to not give medicine to my ill child?

[fruitstick]

Bear with me on this.

DS1 (7) has this nasty virus going round. High temperature & headache. I really want him to be well enough for his nativity this week.

What he really needs to do is rest & sleep but the merest whiff of Calpol makes him leap of furniture and demand to go out on his scooter.

If I don't give him any he can lie on sofa & feel awful but at least he'll be resting and recovering.

Good idea or cruel mother?

I am one of those painkiller and antibiotic prescribing drs , but feel increasingly that we have forgotten what serious illness looks like.
We do use too many antibiotic and NOT every fever needs treating.

Personally, at home with my own kids I treat misery or pain. My lot are hingy, pathetic piles of feeling-sorry-themselves when their fever goes beyond... oh I don't know, 38.5 or 39C? I don't v often measure a fever at home.

I understand what the OP is staying: as long as her DS feels a bit crap, he'll rest up and hopefully recover faster.
FWIW there is no good evidence that lowering fever prevents febrile convulsions, it is the rate of temperature rise wot does it. There is also not many children who will actually get hyper from whatever colourants/preservative is in Calpol, but a lot of children will experience the Magic of Calpol ie go from feeling miserable to bouncing of the walls because they finally feel better again.

I think in the OP's case you can argue either way. Chill, people - we are not talking treating meningitis with willow bark here .

GoldF take anti-biotics for viruses, don't think that's what I said, re read until you don't see the word virus anymore. Have just been "reluctanctly" been given antis by an incompetent gp. For a clear urti, I had to beg for them. Guess who's feeling better and will be in work next week, me. So you'll excuse me if I have no patience for the ooooh no medicine till they are at deaths door types. FYI i'm a medical biochemist and my parents are both doctors. So don't be so facetious. You can all also take comfort that if and when your children need urgent medical care. There will be one more space available as I will never darken the NHS's god forsaken doors again. You're welcome.

I gave him nurofen at bathtime as he said his headache had returned. He was asleep very quickly and much earlier than usual so I'm hoping the rest will do him good.

I'm not sure how you can accuse me of not letting his body fight illness at its own pace AND dosing him up for the nativity in the same post.

That was the very opposite of what I was proposing .

And Thankyou dogwood, you've articulated my reasoning very well.

Much better than me

yanbu