What Do You Think of Extended Fever???

If he still has a fever today, or if it comes back, I'd ask the doctor to take a blood draw and look at his counts.

Hi Megan,

Sorry you little guy isn't feeling well. First, try and relax a bit. =) A fever is a temperature over 100.4 degrees. Anything below that is normal and not a fever. A fever of a 102 is not really that high either, especially for a kid. That is pretty normal when your child has a bad cold or any other viral thing going on. Fever is the bodies' response to some sign of infection. It shows that the body is fighting something off. It is an indicator that something is going on, but not something that itself is going to cause harm to your child. I know there are many old wives tales out there of high fevers and brain damage, but these are mostly rubbish. A fever over 107 degrees causes brain damage. What I am trying to say is that your son seems to have a normal viral thing going on with the cold and the pink eye. Him having a fever (100.4 or above) is also normal and actually a good thing as it shows your son is making antibodies and fighting off the infection. Giving him motrin or tylenol in the recommended doses should keep him comfortable. As long as he isn't behaving like a wet noodle or he seems to be in alot of pain, then I would just treat the symptoms and make sure he gets plenty of rest and fluids to prevent dehydration. You can do the pedialyte if you want to replace some lost electrolytes. It can take up to three days to see real improvement after antibiotics are taken, so don't worry as its only been a day. Also, if it is just a viral thing it will have to run its course. I know it feels terrible to have a sick kid and not be able to make it go away. Taking him to the hospital probably won't do much good besides expose a sick child to more germs when his defenses are already down. Best to have him get rest, fluids, the prescription meds, and tylenol/motrin as needed. I would bring him back in to see his ped if he isn't improving at all by tomorrow or getting worse. Or if the motrin/tylenol wasn't bringing the fever down at all that would be a cause for concern, but it doesn't sound like thats a problem.

******UPDATED RESPONSE******

I know this probably isn't my place to say, but I just couldn't hold my tongue........Seriously, Karen..Medical Mysteries and Kawasaki Disease? What kind of constructive advice is that? A fever would be a symptom of almost any kind of ailment. People like you are what keep these ridiculous myths alive! I am not saying Kawasaki disease doesn't exist, but what would make you leap to such a diagnosis? Her son doesn't have an "unexplained fever" He clearly has fever as his body's response to the cold/pneumonia. The poor kid had a bad cold that has developed into pneumonia and you think dragging him to ten doctors is going to help him get well? I know its hard to see your child sick, but every kid gets sick as do adults. A bad cold isn't a death sentence. I am not saying this kid shouldn't be taken back to the doctor if he doesn't seem to be improving after a couple days of the antibiotics or if he seemed to be getting worse or spiked a new fever. But, making ridiculous assertions based on some tv show is the opposite of constructive....If this is the first time a 19 month old was sick like this I would actually be thanking my lucky stars that my kid has been so well. The average kid gets 8-10 cold a year.

M., if you are concerned, put in a call to your doc and ask them if they want you to give the little guy some more time or if they want to see him again. Pneumonia can take up towards 6 weeks to normalize. If he seems like he's going downhill, I'd take him in regardless - if he's stable, get the two cents of the guy that actually saw him rather than a bunch of us moms on the internet.

Also, in terms of seeing a nurse practitioner, or other non-pediatric doctor - I would hope that people would realize that correct diagnosis depends a lot on the timing of things and experience of the practitioner and the outlook of the practitioner themselves. My mother was under the care of nurse practitioners as well as doctors for her cancer last year, and I can't say enough good things in terms of the care for the NPs there. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater in terms of mid-level practitioner care. There are a lot of highly qualified good mid-level practitioners out there, and they can really be a godsend.

M.,

What my peds have always told me is that the fever is not what you need to worry about...the illness is what is most concerning (unless the fever is 104+ for 3 consecutive days). The fever is the body's way of fighting off the illness and as long as his temp is now in the "low grade fever" category I wouldn't haul him into a germy doctor's office again. I used to freak out about high fevers but now I am able to focus on treating the fever until it gets within an acceptable range of 101 or so and then I just let the fever do it's job. Hang in there...hope his pink eye and pnemonia clear up soon!

Hey M., The poor little guy still feeling sick? Well, hopefully after a good nights rest he will be feeling a little better tomorrow. Tell him Aunt A. said to get well soon! Also call me tonight or in the AM if you need me to watch AF for you.

I gove a fever 3 days and then go to the dr- unless there are other signs and suupmtoms that cause me to bring him in sooner- sometimes its still a virus and I have to give it another day or 2. but I would never give it more them that- sometimes a virus can turn into something bacterial. Good luck!

