Temp - at what point to worry?

[Natzer]

Hi

At what point do you panic about temperature please? DD has temp of 38.7 no other symptoms, not too bad in herself, maybe a little tired. She was sick a few times on wednesday, but not since then, limited appetite but eating OK.

Teething is a possibility.

Also, I understand that recent guidelines to say that a slightly raised temp is fine to fight infection and not to give calpol too readily.

Any advice please,

TIA

I would gibe ibuprofen and calpol alternately. I don't own a thermometer though and have no idea if ds has ever in 10 years had a really high temp. I go by how he is in himself.

If your dd is eating she sounds fine.

I remember my GP saying when DS2 was little that you know when your child is really ill without needing a thermometer, so I never use one and, like Valium, go by how they feel in themselves.

I also agree that a temperature is there for a reason, to fight off the infection. Our bodies are amazing and often they can cope with an illness without intervention, so again, I'd leave a slightly raised temp and only offer Calpol etc if the child is in pain or excessively hot and likely to become worse without some relief.

I agree that eating is a good sign and just make sure she drinks plenty.

At 38.7 I would give medication to bring it down, as valium suggests. I'm a keen temperature taker - I have 3 thermometers. I hate that you always get a different reading from each of them, and sometimes the same one! Still, it gives me a more impartial assessment of whether a fever is present than just by looking at DS or feeling his forehead.

Thanks, we have just given her a cool bath and brought the temp down to 37.7 so will test again in half an hour or so to see if it stays down.

We have one of the in ear thermometers, the same as our GP.

She is 11 months BTW.

Calpol is only a pain killer though and won't bring a temp down, you need ibuprofen for that ( I think)

No, calpol contains paracetamol, it will bring a temp down.

Ignore my post then!

Calpol is an antipyretic (brings temp down) too. As valium says alternating with ibuprofen works best.

Crossed posts

Natzer, as you say, current recommendations say not to treat the fever unless they are in discomfort. As long as she is happy, eating, drinking etc then just let her body get on with fighting it. Alternating antipyretics isn't recommended either and, while it seems to be pretty standard practice on MN, doctors will usually only recommend it if they the child is in severe discomfort or has a persistently high temperature (I wouldn't say that 38.7 is particularly high) the guidelines say to try one and if it doesn't work then try the other and stick to whichever one works best! I'm glad her temp is down now. Hope she feels better soon. :)

Thanks, well half an hour after her bath, her temp was back up. So I gave her some calpol and put her to bed. She didn't drink her bedtime bottle so I might go and check her in an hour or 2 and see if she wants some milk then.

I think if it was daytime I wouldn't have given the calpol as Bumbley says she didn't seem in pain. I just don't like the idea of her being upstairs and me being downstairs and her temp going too high.

read this

I always thought 40 degrees was the time to panic but my GP says how the child is is more important than the actual number of the temperature so I wouldn't worry too much if she seems fine in herself. I would just check it again in a couple of hours.

I've spoken to NHS direct a couple of times about high temperatures (above 40!) so can pass on what I was told to do in that situation if necessary!

Natzer, it's great that she's sleeping now. I think it's a good idea to offer her fluids in a couple of hours (even water if she won't take her milk) and any time she wakes during the night.

Purple's link is great. This is from the section on antipyretics:

1.6 Antipyretic interventions
1.6.1.1 Tepid sponging is not recommended for the treatment of fever.

1.6.1.2 Children with fever should not be under dressed or over wrapped.

1.6.1.3 The use of antipyretic agents should be considered in children with fever who appear distressed or unwell. Antipyretic agents should not routinely be used with the sole aim of reducing body temperature in children with fever who are otherwise well. The views and wishes of parents and carers should be taken into consideration.

1.6.1.4 Either paracetamol or ibuprofen can be used to reduce temperature in children with fever.

1.6.1.5 Paracetamol and ibuprofen should not be administered at the same time to children with fever.

1.6.1.6 Paracetamol and ibuprofen should not routinely be given alternately to children with fever. However, use of the alternative drug may be considered if the child does not respond to the first agent.

1.6.1.7 Antipyretic agents do not prevent febrile convulsions and should not be used specifically for this purpose.

Should have also said, if at any point you're worried just give NHS Direct a call. I've done so on a few occasions and I've always found them helpful and they never make you feel as if you're wasting their time. Just be prepared that if you ring about a DC with a temperature they always ask you the standard meningitis questions just to rule it out. (Slightly worrying the first time if you have a tendency to panic!)