« The Lost Weekend | Positively Zen »


The Heat Came Back, The Very Next Day...

September 27, 2005 | Category: Mother to the First Power



Bear's 103~104ish (f) degree fever has persisted now since begining on Friday.

I've learned more about childhood fevers in the last few days than I thought there was to know. Turns out that the fever itself is not a bad thing, and may be a tool Bear's body is using to fight whatever infection he has. And when he gets a drop in temperature (thank you, Tylenol), he becomes "himself" again - talking, joking, wanting to read stories.

But then the heat comes back. He fades away, before our very eyes. At the doctor's office, "New Doctor" (ND) heard a heart murmur that she says should go away once he is well. More than that, his hands shake, he gets a couple of red spots, he whimpers, he vomits.

The ND says this is OK - not dangerous. Yeah, but that shaking and whimpering looks scary to us. It rips our still-beating hearts from our body as we cling to the side of his bed, whispering to him that everything is going to be OK.

Then we slip him some more Tylenol and walk on eggshells until it kicks in.

The problem here is that we're on Day 5 without a known cause (other than a fair belief that it is not Meningitis) or an end in sight. If he doesn't turn the corner soon, then it's off to the hospital.

I got this from the Blue Cross site:

My child has a fever and no other symptoms. What's wrong?

When a child has a high fever that isn't accompanied by a runny nose, a cough, vomiting, or diarrhea, figuring out what's wrong can be difficult. Some viral infections, such as roseola, cause three days of very high fever followed by a rash of small red bumps. More serious infections, like meningitis, urinary tract infections, or bacteremia (bacteria in the bloodstream), also may trigger a high fever without other symptoms. But infections aren't the only triggers for fever; tumors, autoimmune diseases, and certain drug reactions can cause it. For these reasons, call your pediatrician if your child has a high fever but no other symptoms.

Yeah, we're all kinds of calm.


Share: Delicious Delicious! | Stumble It! | Slashdot  Slashdot It!
Tagged: Corporate, Mommy, Life



Comments


I'm keeping Bear in my thoughts...I hope he feels better soon!

Posted by: Laura on September 27, 2005 11:25 PM


I second the recommendation to check out Kawasaki syndrome My friend's son had it. While Bear doesn't seem to have a lot of the symptoms beside the fever, the heart issue is a concern/

Posted by: rose on September 27, 2005 10:31 PM


Poor Bear! I hope he's feeling better, poor guy. I hate that whole fever thing too. ):

Posted by: Anna on September 27, 2005 09:09 PM


Scary stuff. My ped used to tell me that the spiking high fevers didn't worry him; it was the constant low grades that shook him up.

It never made me feel better, either.

Hope he's back to his old self soon.

Posted by: Jennifer on September 27, 2005 02:25 PM


Well, I have been in your shoes recently and I can totally relate. Frankie having high fevers and no other symptoms for several days... It turned out he had a bacterial infection in his throat and he had to be medicated (48 hours later he was as good as new) but it took 4 days and 3 different doctors until the infection started show. Before that, we were also walking on thin ice and wondering what kind of "persistent virus" that was.

I know you will but get him checked as many times as you think it's necessary and demand exams. Frankie had a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia and blood drawn to check for other infections. We were about to do a urine test for UTI when the infection finally surfaced. Hang in there...

Posted by: Sol on September 27, 2005 01:38 PM


Poor Bear! Still hoping he feels better soon...

Posted by: cursingmama on September 27, 2005 01:24 PM


OK, so there is not a more anxiety-ridden, hypochondriacal, crazy mom than me. My 1 year old had two episodes of very high fevers exactly 30 days apart this summer. She had NO other symptoms (no vomiting, runny nose, etc.). I researched (and thought she had) everything from roseola to Kawasaki Disease to Periodic Fever Syndrome. No kidding.

But it turns out that they were just viruses, as initially said by the 1st pediatrician who saw her, and almost as immediately dismissed by me as impossible. Even to this day, it's hard for me to believe, but the last bout was 3 months ago and she's been healthy ever since.

My 3 year old is battling a slight fever of unknown origin today, actually (we had her ears checked - clear), and I'm with you, Elizabeth - I know that fevers are supposed to be a good thing, but I DON'T LIKE THEM!

By the way, when Bear's temp gets really high, it is really helpful to put him in a tepid (not too hot or cold) bathtub - it helps to bring the temp. down QUICKLY and safely! Also, for a fever going through the roof, I recently found out that you can give a SIMULTANEOUS dose of Tylenol and Motrin. I'm sure you already know about alternating Tylenol and Motrin every three hours, too.

Hugs, cyber-sister, prayers that your baby feels better soon!

Posted by: Monica C. on September 27, 2005 12:50 PM


I am so thinking about you. my little man would spike a fever for 4-5 days at a time and no one could tell us what was wrong. Finally, figured out he had pnemonia although you couldn't hear it on the stethescope(sp?) don't give in to the docs - keep pushing until you get an answer, "because it sometimes happens" doesn't cut it. You have my and every other mothers permission into this world, to break out into crazy mom mode - you know demanding answers, pushing back at doctors and pissing 'em all off in the name of your son. Remember, they're kind of guessing, and it's not exact science. And yes, it is terrifying to watch a vibrant child check out.

Posted by: amy on September 27, 2005 12:47 PM


Hi Elizabeth - delurking to ask if you've heard of Kawasaki Disease (sounds like a joke, is absolutely not); our son came down with it, and one of the warning signs is persistent fever and rash. Don't want to cause any more worrying, but it's pretty rare, and because of that many docs have no idea what it is. You may want to ask yours about it.

http://www.kdfoundation.org/

Best wishes; hope Bear feels better soon!

Posted by: Jason on September 27, 2005 12:47 PM


hi, just a lurker. have bear checked for a UTI. they are often symptom free in kids (other than the fever), but they can get very serious if you let them go. The test is so non-invasive (urine sample, nary a needle involved) that it should be a no-brainer. Hope he's on the mend soon.

Posted by: skayesar on September 27, 2005 12:20 PM