What Else Can I Do???????????????? - Arlington,TX

First off, I love the name Skyler!

Secondly, Skyler falls right into the perfect age category to have Rotavirus (known as the daycare virus). A very high fever is one of the symptoms of Rotavirus, along with vomitting and diahrrea. If she has green diahrrea and it stinks to high hell, she's got Rotavirus. I know b/c my 17 month son just had it and ended up in the hospital for 2 nights. It is awful. Be on the lookout for dehydration/extreme thirst, too. I hope I am wrong, but wanted to throw this out there. Keep a very close eye on Skyler. She might throw up in her crib. Good luck!!

Each one handles teething differently. One of my girls ran a fever that never seemed to go away but she never complained of feeling bad and on playing. The other 2 girls...i never even knew they had teeth coming in.

Yes to both questions. I have also read that a runny nose diareah and vomiting don't go hand in hand with teething, but all three of mine have gotten this sick while teething and as soon as the teeth come through they meraculouly get better over nite.

Hello. My name is A.. I am a mother of 3 busy children.I have a 9 yr old boy and boy/girl 2 year old twins. I remember the teething era. For me it was horrible because they were both teething at the same time. My two did not respong to the tylenol, motrin combo either, so I have a few recommendations other than a bottle of whisker for yourself...My son did not have 1/2 the trouble my daughter did. The fever is true of teething. When they cut their their molers it is the hardest and most symptomatic of all teeth. My duaghter held a fever off and on of 103 while cutting hers.

First, mix 1/2 benadryl 1/2 maalox. Sounds crazy I know, but according to my doctor, the benadryl helps with the cold symptoms and fever, and the maalox helps the upset stomach. Together they form a numbing agent. I mixed it in a tupperwear bowl and just dipped my finger in and rubbed it on their gumbs. It worked.
Second, if that doesnt work, ask your doctor for "miracle mouthwash". They dont advertise it, but they will order it for you. It has lidacaine to numb the gumbs. I have a jug of the dang stuff. LOL.

With twins, you would believe the home remedies my mammaw taught me that even the hospital could figure out.

A suggestion that my mother gave me and it worked for my son was a cool bath since it'll help bring down he core temp and also your daughther won't become ammune to the tylenol or motrin. We actually took the bath with him so we knew it wasn't too cool and you will have to do a few repeats but at the same time if she likes baths she'll be fine with it. Just take a plastic cup and fill it from the tub and keep softly running the water down her back and chest and it'll cool her down, try not to really pour it on her head to voi any other problems that come with cool water in ears or a cool wet head.

Good luck

Hi,

My son has had a fever of 102, that to the best of our knowledge, was due only to teeth. My friend also claims that her son has had fevers of 103 from his molars. Could be we missed something though.

My son tends to get higher than expected fevers frequently (after vaccinations, from teeth, etc.). Also, tylenol and motrin frequently do NOT extinguish his fevers. When my son gets really high fevers (I'm talking 104-105) my doctor has told me to alternate full doses of tylenol with full doses of motrin every three hours, and that helps keep it in a manageable range, though even THAT has failed to completely get rid of his fevers when he had bacterial infections. You may want to ask your doctor about that. Luke-warm baths also help. Also, even though she checked out fine today, you may want to bring her back tomorrow if the fever is still high. Once when my son was running a high fever it took three doctors and three days to diagnose an ear infection (I don't blame the docs ... it was probably a tough one to see, or just beginning to "show"), but once he got on antibiotics he got better quickly. Also, did they check for urinary tract infection? I don't have experience with those, but I've heard they can be underdiagnosed in babies, and that they cause moderate to high fevers.

I hope your daughter is feeling better soon!

