Anyone awake - anxious about my son

[Anxiousmother23]

He came down with a temperature and very off colour yesterday morning, we kept him off school. His fever was at 38.9 last night, gave calpol and about 30 mins later ibuprofen to help, which brought it down to 37.5 (this is forehead temp)

Now he’s woken up in the early hours with a horrific cough and can’t stop coughing, his fever is back at 38.5 I’ve given him more calpol. But his cough sounds horrific. He was totally fine on Thursday, the whole thing started yesterday morning.

I’m mega anxious when it comes to illness, especially his. As I always think the worst, especially at night like this.
He’s also very rarely unwell with a fever etc.
He can’t seem to get back to sleep with this cough - obviously he needs to sleep to help get himself better.
Is it worth taking him to out of hours in the morning just to get him checked over? In case it’s an infection and he needs antibiotics?

Is 38.4 a high temperature?

It's higher than a normal temperature but not concerningly high unless he's struggling to breathe, eat or drink.

@Anxiousmother23 not really high. But the number doesn’t matter, it’s whether it is responding to medicine and what the other symptoms are. I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at that temp and I do suffer from health anxiety in other ways so I do get how you’re feeling. Kindly, this is your anxiety at play and all the people advising you to call 111 aren’t helping that anxiety.

Above 37.5 is a high temperature. But how high the temperature is doesn’t indicate how unwell a child is. A child with a temperature of 39.5 isn’t automatically more unwell than a child with a temperature of 38.5.
A temperature is the body’s natural defence against illness, so it’s not something to be afraid of. A fever however can make you feel really lousy which is why we treat with paracetamol/ibuprofen. Have you called 111 yet? They’re likely to tell you to get him seen this morning. Sometimes they’re able to make you an appointment at an out of hours/walk in so that you don’t have a really long wait.

Yes, but not a usually a cause for concern unless it lasts more than a few days.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fever-in-children/

I am pregnant and mine was higher than this with a shocking cough a couple of weeks ago. 111 said it was only too high because I was on day 5 and having other symptoms of a chest infection. Not sure if that helps.

I’m not calling 111 yet as he’s sitting up watching tv and eating an apple , he’s still not well at all and still has the cough/fever. It’s extremely cold here and there’s still snow/ice as we live in Yorkshire. So getting around is a problem at the moment. However if he gets worse later today or tomorrow I will call them.

It sounds like he might have flu or a similar virus. My DC had it recently, and it started with a fever, cough and occasional vomiting. Just keep his temperature down and keep him hydrated. I wouldn’t be seeking medical input unless he deteriorated.

If he’s feeling better today, it might well not be flu anyway. My DC was ill for around 5 days and barely ate at all. Why not get some tests in - Covid and Flu? I found it reassuring to know what it was.

I hope he feels better soon. Benylin do a good cough mixture for children for chesty coughs, if needed.

Glad to hear he’s feeling reasonably OK. How was your night? Did either of you get much sleep?

I’d advise against apple if he’s coughing a lot, as it’s quite hard and could get stuck in his throat if he suddenly coughs when eating. You could grate it into porridge instead.

When mine were ill, I’d move them to the sofa with a duvet in the day and to give them a change of scene. Keep him sitting up or propped up with pillows.

Hi Op am glad you got some sleep in the end.
all this advice above is also what I would do to.
calpol and nurofen were what I was told to use for DC by doctor in this situation - every 4 hours - so if Calpol is 9am 1pm 5pm and 9pm - Nurofen 11am 3pm 7pm etC obvs using correct dose for your DC weight and age and monitor temperature with a thermometer.
keeping them upright, hot drinks lots of honey - if they don’t like lemon I used to squeeze half an orange with honey or even dilute squash with hot water to keep liquids in. If you can find a safe way for him to inhale steam where you’ve added some Vicks that’s also useful.
have a lovely cuddle today and watch movies and hopefully he will eat bits to keep his energy up.
message 111 for anything you’re more unsure of. Hope he gets well soon x

And if your DP isn’t working today, try to go for a nap. If you suffer from anxiety, you must’ve had a v difficult night and your DS’s cough may be bad again tonight.

Important to look after your immune system via sleep, liquids and vitamins to avoid catching it yourself.

Lots of ice lollies, no apples or crisps as they will irritate his throat and potentially make him cough more.

Keep on top of the paracetamol, prop him up and encourage him to drink enough fluids.

At the moment I wouldn’t worry too much, both try to rest.

Please do not take him to a&e, this is not an emergency.

You say it's his forehead temperature, have you taken his temperature in his mouth? It's possible for those to be different.

If he's eating, drinking and responsive I'd give it until Monday and put in a GP appointment

It's possibly Covid.

There's not a lot A&E can do other than make sure he's hydrated which you can do at home, and keep taking paracetamol.

There is no cure for coughs or colds. Unless he's already got asthma, in which case you'd know what to do.

