Shit, High Fever in 6yo and thermometer broken!

[PavlovtheCat]

I have two of the bloody things and one battery died ages ago (a shitty backup one) and my main one is bleeping with no screen! (because my actual proper in the ear main one already broke - not doing well with them )

Anyway. DD has flu bug of some kind. She came running in from the car to the house after DH picked her up from school, ran into my arms, literally jumped into them curled around me and sobbed that she felt unwell, started within the hour as she said she was ok at school. She said her head hurt, her wrist hurt and she felt like she had a fever. She was a little bit hot and I thought she was just tired

within that hour she went from being a bit hot to quite hot, calpol and something to eat, snuggles on the sofa, and constant complaining of her knee being sore, her ankle being sore, locating places on her arm (obviously viral bug of some kind, pains make me think it's flu) and in particular severe pain in her head, above her eye and at the back of her head.

Her temperature then soared, gave her ibruprofen about 1 hour after calpol, temp dropped a little, not a huge amount, but enough that she was v hot, not boiling hot. She had a lukewarm bath (she insisted) and she perked up for about 1 hour.

In our bed for films, by the time calpol was due her fever has risen to seriously high, without a thermometer I can't say for sure, but I am pretty good at spotting high fever in the kids and getting the temp approx right, so I would say it was/is 40. She took her calpol, then within 15 mins or so threw up, proper projectile vomiting, luckily into the bowl, (along with a lot of farts! ).

I gave her another half dose of calpol as she had thrown the last dose up but have been weary of giving her full dose just in case she absorbed some.

But her fever has not gone down, and I worried that I can't check it properly with thermometer and I can't give her more ibruprofen for ages.

Should I get DH to buy a thermometer on way home from work? (well, not on way home, he needs to go to 24hr supermarket about 15 min drive in other direction.

1. I go to shit when my babies are poorly 2. DD never gets really sick, she gets a bit of a fever, nothing major, maybe a sore throat and/or a cough but nothing huge, so when she is poorly like this I freak out worrying something is wrong. I know really it's a bug, but, I am still worried! (I am like this anyway though, was on MN having my hand held with poorly DS a few weeks ago when he had proper flu and constant raised temp for ages).

[Moodykat]

I'm no Dr and no expert but I would recommend getting an OOH appointment if you can, to put your mind at rest and rule out anything more nasty.

[WorraLiberty]

I've had 3 kids and never owned a thermometer. My Mum had 5 and never owned one either.

But the symptoms you describe would make me call an OOH Doctor anyway, regardless of whether you had a thermometer or not.

I hope she's better soon.

[PavlovtheCat]

worral yes, that is what I am thinking. I try not to whip out the thermometer whenever there is a temp and I can never find it and so I have become good at gauging the temp without it, but when it goes really high I have always used it as backup/to confirm.

lunatic yes I agree with that I think, both of my children are prone to high fevers with bugs, and DS occasionally gets just a high temp and nothing else my instincts say as worral does, I will call OOH i think. (but then I always have DHs voice in my head saying 'over-reacting! over-reacting!)

[FoodieToo]

I don't have one either.
You judge by the child,not the temp.

As long as temp responds to meds and child is not getting sicker it should be ok.

[Itsjustafleshwound]

I don't think a thermometer is necessary ...

I would speak to an ooh doctor just to put your mind at ease.

Hope she feels better soon.

[plum100]

Im no expert but last time i took my dcto go for the same thing i was told older childen ( my dcwas 5 ) can tolerate high temps as long as they are well hydrated - i would give the ooh go a call for some advice . Can you take her outside! Honestly - my dcwas them same - she was delirious and seeing people hertemp was so high - tooh her to ooh and by the tome we had got there in the car she was ' back in the room' again and temp had dropped - maybe a quick pop out to the garden? X

[LifeIsBetterInFlipFlops]

I would also suggest OoH...I rarely bother with thermometer - you can gauge to an extent, and coupled with the other symptoms, I think you need a professional opinion.

I've never yet had to call OoH...so I'm not suggesting it lightly.

I hope she's better soon.

[PavlovtheCat]

plum that happened to me with DS when he was 10wks old. He had a temp of 39.5 and would not reduce with meds, took him to OOH and by the time we got seen his temp was reduced to pretty much normal! GP was also a numpty and made me feel like a neurotic mother even though he was a tiny baby! (I suspect I am probably a neurotic mother ).

Her temp is still high, but, she is sleeping at the moment, although she woke up a few minutes ago, eyes wide, said 'ooh I feel all wobbly, don't know why' in a slightly slurred voice, probably because she is sleepy, but, concerned me somewhat as she seemed not quite in this world!

plum I am in the loft with both children, snuggled in bed, so have just opened all the skylights wide to get cool air in, not a problem for DS and I, we have duvet over us! Hopefully that will help reduce in the same way as taking her outside.

[plum100]

I know its so worrying when they are ill - i would keep trying to get drinks down her - if she stopped drinking then id be worried . I have to say that i have taken my dc to the gps so many times to b told that its 'viral' that i rarely take them now . I also like them ti fight it off themselves if they can- my gp aggreed with this and said his ds of 24 had never had antibiotics ever!! But u know your child and it really cant do any harm to at least call ooh an put ur
Mind at rest - you may b in for along nite!!! Xx

[Bunbaker]

"I've had 3 kids and never owned a thermometer."