First you need to remember the reason for a fever in the first place. A fever usually isn't something to get crazy about. A fever is the body's response to getting rid of an invader. Say for instance, if your daughter is teething, it makes her more suseptable to viruses and bacteria around her as her immune system takes a dive. She may be fighting off, most likely a virus (most common). If you try and stop the fever with meds instead of just making her comfortable (rocking, cool, wet towel on head, etc.) you are destroying the mechanism involved in getting rid of the virus. A fever physically makes it impossible for a pathogen to survive or replecate with the high heat. My son rarely gets sick, but when he does, we monitor his temp, make sure it's not spiking, which can be dangerous (remember kids can tolerate temps up to 104 without a problem it's harder on us adults!), snuggle with him and let him know that we are "cooking the bugs"! He thinks it's funny and usually puts him in a better mood. If you consistantly give motrin, you're prologing the problem. I know this seems way out of the box for most parents, but remember, the body has a mechanism and reason for everthing, i.e., sneezing, coughing, runny nose...they are all mechanisms the body uses to get rid of whatever is invading it. Think about it....

When my eldest runs a fever, it's never just 100 or 101. She skyrockets right up to 102 to 103 every time she's ill with a a fever and always has, since she was quite little. Perhaps your little one tends to the higer temperatures as well, when she's ill. Madison has gotten up to 105 twice and ofcourse we rushed her to the hospital, but she was perfectly fine.

We've also frequently had to use both Motrin and Tylenol to get the temperature to come down. We give one dose of one, three hours later a dose of the other and so forth until the temp comes down.

I hope Skyler is feeling better very soon!

May I suggest rubbing the tylenol directly on the gums. With a fever they are fighting something. If you are waiting for the medicines to go thru the blood stream it could take forever. Rubbing a portion of the medicine directly on the gums gives a more instant relief. Also make sure you are giving plenty of fluids to help lower the fever too.

I've got one kid that runs high fevers no matter what. I often have problems keeping a fever down. But I get him undressed and give him all the frozen ice pops I can get down him. I also alternate motrin & tylenol every 3 hours. According to my pharmacist they work completely different and that way there is always something working on that fever.

My mother constantly reminds me that when I was little I had (on a couple different occasions) a fever of about 105 when I was teething. They took me into the ER and everything checked out.

My kids usually get fevers with their teething as well. Most of the time it's around 99 or so, but it does get up to 101 when they get their incisors and molars.

Someone told me that if you use the baby orajel and it helps them feel better (fever not included) then it's teething. I've also heard that Drs will tell you they don't get fevers with teething, but I know tons of moms (some of which are nurses) who will disagree. They probably say that because there is no "logical" medical reason for them to get a fever.

I'm pretty sure when my son was teething it was only a low grade fever. A fever of over 101 indicates an infection - so I agree with your doctor.

Also, Tylenol and Motrin only bring a fever down a few degrees when it's high. It usually won't take the fever completely away.

There are A LOT of viruses going around right now: some with high fevers, some with rashes, some with drippy noses, etc.

Good luck - I know teething can be a rough time for everyone! :-)

Don't know what you tell you about the cause of the fever, but I can tell you to help it drop you can alternate tylonol and motrin every 3 hours to help with both pain, swelling, and fever more effeciently than one alone!

Sorry I can't be of any more help but hopefully someone else on here can offer more help. In my opinion, the dr. should have told you something else more for you to work with but maybe she was taking the "wait and see" approach! Good Luck!

T.

First just wanted to say I love the name you chose (my 5 year old is a Skyler as well :0). When she was little and teething she would run a high fever all the time. If it interferes with daycare see if your dr. will send a note saying it is just teething and that she is not contagious. Just this past week she had strep and her fever was 102 and with the motrin it only came down to 99.5. I guess kids just react different to medications. Like the other moms said try a cool bath or cool wash cloth, it should help cool her off.

My son ran fever like this when he teethed. I just kept him on Motrin and it took away the pain as well as the fever all together. I hate to hear the she is hurting because of this, but yes. My youngest son ran fever up to 102 when his molars cut and he was cranky cranky cranky. If the doctor says she is OK than I would think this is something simliar to what my son went through. My oldest though. He would be playing and I would notice a tooth without fussing or fever. All kids are so different.

