temperature remaining at 37.8 min for 5 days

[blueskiesandforests]

7yo has had a cough for 3 weeks, took his temperature on Sunday and it was 39 so kept him off school in Monday, Tuesday he seemed quite unwell, pale and tired, so took him to the doctor who said it's a bronchial infection and proscribed a 3 day course of antibiotics (though Google sugfests 90% of bronchial infections are viral so maybe unsurprising this hasn't helped) and said to keep him off til Friday.

He's not unusually tired any more, probably because hes just been at home not doing anything, but his cough is unchanged and more worryingly temperature remains at 37.8 first thing in the morning. Since Sunday its only been lower with meds, as soon as Calpol or neurofen is out of his system it goes back to 38 or 37.8 or 9. He didn't want any fever medicine yesterday and his temperature just stayed around 38.

He's not listless, that was just on Monday, he is awake all day and playing.

Is his temperature a worry, is it normal that it just isn't going back to normal? The cough is unchanged too.

Is there anything I can do?

37 is a normal temperature, the time to worry would be when it’s 39/40 but any variation of 37 is completely normal and fine

Really? 37.8 isn't normal though. When healthy nobody in the family has a temperature over 37.2 or so.

I've got older kids and temperatures are usually around 36.5- 37. Maybe up to 37.5 if they've got s bit of a cold.

37.8 definitely seems raised compared to normal for our family, not a fever but a definite indication of an infection or something.

37.8 a very, very mild fever and not something you need to give medication for unless your DS is in pain or significant discomfort. Would you even suspect he had a higher than usual temperature if you weren't monitoring it?

38 isn't a dangerous temperature (especially in a 7 year old). Let his body do it's job. The raise in temperature is how the body kills off bugs, and constantly reducing his temp could delay his recovery.

Obviously if his cough doesn't resolve or he seems unwell again then take him back to the dr, but coughs and colds and other infection can take a while to get better.

If he's well in himself I would let him go back to school too, and see how he gets on.

Hope he gets well soon :)

Thanks BlackInk - I know 37.8 isn't worrying in isolation, what worries me is that it and the cough are no better than when the bronchial infection was diagnosed.

I do have history with being told dc1 just had a bug, when she continued with a persistent low grade temperature, following a short course of antibiotics for a urine infection - I took her back to the doctor 3 times and only the final time when her temperature spiked and stayed over 40 did a locum do a blood test, and send us straight to a specialist children's urological unit where she ended up on intravenous antibiotics for ten days, her temperature didn't cime down til the 7th day, at one point the phrase life threatening was being mentioned, and she nearly lost a kidney because shed had a low grade infection for months which had left her kidney massively swollen...

So I don't like ignoring low grade fevers! The fact his temperature is still elevated and the cough is entering his 4th week worries me. I wouldn't worry about a one off 38 degree/ 37.8 degree day.

All the kids are generally healthy - 7 to didn't have a single day off school last year.

I just don't want to end up with a child in hospital with pneumonia or full blown bronchitis, and am not sure whether to send him back to school tomorrow. I kept sending dc1 back as I'd started a new job, and it turns out she was really quite ill.

• 7 yo autocorrected to 7 to

37.8 is barely raised, NHS website says s fever is over 38!

I was going to say urine infection
ESP with her history get her tested straight away

Definitely fighting off something. As you say it is a low fever but it's about what's 'normal' for your child and not the NHS ranges they're just a guide. If in doubt back to the GP it is! Hope they get better soon.

It is a slight raised temperature

Thanks everyone.

Redskyandrainbows67
I muddied the waters a bit by trying to explain (obviously not very well) why I do worry about ling term slightly raised temperatures - it was my eldest who had the kidney issues following an apparently treated urine infection and subsequent long term slightly raised temperature, which eventually spiked and we discovered that shed had this infection rumbling away doing damage for months because the original course of antibiotics had only knocked the urine infection back but not actually cleared it. She'd been "not quite right" for weeks after but as her temperature was only slightly raised it was dismissed as nothing important...

The child with the temperature I started this thread about is her little brother though.

My fault - I was trying to explain why I don't feel comfortable ignoring a slight temperature which goes on and on, but it's a different one of my kids this time!

ForTheLoveOfGrace
As you say normal is different for different people, but 37.8 is raised for a child whose temperature is usually under 37, or maybe 37.2 when he has a cold.

His temperature came down to 37.2 over the weekend so he is back at school today. He does still have a horrible cough. I know coughs can linger and I'm less worried about a respiratory tract infection rumbling away the way his sister's kidney infection did, now that the elevated temperature is back down a bit.

You’re worried. Perfectly reasonable to get dc checked by the GP. The cough virus does seem to be going round but given that dc has got a fever (severity of fever is NO indication of severity of infection btw) it is worth just having ears, throat and chest checked. Hope dc recovers soon!

Coughs can linger for weeks after a URI

I had bronchitis a few months ago and was coughing for ages after I was 'well' again.

But if you're worried (which I can understand why given past experiences) then speak to your GP.

He may need a inhaler to get over it.

Some coughs I get linger but they clear quicker with an inhaler.

Go back to gp.

Thanks. I will book him an appointment.