Recurring Temperatures

[Musicinthe00ssucks]

Hi any advice gratefully received and sorry this is long.

My DD2 who will be 3 next month seems to suffer with recurring temperatures every couple of months. I can’t usually attribute it to anything in particular, maybe a runny nose/cold etc but her temperature shoots right up to 38 or 39. It comes down quickly with calpol and ibuprofen but she will usually have the temperature for 3 or 4 days. When the fever is under control she is absolutely fine. So well that you would think I was lying about her having a temperature. This lasts 6 hours or so until the medicine wears off and then beck to square one.

When she was younger she had antibiotics for tonsillitis and another time for an ear infection. I have taken her to the doctor and walk in clinics in the past with the other fevers but they have said it is viral and not given her anything (not that I would want them to give her antibiotics if they are not needed).

I just don’t understand why she keeps getting these temperatures for several days at a time and really quite frequently. My DD1 never had these unexplained fevers, it was always for a reason – usually an ear infection.

She is currently going through another bout which has been ongoing since Saturday. She had the booster of the meningitis B vaccine on Friday (I paid privately) and I would like to believe it is because of that, but this will be 5 days of fevers. I am medicating with Ibuprofen and calpol 3 times a day and I’m worried it is too much. Again she is absolutely fine when the medicine kicks in - which will last 6 hours.

I intend to make an appointment with the GP but like anywhere appointments are like gold dust, and I looks like I’ll have to wait a couple of weeks to see someone.

I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this or had any advice.

Thanks for reading.

I don't think that's anything to worry about. Sometimes children get minor viruses that send their temperature up without being particularly noticeably one thing.
I've three dc and my middle one used to get a temperature of 40+ with anything-didn't even seem particularly ill with it (she did when it went over 41, which happened a few times) and sometimes even the doctor couldn't see there was anything other than a general unwellness. It always stayed for 3 days of full calpol/ibroprofen before the fever broke, and needed another couple of days on medication otherwise it just went back again.
Otoh if the other two hit 39degrees they're really unwell - even 38.5 they are clearly ill.
Ds will be clearly ill at around 38degrees, but then his temperature will drop majorly and go under 35degrees typically, which neither the other two do.
They just have different patterns of illness; it's when they deviate from that then I worry. Every couple of months at 3yo really isn't that many, at that age ds had 8 burst ear drums in 10 weeks, and even that wasn't as bad as he had been younger.

Thank you so much Witchend you have really put my mind at ease. I have been scaring myself stupid with Google (not helpful I know). And yes you are right, this does seem to be her usual pattern of illness. My MIL had her today and she had one dose of calpol at 2pm but the rest of the time has been fine. Apparently she has also not stopped eating all day - which can only be a good thing

Have a look into periodic fever syndromes, they are rare and many GPs haven't heard of them. The most common one is PFAPA and there is one called HIDS which has fevers triggered by vaccinations. If you suspect your child has some kind of periodic fever syndrome you will need a referral to a rheumatologist, preferably at a large teaching hospital. Good luck!