Hi M., this same thing just happened to me recently. My baby is almost 9 months old and just now got her first tooth. Her fever was the highest at 101.7. Then I would take it 20 minutes later and it would be back down to 99.0 and would keep going up and down for almost three days. I took her to the doctor and she said she looked just fine, nothing wrong with her. I blame it on her tooth cming in. Yes, I would give her tyenol and sometimes it wuld continue to go up a bit. I asked my sis if this happened with any of her three kids and she said yes. Hopefully by now it's gone. Good luck. --- T.

I have two sets of twins and all four have had fevers higher than 101 due to teething and the doctors said the same thing, but they had no other symptoms, so I'm sure that was it. It takes Motrin about 45 minutes or so to bring the fever down significantly. If it does not work well enough, you can give her tylenol about 2 hours after you gave her the Motrin. You can alternate those through the night; motrin every six hours, tylenol every 4. Be sure you have consulted with your pediatrician about the dosage. Dress her in cool clothes and don't cover her up - I made that mistake once. I used to think you were supposed to cover up when you had a fever, but the hospital told me that drives the fever higher. I get a washcloth, pour some cool water on it, and hold it in place on the forehead and also at the base of the neck. If the baby will not let you do that, then I just get little droplets and drop them on the forehead, then gently move them around on the forehead, over and over. Fever of 100.7 is not that high, you don't need to be overly worried. Remember the body has fever because it is fighting the problem. Take care and take some deep breaths. this is but the first of many illnesses that will worry you.

Hi M.,

Try giving you baby a cool "shower" and motron - that alsways helps my baby

I think it could be teething. My son only runs high fevers of 103 or more. Motrin & tylenol do not work. Cold wash cloths on his skin do not work. Nothing reduces it but time. Just be watchful for anything else. If there are no other signs of sickness, I'd say its teething. Sometimes the fever comes a day or 2 before the sickness will appear for the doc to see.

Hi there! My kiddo seems to be catching virus after virus over the last two months. She was well last week but has been starting to cut molars, and then when I picked her up from daycare yesterday afternoon she had a fever. It's gone back and forth between 99-102. No other visible symptoms though. She had the same thing going on today. I gave her motrin and after about 30 mins, her forehead wasn't hot but her hands and feet stayed warm and usually they are cool. I did not retake her temp because she was not lethargic and doesn't appear to be getting dehydrated. She did seem to perk up after she cooled down a little. If she's perkier after the motrin then I let her be. My overall strategy is to use fever reducers during the daytime so she can be comfortable while she's awake and so I can get her to eat and drink. Then at night I just let her sleep and we see what we have the next day.

Another user commented on Roseola. We have been through that one too. The fevers were much higher than 101...we were between 102 and 104 rectal for about three days with minimal letups after the motrin. And when the fever broke the poor thing looked like she had slept in an ant bed with the rash she had.

I would agree with other commenters that you should watch for higher fever and to keep her fluids up. Do whatever you can to make her comfortable enough to drink. If she gets listless, cries without tears, or isn't peeing well (at least a couple of moderately wet diapers within 8 hours) then you need to get medical help. If the fever goes over 102, I personally would at least call the Dr and ask them what their thoughts are. This is likely a virus or it could be teeth, but her body is doing its job by cooking whatever little germies are going on.

A couple of suggestions if things change and you start to panic:
Check with your health insurance if you have coverage-often if you call the number on the back of your card they will have an option to speak with a registered nurse and this is usually free. I cannot tell you how many hundreds of times I have used that service and it's saved my sanity.

If you need to go into urgent care and your regular Dr. isn't taking patients, I would highly recommend AcuteKids if they take your insurance. http://www.acutekidscare.com/ They are fast, use only board certified pediatricians, and provide EXCELLENT care.

Hang in there, M.!!! Good luck!