Well bully for you. When DD was little her temperature once soared to over 40. I had rung the doctor and he wanted to know the exact reading. He came out, DD threw up and stopped breathing. Doc rang for an ambulance and DD was blue lighted to hospital.

Now that DD is older I can't remember the last time I used the thermometer, but it was invaluable when she was smaller as she used to get the shakes really badly when her temperature soared, and the only way I could try and preempt that was to get a reading when she started looking off colour and not wait until it was too late.

DD also spent a lot of time in hospital and the nurses were always taking her temperature.

Pavlov I hope your DD feels better soon.

[PavlovtheCat]

She is awake, more alert, been for a wee, not been sick. No dark purple rash but she does have a rash on her bottom cheeks, on her left cheek in particular, it didnt clear as quickly as I would have liked when I pressed on it, I am just off to get a glass I am sure I am just being over anxious, especially as I am here on my own. I can't seem to cope with them being sick these days, i get quite anxious.

[PavlovtheCat]

bun DD has been shaking due to high temp. Her temp has dropped a little now, not much, but enough that she has perked up slightly and is not longer shaking. That must have been so scary for you with your little one

[PavlovtheCat]

joyful yes, that is what I am thinking, happy to be neurotic and my children be fine. Rash has not clearly gone away but it's not a spotty rash (just googled!), it's just a 'hot' patch and is actually hot to touch, think it's heat rash and I'm not doing test right/it's artificial light and hard to see for sure. She has actually perked up lots and said she feels ok, but I am going to call OOH to see what they have to say.

[PavlovtheCat]

long wait for callback, call handler said that there are too many question marks that need to be checked in person so I should go to A&E as the wait for OOH callback is 2hrs priority or 12 non-urgent! He did say he is reluctant to make that call as she is 'borderline' but agrees it's worth a trip for re-assurance, she will see a nurse who will know straight away if it's something more than flu etc.

So, calling DH to come home now and I will take her. I think I feel happier with that decision, then we can come home, back to bed and calmer.

and she has just said her finger is numb!

[PavlovtheCat]

and even saying I should go along to A&E he made it clear he felt that wasn't required! he reminded me that temperatures are there for a reason and not always bad, and part of a temperature can include having a rash due to heat, and, well yes, I now feel very neurotic!

[PavlovtheCat]

can't bloody get hold of DH. Restuarant number is a booking number and now closed, his phone is off.

[Moodykat]

Just checked back and see you had a nightmare. What happened? Did you get hold of DH? Is DD ok?

[dikkertjedap]

Did you manage to get her seen? Hope your dd is feeling a bit better. Kids can start shaking when their temperature is increasing rapidly. For example, it can go in less than 20 minutes from 38 to 39.5 (my dc have had that on several occasions), this is also when some kids get seizures (febrile convulsions).

I would get a thermometer today.

To all those posters who don't own thermometers and don't think it is necessary, why do you think doctors and hospitals use them? I doubt anyone can feel the difference between 40 and 41 degrees.

Personally, in slightly older children (eg not babies), I would not be too worried about a temperature up to 40 if the child did not seem too unwell, no meningitis symptoms, good breathing, etc. But I do start getting worried at 41 and I get very worried at 41.5 and in utter panic at 42 as it can cause long term brain damage (but not in all children, but how do you know it will be in your child).

[PavlovtheCat]

Hi, DD is fine, we didn't go to A&E, DH was home not too long after I posted and her temp had dropped, given the numptiness of the call handler and his decision to give advice which we felt was not actually very appropriate, we waited for half hour, she settled to sleep, temp reduced (not gone) and was much improved. (he told me not to give her squash or fizz as she had been sick, asked me what tv I had, as if she had the tv on the light from it would have irritated her if it was a new tv but not if it was an old tv, had it been something serious). We decided to wait as the rash really didn't seem like a meningitis rash and she had gone to sleep.

The rash has disappeared on her bottom, so think that was indeed heat rash. She has a fever still, the back of her head hurts when she moves it, and various parts of her body hurt, and so does her tummy, but she is her 'normal' self, and has had many tears after trying to convince me she was actually feeling ok and just needed today to recover so she could go to school tomorrow for Book Week, immediately proceeded by a yelp of pain! I think she has a stinking horrible virus that is hurting her muscles and joints but nothing more serious, and I feel happier now it is day time as my own GPs are great and would see her in a flash if I wanted them to (adults have to wait for a callback, but children they will bump them in if they need to, I have even had them see DS once when the surgery was actually closed for training).

I definitely panicked last night, for sure. I just so go to poop when the children are ill .

DS is not 100% but he has been off colour a few days, not really sick, so it means we are all snuggled in bed watching TV and soon we will watch films too.

As always, thanks for letting me be neurotic without making me feel like crap (unlike the bloke on OOH phone).

[PavlovtheCat]

dikker yes, I think I will get a thermometer today. I am happy with checking lower temps and knowing they are not seriously high, but i did feel like I needed to know if her temp was over 40 last night, I suspect it might have been at one point, and it did spike rapidly from high to very high and that was when she started to shake.

I think what bun said is a good point for me, the doc would have (has in the past) asked for an exact reading on the telephone, and has monitored DS wanting to know if it had reduced even by 0.5 degrees.

I think it is each to their own, i guess. Some people are happy without thermometers, some people might use them all the time, and sometimes people use them sparingly. I personally feel happier having one that works around, but as also mentioned, it needs to be used alongside the other symptoms, so knowing that a temp on it's own is not necessarily bad and a relatively low fever with other symptoms could need medical treatment.