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Prolonged fever. When to worry?

10 replies

Ceebee87 · 22/03/2025 13:15

My 11 months old DD has been v unwell for the past 7/8 days. We’ve been to urgent care twice and to the gp. On each visit they initially had some concerns with her fever, rapid breathing and oxygen levels but after observations the doctors said she is just fighting an infection or virus. She’s almost at the end of a five day course of antibiotics but still seems very much the same. She’s still getting fevers after 8 days, they seems to be coming less frequently now but still there nevertheless; maybe every 8-10 hours? She has blood in her snot, is v lethargic and sleeps maybe every half an hour. But then sometimes we get bouts of energy, where she is active and will eat and drink milk as normal and think we’re turning a corner.
The doctors admittedly were unable to tell if it was viral or bacterial so the antibiotics were prescribed just to cover anything developing into a bacterial infection.
Should I be worried or is this a normal amount of time to be fighting off an illness. My DS1 was very ill at the same age but I seem to remember him bouncing back after 3/4 days. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms?

OP posts:
Unseenentity · 22/03/2025 13:34

Medics tend to have a rule of thumb to want to see children again if there are high temperatures every single day for 5 days or more. This can just mean a single particularly miserable viral infection (some of the flu viruses this year have definitely given longer illnesses), or two viruses one after the other. However it's important to review that something else isn't going on. From that story I would get your child seen again.

GoodStuffAnnie · 22/03/2025 13:56

Any other symptoms? Rash etc.

Have you looked up Kawasaki’s disease?

how high are the temps?

I would be very reassured by bouts of eating and energy. But the sleeping so much is worrying.

INeedNewShoes · 22/03/2025 16:39

If your gut instinct is that your DD is not ok I would phone 111 and have her seen again.

verycloakanddaggers · 22/03/2025 16:43

I would want to see someone again if the fevers are still happening and they are sleeping a lot.

BrentfordForever · 22/03/2025 16:47

yes get her seen, doesn’t sound normal tbh

it’s likely she needs a different antibiotic
x

Ceebee87 · 22/03/2025 17:07

Thanks for your replies. My main concern at the moment along with the fever is the lethargy. She’s not really been awake for more than an hour and fever is back above 39. I rang 111 and they said she’s most likely caught another infection but I have been sent to urgent care to rule out anything sinister due to the prolonged fever. We’re just waiting to be seen now so 🤞🏻

OP posts:
BrentfordForever · 22/03/2025 17:09

She will always be lethargic with such high fever (they sleep so that they fight the infection )

good luck x

INeedNewShoes · 22/03/2025 17:56

Have they swabbed her throat to check for Strep A? I don't know if it's possible to swab a baby's throat. I would want this ruled out. You can have strep A without obvious scarlet fever cheeks and white pus on your throat. My DD had a stubborn infection that wouldn't go away and it was this. It went undiagnosed as she didn't have the classic symptoms. There are particular antibiotics that are used for treating this.

Unseenentity · 22/03/2025 22:55

INeedNewShoes · 22/03/2025 17:56

Have they swabbed her throat to check for Strep A? I don't know if it's possible to swab a baby's throat. I would want this ruled out. You can have strep A without obvious scarlet fever cheeks and white pus on your throat. My DD had a stubborn infection that wouldn't go away and it was this. It went undiagnosed as she didn't have the classic symptoms. There are particular antibiotics that are used for treating this.

Although the first line antibiotics for most bacterial infections in children (except UTIs) would be a penicillin anyway so hopefully that is covered.

GloriousBlue · 22/03/2025 23:50

Sorry you're going through this OP
My littlest is 15 months and she's on day 7 of a fever. We know it's flu as we've all had it. Thankfully she's actually not too unwell, she just wants to be carried everywhere and has a bad little cough.
It's awful when they're unwell for so long, I hope yours turns the corner soon.

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