M.,
I have absolutely no idea why doctors say teething doesn't cause high fever!!! Every time both my children were teething, they ran a fever and sometimes as high as 103 or 104!!!
If you've taken your daughter to the doctor and doc says there's nothing wrong and YOU KNOW she's teething, then the fever is just due to her teething!
Just alternate tylenol and motrin for fever and discomfort.
You can also give her a decongestant for the congestion/runny nose that goes along with teething.
Another thing that works for us in bringing down fever is to run a very cool bath and let them play in the cool water.
Good Luck!!!

Don't forget that fever is your bodies way of taking care of itself. Do not be afraid of fever unless it gets near 105

My daughter has had the same thing with her molars. We gave tylenol, but we also put her in a tepid bath to help the fever. If she is at home let her run in just her diaper, but try to keep the fever down. For naptime don't give her blankets that she can cuddle with and warm up. I would also give her plenty of fluids (pedialite) and cut the dairy for a few days, you do not want her drinking milk then her fever going up and the milk going bad in her stomach and making her throw up.

Hi M.,
I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. I know for a fact that teething and fever go hand in hand, but not for all kids. My son never had fevers, but my daughter does.

I also wanted to tell you that a couple of weeks ago my daughter had fever of 101-104. I would give her motrin and tylenol and the fever subsided only one degree. It lasted for 5 days. (The usual doctor comments are there any other symptoms? Can't do anything because it is viral.) And most cases it is.

This time my daughter had Roseola. It is a viral infection and had only high fever and once the fever breaks it is followed by a rash all over the body, face, etc. It is highly contagious before the fever is eminent. If this is the case, you can do nothing more than treat the fever. The fever can go up to 7-days my doctor said.

Hope this helps.

Hi M.,
I can't remember exactly how high the fever went but my son ran a fever EVERY time he cut teeth. My Doctor even told me there is no medical reason why but he hears about it from Moms all the time. A fever isn't dangerous untill it reaches a high 102 I believe? Maybe 103? But I would check on that. My Dr. has also suggested alternating tylenol and motrin each dose. Hope this helps some. I still get nervous every time my 3 yo son gets a temp. so I know how you feel.
J. G.

When you say everything checked out ok...was she checked for a uti or bladder infection? I recently read an article about girls and mysterious fevers. That pediatricians don't always check for those. Sometimes symtoms are not always prominant. Just a suggestion. Fortunatly my daughter did not have a very hard time teething. My son is just getting started. So we'll see. Take Care.

I would not be overly concerned. Although your daughter's fever seems high for an adult, it is not dangerously high for a child until it is at least above 102 or lasting for more than a couple of days. If it's that high, then you definitely need to get her to a doctor quick. I would alternate Tylenol and Motrin every four hours. A lot of times a fever with no other real apparent signs can either be from teething (sorry I don't agree completely with the doc) or a virus, in which case, there is not a lot you can do but control the fever and wait. Remember, a fever is not always a bad thing. As long as it is not too high, it is just the body fighting off illness. I did not see that you mentioned any other symptoms, rather than the teething and it looks like the fever has just appeared today. I would just mainly monitor your daughter, making sure she still is acting like herself (not overly tired/sluggish or exhibiting other symptoms). My youngest of four had something similar to this around teething time for her, too, although her fever really only surfaced late in the day/evening. After about 3 days, she was fine. That being said, I would call the doctor back if the fever remains after a couple of days.

My kids never really ran fevers related to teething, so I can't respond to that part of the question, but...

It's PERFECTLY normal for tylenol or motrin to not completely bring a fever down to normal. In my experience, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. The nurse at my kids' ped office explained that even if it just brings it down a degree or two (especially if it starts out high...say, 102 or 103+), that that's perfectly normal. You should only really worry if you administer the medicine and, after an hour, the temp is still EXACTLY the same or higher.

