little ones. He needs to see a Pediatrician ASAP. Fevers shouldn't last more than a day or two. Also, I am an interpreter for the deaf and a lot of my clients lost their hearing due to prolonged high fevers. I know that high fevers can be associated with spinal menengitis (not to be alarming, but needs to be checked) if the little one is complaining of any pain ANYWHERE especially if it is joint pain or stiffness in the neck GET HELP!

But he definately needs to see a pediatrician who knows more about kids.

Hi. I am an NICU nurse. I would definitely be presistent in getting this checked. The baby could have some kind of infection the ER doc missed. Did they run and lab work or anything? Is there a childrens speciality hospital where you live? If so go to the ER there. Adult docs tend to miss stuff on babies. My concern is that the baby if not already is going to be very dehydrated. Dehydration causes fever, fever cause dehydration. They are directly linked. I definitely wouldnt sit back and just give Tylenol evrey 4 hours. If the ER isnt helpful try the Ped. office. Something is causing that fever.

It could be a Virus or Ear Infection but it could possibly be that he is cutting his two year molars and just running a fever for that as well. A natural way to help reduce the fever she can put some baking soda in warm water and give him a sponge bath with it.
S.

Is he teething (molars, probably)? Has he had a recent immunization? Did they check his ears?? Sounds like it could be meningitis or anything. There IS a reason, and if it continues more than 5 days total, she needs to get to a different doctor!

L., I went through something like this with my daughter a few years ago. For a period of 3 months off and on, she would spike fevers for several days and then they would go away. To this day they were unable to explain it. Tell your friend that it if the fever continues for another day go back. Have her chart when the fevers come and go. and start keeping a calendar. Hopefully it will be nothing like it was for my daughter1

It's likely just a viral infection. My daughter had something like this not too long ago. Usually they subside within 7-10 days. It sucks, but it happens. Only their immune system can fight it, not antibiotics.

Hi L.,

I'm not about to guess what this could be but the body only generates a fever when something is wrong. No matter what it is, the body needs the immune system strengthened so that the 2 year old's body can fight off the problem.

Encourage your friend to continue to try to diagnose the problem but simple immune boosters like elderberry extract or echinacea (don't give with sugar or starches)will help the body heal itself whether it's bacterial, viral, or environmental. I keep Beta Glucan in my house as an immune booster and it comes in many forms. It's actually used in therapies in the Bahamas to cure cancers and it is perfectly safe for little ones. You health store should be able to give you more information on it if your interested.

God bless!

M.

Meningitis. Did they check for that? It can be fatal. Causes high fevers.

I went through a 5 day high fever(102-104) with my 26 month son. I ruled out ear infection.(prone to) well he never got his 2 year molars in. On the 3rd day he wouldn't brush his teeth. When I tried brushing his 1 year molars on the bottom right side he started saying ow. After convincing him to show me his mouth his gum certainly looked swollen. Teeth! I rotated tylanol and ibuprofen every 4-5 hours. it stopped on its own. ask her about teeth. he seems about the right age. if not she should definetly have him re-evaluated after 4-5 days. BTW ears will hurt with teeth its all connected!

I dont know but my suggestion is to take him to a pediatrician - not an ER doctor. Only because the ER doc does not specialize in children. I think you would have better luck. But i dont think it is normal to have a fever for no reason!

Did they check for strep????

Something similar happened with my daughter and it turned out it was roseola... the the fever only lasted for about three days and then she broke out in a pinprick rash all over her body. She was miserable the entire time with the fever.
ERs will only look for so much and don't always specialize in children/infants/toddlers unless it's a children's hospital specifically, so they may not be aware of all the latest and greatest and such...
Has your friend called their kid's pediatrician? I'm sure they'd want to know what's going on and would likely want to see the child since it's continuing... there are many causes for high fever and while it may just be a virus that'll pass it's far better to follow up with the pediatrician than just wait it out because the ER doc didn't seem alarmed...

I think the rule of thumb is to take the child in to the ped. for a fever (unaccompanied by any other symptoms) lasting more than three days. If they can't find anything else, they usually say it must be "a virus", which there's really no treatment for.

I would agree that going to see a PED MD may warranted. However, I'd advise not asking for antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. I speak from personal experience that taking antibiotics at a young age is not good. That was done to often for me, and I grew up with a very weak immune system. Not even able to shake a cold. I was almost thirty before learning that when you take them, that it suppresses your immune system (at least somewhat, it suppressed mine a lot) which can prevent building a strong immune system. This is why I will only administer them when really needed, to my child. The Pediatricians are quite happy and impressed by that.

I hope your friends child is well.

My daughter (3) has run this before and it is very scary. But the doctors always say it is a virus and to give tylenol and motrin every 4 hours alternating to keep the fever down. Make sure they drink so they don't get dehydrated. Best of luck. My daughter just ran a fever for 4 days and just quite this past monday.

Yes, this is the ears.....My daughter use to have that problem all the time right before she got a real bad ear infection. The doctor told me that she has an alert system that will tell me when it is about to happen. In about 3 to 4 days you will take him back in and he will have a full blown ear infection. It drove me crazy for the first 2 1/2 years of her life when nobody would know and all of a sudden there it was. She ended up having tubes in her ears cause they could not catch it in time everytime she had an ear infection. I kept telling them this is an ear infection and no one would believe me (EVERYTIME) By the way the doctor's office paid for the tubes in her ears because I chewed them out every time, because no one believed me and I blamed them for the screw up. A friend of mine's daughter lost her hearing because of the same thing. Now she is deaf! So just keep after the doctor to find an answer and put him on a low dose antibiotic just incase.
If he is cutting teeth the temp will only get to 102 and will not pass that. If the temp spikes to 103 and higher there is an infection that the body is fighting off and they will possibly get a rash from the fever. This is possibly strep throat or an ear infection. Also if his glands are really swollen even in the back of his neck you want to ask your doctor about Meningites (spelling sorry). Read up on the systems but that is the last resort. A good doctor will automaticly think Menigites and check all systems first before rulling it out. Please do not take this lightly bug your doctor about all possiblities!

The best way I have found to break a stubborn fever is to alternate tylenol with baby asperin. A Dr. told me of this once and it worked. Don't know why but it did. But the source definately needs to be found.
Hope this helps,
T.

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