2yo virus and temperature - what's best to do?

[BlinkAndMiss]

My 2yo has yet another temperature which is lingering at between 38-39 degrees, I've taken him to the dr who diagnosed a sore throat and a virus and was told to keep up with the Calpol and ibuprofen.

His temperature gets higher when he's asleep and although I've heard that a temperature is good, I just can't help worrying. Am I supposed to let him sleep through a temperature and give him the Calpol if he wakes up and seems to be struggling? Or do I wake him up and give him it to stop his temperature from spiraling out of control?

And what do I do during the day? I know not to give tepid baths etc and last time the dr said to give Calpol and ibuprofen 3 hourly (alternating) so that there wouldn't be hours where he couldn't have anything. His appetite is worse today than it was yesterday but he's drinking water and not being sick so I'm not too worried about that yet.

These might seem like obvious questions, he has had illness before (all the time) but I'm struggling this time. The sleep deprivation seems so much worse and I'm pregnant which isn't helping my sleep. I just need some instructions, it's awful watching him being so poorly and all I want to do is cry :(.

I'm not a Dr - maybe you could phone 111 to be sure? But I wouldn't wake mine to give calpol / ibuprofen. I would give it to them if they woke up and had a temp and it had been long enough. Will your DS drink milk? If mine won't eat but will drink milk I feel better as milk alone sustained them to begin with!

Good luck - it's awful when they're ill let alone when you're preg as well. Hope you're at least managing to get some sleep.

Thanks for the reply, yes he's just had a beaker of milk so I feel a bit better about that. He's just so uncomfortable with his temperature, I've give. Him Calpol so hopefully that will kick in soon so we can all get a bit of sleep at least.

I'll give 111 a ring if the Calpol doesn't do enough.

How is he in himself? If he's not miserable or irritable then just leave the temperature to do it's job. That's what current guidelines recommend. However if he's not eating and drinking because of a sore throat then keep up with the calpol. You can alternate with nurofen. Make sure he's having plenty of wet nappies and yes, no tepid sponging as it fools the body into increasing the temperature.

The NICE or NHS guidelines are really helpful if you want something concrete as a guide.

Basically:

Don't give calpol or ibuprofen solely to reduce a fever. A fever on its own is fine but if your child is uncomfortable, distressed or in pain, then give either Calpol or ibuprofen to reduce discomfort. Do not give both at the same time in the first instance. If that medication doesn't work, switch to the other one. If that one doesn't manage the symptoms or they recur before the next dose then consult a GP who will advise what to do. Sometimes (as in your case) when it's just a virus and there's nothing else to be done a GP will advise alternating the two so that you're giving medication more regularly and the child is less likely to be in pain or uncomfortable.

In terms of keeping them comfortable, plenty of fluids and keeping them in loose cotton clothing and light covers if necessary. Not wrapped up in clothes and duvets. Don't let them be cold, no stripping down and letting them shiver as this will actually raise the temperature. Just loose, comfortable clothing and them not complaining of feeling too hot/cold. Air circulating can help if you have a fan but don't put it directly on them or a window cracked open to make a bit of a breeze. Again, you aren't trying to chill them though, just making the air move round a bit and cool them naturally in a comfortable, not hot room. As you already know, no tepid baths, no cold sponging.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/feverchildren/pages/introduction.aspx

Hope she's better soon. Don't be afraid to go back if she has new symptoms or the fever isn't gone in a couple of days.

*he

Sorry.

Thank you, he's had a better night and has managed 7 hours between doses of calpol which is an improvement. I've only given him it when he's woken up, he was shivering so it's helped with that.

This morning he has a rash and his throat is much redder than it was. He also has a very runny nose. The rash is red pinpricks which disappear when I apply pressure so I'm not too worried but I'm wondering if this could be chicken pox? The rash is on his torso, limbs and behind his ears, he also has clusters of them under his armpits. The ones on his arms and legs seem to have white halos around them. Could be a heat rash?

He does seem ok in himself, he's chatting and laughing. He's just very lethargic, still drinking which is a relief.

If the rash feels a bit dry, like sandpaper, it could be Scarlet Fever. We had the same symptoms + a bright red tongue with that.

We ended up ringing 111 as the rash got worse, they made him an appointment at the walk in clinic, they were concerned about scarlet fever MrsMoosickle. The dr was very thorough and said it was a virus with tonsillitis and gave us antiobiotics for 10 days. He just gets so hot in his sleep, he was shaking earlier so I gave him Calpol again. I just hope he sleeps a bit better for the rest of the night and that the dr diagnosed him correctly, the rash on his arms is very much like sandpaper but it's smooth on the rest of his body.