My son was getting in teeth at just a few months old and at some point he had a fever of 103 from it. Tylenol barely dampened it and I was worried it could be something else. Turned out it really was just the teething, though. I was very concerned as well, but I guess getting in teeth can cause a pretty big reaction from young children. Also, significant fevers are pretty common with children under two, and aren't as worrisome as would be for an older child or adult.

I have two children, and I run a day care from my home, and I have never seen a high fever w/ teething. If any, they just get a low grade w/ teething, and that's usually not too likely.

T.

Apparently, there is a virus going around with the kiddos that lasts about 5 days. My daughter is 13 months and it was the first time she ever ran a fever (she has 6 teeth and did not run a fever with those). It started on a Saturday morning and did not go away completely until Tuesday. My husband and I had to switch days off at work to stay home with her. Nothing would console her. Poor thing. The motrin would help bring it down, but then it would pop back up. I also did lukewarm sponge baths that seemed to make her more comfortable. If Skyler has what our daughter had, you may have to wait it out, I think. I'm sure you already have, but check with your pediatrician and see what he/she says. Good luck and I hope she feels better!

M.,

Both my boys (5 and 2) ran fevers while teething when they were babies and it was always around 100.5-101 degrees. Higher than the usual teething temperatures. However, my 2 year old ran a fever this weekend, from friday to monday, that capped at 102.6. He had no other symptoms of illness and like many other moms have said, it just went away. Your daughter may have this same bug.
Good luck,
V.

Only if she is running a temp of like 102.5-103 would I start to worry. Sometimes my kids ( I haev two boys 4 and 7) would teeth, bad teethers too, and they would run a fever but not that high and motrin seemed to work. I would give it a day and see if it calms down if not call the doctor back and have her evaluated again. There are virus's going around right now that include just a high fever for like 5 days, if she is in Daycare that is a definite possibility that she could have picked something up like that. I know of about five kids that have gotten this fever virus, and you just have to wait it out, ughhh. Also you may want to have her tested for strep, its going around too and wasy to get if she is putting her hands in her mouth becasue her teeth hurt at day care. Anyhow that is not to freak you out but mostly to let you know what is going around at the end of this year and beggining of summer and to help you figure out what the fever is coming from. Good Luck and just be sure to keep the motrin going and you can trade off with Tylenol too.That is what my doctor perscribes for fever. Good Luck hope she feels better

M.. Take her to another Doctor. If the Doctor said the fever was too high to be from teething, then what did she say the fever was from. Fever is the body's way off fighting off infection. As far as giving her tylenol or motrin and it not stopping the fever, I would be concerned. Did she check her ears?? I'm a firm believer in not giving anyone a fever reducer, but letting the fever do it's job & make sure I take their temperature every 20 minutes to make sure it's not rising. One exception to that rule is for baby teething, no reason for them to be miserable. But if I gave the baby a fever reducer and it did not get rid of the fever I would be alarmed. Ear aches with baby can make their temperature raise quickly & unexpectedly. But that's part of the reason for not giving a fever reducer to anyone is because I don't want to mask whatever is causing the fever by having it go away because of a fever reducer & think everything is OK. It doesn't make sense to me that the Doctor would say it's not from her teeth, because it's too high but she's fine. Best of luck & I hope you find out what's wrong fast, so you can both get some relief.
R.

Put her in a luke-warm (not cold or she'll chill) bath and rub her with a dampened wash cloth everywhere except the face. Don't have her stay in it too long unless you re-regulate the water (it will get cold much faster than a regular bath). If you have some, add a little Johnson's Bedtime Bath.

The above should help lower the fever along with the Tylenol and/or Motrin.

Allow her to chew on a cool, (not cold) damp wash cloth too, it helps soothe the molars.

Good luck! It will pass soon enough.

P. <><

Hi M.,

Most poeple except schools do not even consider that degree a fever. I would just let it run its course and not worry unless it starts to climb to 103 then, you will know that they is an infection somewhere. My doctor doesn't even recommend giving meds unless the fever hit 103 or higher.

Hope your daughter is feeling better soon.