14mo unwell - Is this normal fever or something else?

[GlitteryFluff]

Hardly ate yesterday.
Slept for 13hours last night. (Normally 11).
Napped today for 3hours and then napped on and off all afternoon (another 3). Usually around 2-3hours total naps.
Hardly eaten today.
Temperature going up and down (highest is 40 - atm it's 39.2).
Drowsy in the sense he just wants to lie on you and cuddle, not that I can't wake him. He can move/walk if he needs to.
Wouldn't smile or kiss me (always does this when he hasn't seen me) at 6pm but started to at 8 and is now smiling/laughing.
Heart beating faster than normal (I think).
Earlier he had freezing feet and ankles - like an invisible line then suddenly at shins up gets boiling. (This seems to have now moved to bottom half of body freezing, top half boiling)
Had calpol at 6.30, ibroprofen at 8.30. Temp went down but back up again.
Earlier was shaking.
Drinking water fine but not milk.

He's not had fever before. So I don't know what's normal or not.
We called 111 and they said just keep checking for rashes and alternate calpol and ibroprofen. I'm not entirely happy with that as I know a rash is one of the last signs of meningitis. If it was the morning I would be less worried as I could check on him all through day but I don't want to go to bed and he can deteriorate during night if it's something bad.
Anyway 111 have now booked us an appointment with a GP at the hospital in half hour but now I feel like I'm wasting their time.
If you hadn't guessed he's my pfb.
What would you have done?

[Mishaps]

I am sure that you have done the right thing. Mums have an instinct when it comes to their children.

[sugar21]

Get him checked out you can never be too careful, but my dd had meningitis and it doesn't sound like it from your descriptors.

[AnotherStitchInTime]

I think you are doing the right thing to get him seen and I say this as a parent of three young children and someone who used to work in a children's ward.

Have you had a look down his throat at all? My 22 month has been off his food this week and had very swollen red tonsils. If you can tickle him lying on his back on your knees he might arch back enough with his mouth open to see. He might have an infection in his throat.

[TeamBacon]

I think you've done exactly the right thing. Take calpol with you, as he can have another dose shortly.
Write down his recorded temps and try and estimate how much he's drank.

Hopefully the fever will break overnight, but he absolutely needs checking out.

[Devilishpyjamas]

You're not wasting their time but I would have kept an eye & not taken him out of bed - it'll prob be something like a (viral) ear infection. I would have been more worried by ds2 though as he doesn't run high temps. Ds1 & ds3 ran 40 plus temps whenever ill. Done children do.

Don't feel you're wasting their time though - that's their job & it takes a few illnesses to work out what's normal for each child

[foragogo]

Definitely keep an eye for rashes etc and take him to the doctor if you feel hes getting any worse I'd say. The symptoms sound very similar to what my son had the other week which turned out to be Hand Foot and Mouth which is going round and not serious, normally. He was better after 4/5 days.

[TeamBacon]

... And I'd have done exactly what you've done with my PSB

[Bambooshoots14]

Sounds similar to my ds last year when he was 8 months ish. Ended up being admitted for 3 days due to broncilitis so he could have oxygen. Sounds similar with the cold feet/ fever/ drowsy. We were the same as you and thought we were over reacting but glad we went when we did (he'd also been I'll a few days). I'm sure he'll be fine but I'd go get him checked

[DeputyPecksBentBeak]

I'd have done the same thing. Chances are it's nothing serious but as you say, it's harder to keep an eye on them at night time. Good luck

[TeamBacon]

Maybe take a few bits with you, just in case it is bronchiolitis and they keep you in. Happens more than you'd think.

[musicinspring1]

My 14 month old just had similar symptoms. I took her to out of hours Dr's like you and it turned out to be tonsillitis. Dr said they are always happy to check over little ones.

[sugar21]

Let us know how you get ln OP

[sugar21]

• on

[GlitteryFluff]

Thank you everyone.
You've made me feel better however I still feel a bit silly as we've been told he has a throat infection so probably didn't warrant going up there and taking up an appointment. He's got antibiotics. I don't know wether to set alarms through night to check on him or if that's being too pfb about it all? I don't know what I'd do anyway other than check he's breathing? Don't want to disturb him by rousing him/checking temp etc.
I've left him a sippy cup of water in his cot so he can have some of that if he feels like it during night.

[AnotherStitchInTime]

How long has he been on the antibiotics for?

[AnotherStitchInTime]

Assess him using the NICE Traffic Light Guidance.

[AnnekaRice]

calling and getting the appointment - right thing - definitely
outcome - not as bad as alternatives may have been considering the symptoms and behaviour that concerned you- this is a good thing, not a waste of an appointment.
alarms in the night - PFB
hope back to normal soon!

[GlitteryFluff]

Another they have just given them to us at the hospital so he's had one dose, got to have 3 doses a day for 5 days to treat the throat infection.

[AnotherStitchInTime]

Take pulse at wrist on or at carotid artery in his neck if too hard to find at wrist. If assessed as green stay at home, amber get seen by ooh, red 999.

[AnotherStitchInTime]

TBH he will probably wake any way in the night if feeling unwell, you can check him then.

In hospital we would do his observations 6 hourly if green, 2-4 hourly if amber, depending on how high his heart rate, breathing rate, whether his fever is high, and how responsive he is.

It will take a few days for the antibiotics to kick in properly.

If you feel he is worsening again then do get him seen again. Dd2 ended up admitted with severe tonsillitis aged 2 as they had swelled so much they obstructed her airway. I had to take her to the GP and 2 A&E's before they admitted her as she only developed major problems whilst sleeping and they woke her up at every examination before observing her. She had stridor and chest retractions (stomach and under ribs pulling in when breathing) when the tissues in her throat went floppy during sleep. In the end I videoed it and showed it to them.