No joy with NHS Direct so can you help me please?

[phipps]

Ds is 5 and was complaining of feeling cold and tired at school. Actually felt very hot and then started shaking. I brought him home, temp was 37.2 so gave him so calpol and put him to bed in vest and pants. He has come down and is sat on the chair with a blanket on. Shivering is what is worrying me.

what did nhs direct say?have you tried your gp?

Was he shaking from the fever (as in the chills) or did he have a proper seizure?
Seizures in children with temperatures (aka febrile convulsion) is quite normal.

His temp is quite normal too.

I would just give him some calpol, drink of water, and tuck him into bed for a rest. He might be overtired from the holidays and tiime change.

I am not a doctor btw.

I was doing the on line checker as no answer. Haven't tried GP as doesn't seem as serious to need a GP appointment and it is impossible to see anyone without waiting 2 hours and driving for half an hour at this time.

No, not a convulsion. Have seen that happen in a child I was looking after and it was more fast shivering. He has had some water and is watching cbeebies.

Thank you.

I am rubbish when it is mine that are ill.

DD3 (2 yo) had exactly these symptoms on Saturday night; shivering, curling herself up into a tight little ball and complaining of feeling cold, though her body was hot. Doc said that it's the body's reaction to fever - the body resets its internal thermostat to heat you up to fight the infection. So, you think you're cold and you shiver to create more heat to increase your temp, IYSWIM.

I did end up in A&E with DD3, but she's two, and had a temp over 39. In A&E, they treated her with more ibuprofen (I had already used the max dose of calpol), stripping her off and turning a fan on her to cool her down. Within an hour or so, she was asking for sandwiches, watching telly and widdling on the floor - well, they did take her nappy off . They were happy to let us go home when her temp was nearer to normal and she was eating and drinking well.

Hope he feels better soon.

Thank you.

I have just been to check on him and lifted him to move him and he is very hot. I have encouraged him to just have the blanket on his feet but he must feel cold. He had Calpol at 3.05pm so I will check his temp again now.

give him plenty of fluid too.

Will do, thanks for the reminder.

I just checked and the calpol has worked quickly as his temp is now 36.4 though he feels hotter than he did .

hows is he phipps?

How very strange

Is it just his face/cheeks that are hot? Slapped cheek (the virus, not someone slapping him iyswim) or something?

Coming to this a bit late, sorry. What are you using to take his temperature?

37.4 isn't really hot enough to give a child rigors (shaking) so I would wonder if it's an accurate temperature, especially if he feels hot to touch.

Howz DS now??

Just an aside, my DS always feels like a furnace, and shivers when he's ill, but his temp is often lower than normal. Usually I give calpol and ibroprofen together as first dose then repeat as you can.

You can give paracetamol(calpol) and Ibuprofen(nurofen) together as a first quick acting temperature reducer. Then give one at two hourly intervals. Paracetamol first then Ibuprofen etc etc.

37.2 isnt really high enough to sit in just pants and vest. I would keep on some PJ bottoms.

There are lots of bugs and a nasty cold/viral thing going around.
See how he is in the mornig and if oyu are stil worried take him to the doctor.

My 22mo DS is similar at the moment. I would suggest giving either paracetamol OR ibuprofen regularly, current guidelines suggest not routinely giving both for fever, esp when not been assessed by a HCP.

Extra fluids, keep an eye on him for passing urine, any signs of earache/rashes etc.

If the fever come and medicine and he is bright/alert then that is all good.

My DSs do this sometimes. It's as if their skin is being chilled despite them burning up. It usually lasts upto a day in my DSs and is simply them fighting off whatever is causing the fever.

I didnt realise the guidelines had changed since I stopped working. Sorry if I gave wrong info.

WHen did they change? I must look it up!

fever comes down after medicine that was meant to say!

Giving both meds - thinking being that if you are giving the full dose of either paracetamol, or ibuprofen , regularly and it isn't reducing the temp/making them feel a bit better - they need to be seen rather than adding more medicine.

Nice guidelines, care of feverish illness in children under 5 www.nice.org.uk/guidance/index.jsp?action=byID&o=11010

Oh sorry, I said about both together at first too . This what gp told me as DS used to have febrile convulsions.

That said, lots of times the Dr will assess then say it's fine to alternate paracetamol with ibuprofen - if they have been examined and Dr is happy, then it is fine. We just don't want to mask the symptoms of something that should be getting medical attention.

You can still alternate them for pain if needed.Just not advised for fever with unknown cause.

That was from 2007.
The current thinking is to give Ibuprofen first then give both up to the recomended limit stated on the bottles. If symptoms not relieved by end of 24hrs then child to be seen by GP.

I would def say that if you are worried in the morning take your son to the doctors.

From nhs

Also from NHS

The NICE guidance is still the current guidance. But it is only guidance not law. You may of course give both if you wish.

I don't give both unless I know what is causing the fever. I trust the evidence based advice I have read and trust.

Hope he is improving for you soon phipps

Will read new posts in a minute. thanks to you all.

put him to bed before 7 and went straight to sleep, he normally gets up and comes down and didn't.

temp at 7.30 was 36.8 was 35.6 about half an hour before. dh gave him calpol at 7.30am.

he looks less pale than last night and has had some cheerios and is watching tweenies.

don't know what to do about school. dh can take the others but I will have to take him out to get them this afternoon.

I'm a bit confused by this. A fever is 38 degrees. 37.2 is normal. Why are you stripping him off and giving him calpol?

Hie temp has come down so at least the calpol is helping. He is staying at home today.

bubbleymummy - you obviously think I am doing the wrong thing but I felt what I was doing was right for my child.