Hi, You have gotten lots of good advice. but a couple of things: First, make sure you are seeing a pediatrician.. That makes a big difference in diagnosing.. Do not accept a nurse practitioner, or any other type of doctor! I have had lots of very bad opinions from regular docs, and now ped's are all we see! Truly it matters!
Second. Insist they do a blood draw. They can tell from the blood counts if they are battleing viral vs. bacterial..sounds like it can be both! My Ped did say any fever over 7 days is not normal. My son had that, and he had pneumonia. Since he is being treated, I would wait and see if after 72 hours he is not better. Some antibiotiocs just take longer than others, or he may need one that is more specific to treat what he has. Good luck! I am sure it is harder on you that your little guy:-( It always is for us Moms!

Hi M.!

When I was reading the symptoms you described the first thing that popped in my head was allergies! Especially the still running around and be fine. Myself and my daughter both get fevers from allergies. I also sometimes have complications that will turn my basic allergies into a sinus infection if I do not treat it right away and eventually into an upper respiratory infection and once even pneumonia(I was around the dangerous mold for that one).

I think it is worth asking his ped if this is a possibility especially during allergy season to avoid the complications again. My daughter who is 2.5 yrs and 34 pounds takes 1/2 of an adult Claritin daily. She used to take Zyrtec daily sinec she was 1.5 yrs old but we found she was allergic to the Sodium Benzoate in it and made the switch. It has helped her tremendously!!!!!

Also, it takes antibiotics about 2-3 days to really notice them helping. Make sure you complete the whole course of them... I am sure you know that though :) Also, when we get the allergy fevers I make sure we start drinking lots of OJ to get the Vit C and I also have us take Echinacea and Zinc supplements so it is less likely to turn into the respiratory issues. It helps my daughter and while I still get them I imagine they would be a lot worse if I didnt!

Well, hopefully this morning you will notice a huge improvement in him! Good luck and many blessings to you and yours!

I would request bloodwork to be done.

A viral fever can last 10-14 days and can cause a secondary bacterial infection, which of course it sounds like he got. An antibiotic can take 48=72 hours to start doing it's job. Keep treating the fever, push fluids and healthy foods. Allergies make also be taking part in the extension of an illness as the body has one more battle to fight. If the illness lasts longer than 14 days ask for allergy(rast) testing to see what they may be and what to avoid.

Hey M.! I hope by the time you get this your son is now better. But anyways, I was watching medical mysteries one time and this boy had a fever for almost 9 days now and nobody can diagnose anythig else. Finally, they switch to a different doctor in the hospital and found that he has a kawasaki disease and you only have 10 days of window to treat that. I hope it's not what he has but bring it up to your peds and see what they say. Pray to God to help him.

Did they check the ears for infection? Also constipation
can cause a child to have a fever. It can be dangerous for
a child to have a fever of 102 for a length of time.
push fluids and motrin and cold packs under the arms, forehead until the temp. is at least 100.

Hope this helped, An old grandmother.

I can't even tell you how many times I've had to deal with this issue. Multiple trips to the doc and a fever that seems to last forever. What I have always been told and followed is when it comes to a fever, that #1 thing to be concerned about is whether or not there is an obviouse reason for a fever (runny nose, cold, cough, etc.). And is the child eating and drinking? If that is okay, then it just needs to run it's course. It's the fevers that are there for no known reason that are very concerning.

My youngest son had a fever for 10 days on time. It spiked at night but then would go down during the day. I think that time we were at the doctor 3 times and the doc kept telling me the same thing (above). And of course he was right. lol

good luck.

C.

It can take a couple of days for the medicine to work. I don't think the fever, as long as it is low is bad. I would call and talk to a nurse at the practice rather than take him in again. The fever means he's fighting the infection, motrin should keep bringing it down. As long as it's not super high...

Hi M., Looks like you're getting some really great advice from moms who have been there. I just wanted to add my two cents. My son recently had is first fever. I was really worried so I asked my docs and some other moms about it. The general theme of the advice was that you need to look at the whole picture. For example, is he lethargic, sleeping more, eating less, doesn't want to play, etc.? The moms and my doc said that a fever plus lethargy, etc. is what you need to look out for. Other advice was to bathe him, or better yet, let him play in a lukewarm bath. Make sure he gets lot's of fluids and rest. My like guy usually wants a lot of extra lovin' when he's sick, so give him some extra cuddle time. Hope he feels better soon.