Help! Toddler temp - going up after calpol?

[Reesewithafork]

DS Has had a cough for ages. Recently Investigated for UTI which has been confirmed and treated

today he got a temp of 38.9 randomly. We gave him calpol and it came down to 38.4 then gave him nurofen which brought it down to 37.4

he’s eating and drinking, had wet and dirty nappies, okay in himself but a bit tearful and clingy and definitely out of sorts when he’s hot.

he’s asleep at the moment but I’m monitoring his temp as last time he had a bacterial infection last month it shot up to 40 really quickly. He last had calpol at 9pm and his temp is now 38.1

he had Nurofen at 5.45pm this evening. I spoke to the doctor today and they have an appointment for him tomorrow and said to alternate nurofen and calpol which we are doing (I messed up the 9pm dose it should have been a bit later) but I’m a bit worried that his temp seems to be creeping up after both medicines. Calpol always takes longer to work with him, usually about 90 minutes to two hours.

he’s sleeping fine, no fast breathing, doesn’t seem to have chills at the moment although he does get them with fevers, and no rashes. I was wondering whether I should call 111 but as 38.1 isn’t super high I was also wondering if I should monitor and see how he goes over the next hour or so.

I have health anxiety which is very bad at the moment so I’m struggling to stay calm and make rational decisions. Anyone had similar and would you do the same?

he has been sneezing, has had a runny nose, cough and his throat sounds a tiny bit hoarse so although I was thinking the UTI originally it’s also likely that the doctor will find it’s another throat infection tomorrow.

Take him to urgent care for peace of mind. They will check his obs. Check for rashes and make sure plenty of fluids. Always go with your gut your his mum and you know best.
sounds viral

Thanks. I have done previously when he was distressed and had chills, even though he’s petrified of hospitals and gets hysterical and makes himself sick when he’s there which makes his obs really hard to get a good reading on

i am going to check him again in half an hour as he’s sleeping really peacefully at the moment and hope his temp isn’t going up anymore

if it does keep going up I will give the next dose when I can and ring 111 I think…although I know they will just say A&E most likely

So he's got a fairly low grade fever, is fast asleep, and has been mostly ok in himself, and you've got an appointment for him tomorrow anyway.

I'd try to get some rest. I certainly wouldnt be taking him to an urgent care with those symptoms. Sleep is the best medicine for him as well, and if he is still feeling rubbish tomorrow, well you have your appointment.

For context, my toddler also has a fever at the moment - hers is currently 38.3, but had been 39+. I've given her due dose of calpol and will be going to sleep over I've written this. She's slept in and off all day and eaten nothing.

We have to keep an extra close eye on her as she has a serious health condition (brain tumour) but the advice today over the phone was to see if the temperature is still there in a couple of days rather then her needing to be seen - and they very much err on the side of caution with her.

Thanks @Somuchgoo i can’t see the wood for the trees with my health anxiety a lot of the time and it makes it so difficult to manage. I’m so sorry to hear your daughter has a brain tumour I cannot imagine how stressful and worrying that must be.

i just checked again and he’s 37.7 I’m going to leave him be now, give him his next dose and let him sleep

Have a look at this traffic light system, and see which category your little boy falls into.

Give ibuprofen (for infants / kids) and calpol together. Mines had this horrible cough (not covid!) and had a temp that calpol wouldn't budge. Kiddy nurofen and a fan for 10 mins took it away completely and he was much better by the next morning.

Take all his clothes and covers off so his temp can decrease

I'm glad it's on the way down!

I only mention my daughter's illness btw because it makes the doctors extra cautious and me much more anxious (she's had meningitis a few months ago as well, which started with a fever). It doesn't sound as if using the traffic light system, you've got any carrier for panic at the moment thankfully, but obviously keep an eye on him.

She's currently in bed with me lying on my arm. I'm might actually melt 😂

@Somuchgoo thank you very useful. He always always goes mottled with any extreme change in temp as he’s really really fair - I do the same, so I don’t pay too much heed to this now as I think dangerously mottled would be different. He’s very snotty but that seems to have calmed after vicks. His eyes were a little red and very slightly bloodshot today but he’s definitely not dehydrated and has had terrible hayfever so I think that’s the cause of that. I hope your daughters temp settles soon.

@Sqeebling thanks he’s in a pj top and nappy with his thin baby duvet over the top so he can kick it off when he gets warm rather than his sleeping bag. I keep switching it for his cellular blanket if he starts creeping upwards again

@sunscreenandsaltwater the cough is awful isn’t it?! It came with his last bacterial throat infection and just hasn’t gone. It improves for a bit then gets worse again but his chest has been clear every time - I’ll get it checked again tomorrow. It sounds hideous and can’t be nice for him.

@Somuchgoo my god you and your poor family, meningitis as well?! You really really deserve some luck! I hope her tumour is treatable and she’s doing okay. No I appreciate you giving the context, I’m finding it increasingly hard to calm myself over the smallest health things of late so that perspective hugely helps - I probably seem quite crazy!

Bugger I don’t think I did a correct reading before as he’s now 38.5

he still seems okay though and is asleep, I’ve switched his bedding and will give him nurofen at half past and hopefully that will bring it down properly like it did before

gah I hate it when they’re ill

im willing to bet it’s cough/snotty nose related this time rather than UTI

How's he doing this morning?

We are slightly better here, still a temperature but a little lower. Another calpol and sofa day I think!

I hope you all managed to get some sleep in the end

He’s still got a fluctuating fever but he’s been checked out today and they didn’t find anything worthy of needing treatment in throat, ears or chest. His chest is completely clear.

he does still spike just over 39 usually near bedtime but doctor said not to worry about treating it if he seems well, obviously if in discomfort or obviously poorly then to treat. We gave him nurofen before bed as he went up above 39 and was a bit mottled (I know this is a red flag symptom but he has always always done this with a fever, he’s very fair and it’s not the same as the classic lividity that comes with sepsis for example) and he’s currently asleep.

im going to try to resist the urge to keep taking his temp over night and trust that he will wake of he’s feeling rough with it.

how’s your DD @Somuchgoo ?

I'm glad they didn't find anything of concern.

She's still the same - mostly resting, lying down, watching tv is about as energetic as she's been. Temp had to been better today but still a little warm but up to 38.9 again tonight, she vomitted over me and breathing slightly fast.

I'll probably get her checked out by the hospital tomorrow (because of her health issues we go straight to the hospital now) just in case she needs antibiotics or something.

Let's hope tomorrow is better for both of us

Will be thinking of you @Somuchgoo I hope you all get some rest. It always seems worse at night doesn’t it? His temp seems to start spiking at bed time so maybe it’s similar for your DD

We'll we're at the hospital, hopefully just a random virus but they are keeping us in tonight and she's had an x ray.

Hope your little boy is on the mend now.

How are you doing @Somuchgoo

went back to the doctors today as his cough really
ramped up and he has another infection so we have antibiotics AGAIN and ventolin for the cough.