Hot drinks with lemon and a squeeze of honey can help coughs.

It sounds the flu everyone has in Yorkshire at the moment. If he’s eating / drinking a little I wouldn’t get him seen. Red flags are lack of fluids, rashes, struggling to breathe, high pulse etc.

If he’s coping at home see how he goes, this virus does last a few days OP! For the coughing at night when it’s worse prop him up on some pillows

From what you've said it just sounds like a virus that needs to run its course - I'd be dosing up with calpol/ibuprofen as necessary and monitoring for any worsening symptoms but otherwise just rest at home. I wouldn't be ringing 111 or going to a GP at this stage. Honey and lemon in hot water (obviously let it cool a bit!) to help with the cough.

Calpol won't treat a cough,it's a pain killer it won't touch a virus, a fever also isn't a bad thing it's the body's immune response killing off germs do u don't need to suppress it from working, also I didn't think you could give ibuprofen only 30 mins after calpol that seems like over medicating

Fellow health anxiety sufferer here, and mum to two children who have caused me many sleepless nights over last few years. A few things….

38.4 is high, but it’s not alarmingly high - and will absolutely not worry a doctor if a child is otherwise eating, drinking, weeing and ok in themselves (responsive, interested in their adult, talking, smiling).

The cough - again, my son get terrible nigh time coughs when he has a cold (their tubes are very small when they’re little and some are disproportionately impacted and cough more than others). If it’s a cough where he struggles to recover, or sounds wheezy in between, then he may need some help (usually his is a viral wheeze and they need an inhaler and spacer and maybe a quick whiff of oxygen). If it’s mostly at night and sounds mucusy, it’s probably nasal drip (still awful - used to make my son vomit). The best intervention - we tried many - is a humidifier - absolute game changer.

I’d call 111 if you’re worried. They will only really worry if there is a sign of bacterial infection (puss on tonsils etc), signs of infection that’s overwhelming (not weeing, very ‘off’, mottled skin, very cold hands and feet), or if his oxygen saturations are low (wheezy, cough through day and night, feeling off).

Lastly, I manage my anxiety by being able to do my own observations at home - temperature, oxygen saturdations, heart rate, respiratory rate and capillary refills. They don’t stop me taking him if I’m really worried obviously, but they do calm me when everything else is ok other than a mild temp and a tickly cough in an otherwise happy but snotty child.

Sorry ridiculously long post - I should say all of this is framed in my son having had sepsis at 1 and being admitted for a viral wheeze (oxygen level dipped). So I’ve seen him when he’s very sick vs when he’s got a virus / cold.

Also, a high temp isn't always a bad thing.

It shows the body is fighting an infection.

If he's very hot, wring out a wet face cloth or similar in cold water and wipe his face with it.

I think he sounds OK OP, the temperature isn't too high and DS6 gets the same with coughs. He can't sleep for hours as it's utterly relentless but I always worry about it more than he seems to mind himself.

I get the health anxiety, I have been there. Keep an eye on him, but he sounds alert and eating so will hopefully only get better from here.

It’s really variable. I started trying it after the paramedics took my son out on the doorstep to se if it helped.

So we’d do a steamy bathroom and a quick visit to the cold doorstep, all wrapped up of course.

If you are blessed with DC who don’t sound like they are about to die whenever they have a cold, enjoy it! Mine were more the check every hour, use a spacer and inhaler while they are asleep and get ready to dash to hospital kind.

Things to check, is his tummy sucking in under his ribs when breathing, are his nostrils flaring when he breathes, is he having difficulty talking, are his lips changing colour.

I'd want to rule out croup. Does his cough sound like a seal bark? Crops generally worse at night.

Send your dh out to get an oximeters from the pharmacy to keep an eye on his o2 levels and I always found manuka honey great for coughs, has to have a minimum mgo of +250 (itl say on the front) , the higher the better. You can get it in Sainsbury usually or Holland and Barratt. My son would have a teaspoon but he held his nose then had a drink. Get some vicks on his chest and the soles of his feet then socks on. Call 111 for help and advise if needed.

The temp is okay, it's his bodys immune system being raised to the optimum temperature to fight the illness. Some more info on controlling his temp can be found on NHS website my phones not letting me post the link for some reason.

OP, Please call NHS 111 as soon possible. They should be able to make you an appointment for Urgent Care.
I have also just checked online and Ibuprofen MUST NOT be given to children under 7 years without prescription by a doctor.
I do hope your little boy gets better soon.

Normal body temp is 37ish

My DCs have had temps of 40C before and we managed at home.

In case it’s an infection and he needs antibiotics?

It almost 99% isn't.
Its a virus. No drugs needed.

TBH 111 won't do much at all.

They may suggest A&E- they usually do.

But do you honestly want to wait hours there and possibly infect all the other people in the waiting room?

Paracetamol is better than ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen can cause kidney damage and it's not much better than paracetamol. It's main difference is it reduces inflammation .