help what do i do now this instant..lo asleeo with fever 40!

[bumbly]

tested his ear, breathing erratic fast

veyr hot removed grobag and open door to cool room

but sleeping nonetheless

been having fever since thurs eve

do i wake up and give medicine???

Ring NHS direct and they'll advie you better.

damp flannel - not cold - on forehead then all over
strip off
if no cooler
wake up and give calpol

YOu need to speak to NHS direct.

Ring NHS direct. I would personally wake and give calpol but am not medically trained and they will ask you all the relevant questions.

Personally I would wake and give Calpol or Ibuprofen suspension but def suggest you call NHS direct for advice.

A high temperature often makes my DD very sleepy, she has been known to sleep most of the day and then all night when she has been ill with a fever.

agree with the above, especially if has fast breathing
let us know!

has been 40 degree most of the night

fast breathing

still not eating

racing heart

nhs direct said do not alternate cal/ibu???? which is odd as that is what my gp said to do and most folk do here

didnt say anything else that i didnt know

trying to see a doc today but no success as of yet

no sleep whatsoever this week

worried re racing heart all night

Racing heart is normal - it is the body's reaction to fever.

But you need to bring the fever down. If paracetamol is not working on its own, start giving Advil (ibuprofen) right away. Unless that person at NHS Direct knows something the rest of the medical establishment doesn't, your priority at this point is to get the fever down. Alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen every three hours is perfectly fine. You will have given each every 6 hours, a maximum of 4 times per day, which is fine.

As for your question in OP about what to do with a sleeping child burning up with fever - wake up and give medicine, definitely. You don't need to totally wake him up, just enough so he can swallow. Cold compress (wet towel) to arms and legs as you wait for medicine to take effect. If paracetamol doesn't work, give ibuprofen (without waiting for the 3 hour period to pass).

they say not to alternate calpol & ibu as it runs the risk of you forgetting which dose your child is due, and overdosing on one or the other.

Cool the room - but not freezing. \run a shallow but warm bath (a few degrees below usual will suffice - around 34 if you have a thermometer) and get them in it if you can, and splash them a bit.

If you make the room/bath/flannel too cold, the body compensates by kicking in the 'central heating'...which you obviously don't want.

DS had temp of 40.6 and I did all of the above, plus dosed with calpol and child nurofen at the same time. This only brought it down to 39something but let him sleep - temperature can drop slightly when they go into a deep sleep (with no covers, just a cool sheet and a cool room).

Poor DS was naked for days! The temp stayed up over 38 for a few days.

Good luck

told nhs direct was giving calpol/ibubrufen

NHS direst- or hospital.
he's too little to take chances.
My ds1 had this, was up and down for 5 dayas.
Finally the tep stuck at 40 for a day and we took him to hospital.

In the end he stayed in for 36hrs whilt they tested for all sorts.
But he just had a flu/tonsilitis in the end.

It's scarey but I reckon you aren't wasting hospitla time if you take him. it'll put your mind at ret too,
poor you- it's sucha worry!.
hope he feels better soon.

how old is he btw?

A friend recently recommended chamomilla for fever - rather than reducing the temp, it makes it 'burn quicker' so it passes more quickly but still does its job of fighting whatever infection your child is harbouring.

I didn't have access to it when DS was unwell, but I would consider it in the future.

BigTeuch - I am that NHS bases medical advice on the assumption that mums are too dumb to correctly remember what they give their babies.

This is my reply on your other thread bumbly:
'Viruses can cause high temperatures and urticaria, as the urticaria itself is a response to the immune system working.

I think you should take him to the doctors today because the cal/ibru aren't helping, he's still got a very high temp and his eating and breathing in particular are effected.

If you can't find a doctor, take him to a&e. '

Replied on your other thread .. it is normal for temps to rise in the night .. in future just keep him in light clothes and a light blanket / sheet .. he does not need a grobag if feverish he needs his temp lowered.

As long as the calpol and nurofen (which you should alternate in my experience) are bringing the temp down then don't panic unduly

Although he has been feverish since Thursday right? So it is probably time to consult a doctor.

I asked on the other thread whether you'd given him an anti-histamine for the urticaria?