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Children's health

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Original poster

My poor little boy has a fever

59 replies

PavlovtheCat · 16/02/2010 08:54

i just want sympathy really. Poor little thing. He is normally so chilled and calm and not a cryer at all. Now he is properly baby wailing, not crying, but that 'wwaaah' sound . He has a bunged up eye, and not much else, but calpol only reduced his fever down to 38.8. I had not taken it before i gave him calpol new it was high so gave it, and its at 38.8 with it. He is hot and bothered, is not sleeping.

I hate seeing him like this, it makes my heart break (he is 11wks). I have shed some tears already, and DH told me to pull myself together!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 00:16

Wow, was this a paediatrician?

You are not a paraniod, time wasting neurotic mother. Your baby's ill!!Don't sponge him down with cool water, if you have a fan use this but make sure it does not blow directly on him. I'd make a complaint about this, the hospital policy and procedure guidelines should state that any infant under 12 weeks presenting with a fever needs investigating. I'm so sorry you were treated like this, it's out of order.

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 00:19

Can you give A&E a ring and go through it with them? Your baby shouldn't be left like this.

Kitkatqueen · 17/02/2010 00:29

pavlov, ring someone. No you don't "want" there to be a problem at all BUT if there is a problem you want to catch it!

Ring A&E / site gut feeling as the reason if thats all you've got, but something here doesn't ring true - not at that age with that temp and a high pitched cry.

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 00:30

His fever was down by the time i got there, i am presuming because i had been out in the bloody cold! He was like 'well there is no fever now' He also said to me, looking at the sleepsuit he was in 'he should not be wearing this, he should be stripped of all clothes if he has a fever' er...i am not going to bring him outside in the feb bloody cold naked am i?

He had a go at me for not holding him properly while he was checking his ears et - 'not like that, you are pushing his head down like i just told you...' . He asked me what time i gave him his last lot of calpol and when i said about 5:30pm he said 'that was too long ago, so he should have had some more by now' and i explained that i was worried about what to do if i did this, and then he would have to go from 12:30am til 10am with no medicine, he just sort of went 'yup' at me. He did that a lot.

I knew it was going to be this kind of appt when he called his name and i went to pick up carseat, blanket, bag, and he just stood there waiting, watching me struggle with it all and ask me to shut the door as i walked in. I said in a jokey way 'its like going on holiday every time you leave the house with a new baby isn't it!' to cover my embarrasment mainly and he just went 'yup'.

He did check his ears, his chest and his temp, and his fontenelle. But said nothing to me about what he was doing or why and i felt so stupid i did not really know what to say.

DS is now passed out, on our bed, hot and bothered, but asleep. I am just going to lie here with him and check his temperature myself and if it changes for the worse again i will go straight to A&E.

OP posts:

Kitkatqueen · 17/02/2010 00:31

BTW, My dd1 was Grp b strep + at birth, I was told she would at high risk for meningitis for at least 3 months. Not trying to scaremonger but please get him checked by someone with enough empathy to do a decent job of it!

Kitkatqueen · 17/02/2010 00:34

gp sounds like a twat! Hope you get some sleep and your ds improves!

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 00:35

belle not paed no, it was just a bloody Dr in outpatients. Who happened to be based at the hosp i guess.

I got more sympathy when i cut my eye open after getting drunk on tequila one christmas in my youth!

To be fair - not on the Dr i will add though - he has stopped the sharp cry and seems calmer, i am hoping a sleep will sort him out, he looks more like his normal sleepy self and i wonder if the trip out in the car cooled him down?

I have not taken his temp though, i might do it again myself.

OP posts:

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 00:40

Take his temp now, if it's high then just go to A&E. The guidelines for all hospitals should be the same, if they have a child under 12 weeks with a fever then they need to investigate it. They need to take some blood samples to rule out an infection, especially as the pathetic excuse for a doctor didn't find any reason why he had a temp.

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 00:41

I felt like crying when i left. i just felt...silly.

I went to see my gp when DS had a cough after christmas. My own GP was lovely. Just lovely. She said to me 'we never have a problem seeing little babies to make sure they are ok, it is always good to check, you have done the right thing. He is fine, and you are doing well with what you are doing, keep it up and if you are at all concerned, give me a call and come back, or if at night call out of hours team, time of day is not important for little babies'

Then i called her a few days later as i was still worried and she said come on in. I went in and she said 'does not matter if he is not poorly, i only asked you to come in so i get to give him a cuddle ' and while i knew DS was fine, i felt happy i had taken him and that i was a normal parent.

OP posts:

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 00:43

The baby I saw was just red and hot, it wasn't crying, it wasn't feeding well. It's typical that children perk up a bit before the doctors see them, they all do this. The doctor sounds like a twat, I'd be tempted to complain.

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 00:43

belle he said to me 'he doesn't have a temperature now, and as i said earlier 'its not unheardof'. That was his response to me saying i was worried because of his age.

OP posts:

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 00:45

Oh Pav.

Not all doctors are like this, he was out of order though. It's good to check, it's when people don't that the consequences can be so terrible. What's little Pav's temp now?

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 00:48

Calpol does make temperatures go down, it's what it does. You are right to be concerned about his age, if he doesn't have a cold then he shouldn't have a temperature. Until they are 12 weeks they are protected by their mum's antibodies so they shouldn't get ill and certainly shouldn't have a fever.

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 00:48

his temp is 38.0. I am going to let him sleep. Seeing as it is at this, i am not giving him the calpol. I will do this at 3am when he is due a feed or if he gets a higher fever. I am just worried about what if he gets a high fever and I cannot give him any more calpol.

Dr also said 'babies temps go down very very quickly' what i wanted to say, and should have but did not have the confidence was 'yes and they can get very high very quickly too'.

OP posts:

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 00:51

Babies can change really quickly. I'd take him to A&E if his temperature goes up. Is he feeding OK?

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 00:54

He just was not bothered. He clearly wanted to be doing something else. He was not bothered about how i was feeding him, wrt to the breastfeeding, and antibodies, he did not even know i was until i told him he was feeding well (constant all day, as this is the only thing that has been calming him), he did not interact with DS at all. He could be a doll he was practicing on.

I know Drs are not all like this! Luckily i have 2 lovely GPs at my own surgery, although one can be a bit dubious in his advice, the woman is paediatric trained i think and loves babies, she would prefer to talk to my DS than me i think!

I am going to go and get some sleep. I have an important court case tomorrow and I need to be half awake for it! After that, as long as he is ok, i might write them a letter, just get it off my chest a bit more!

Thanks everyone, you are marvelous as usual. I will let you know how he is in the morning and i promise if hs fever raises again and will not go down with calpol again, i will go straight to A&E.

OP posts:

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 00:57

belle x-posts ! he is feeding constantly, so yes i guess so! Not his normal feeding pattern, he has fed often and for short amounts, am guessing he is thirsty? He has wet nappies too and has used his bowels today and it were very bright yellow! but pretty normal, ie not runny.

OP posts:

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 00:58

I hope he's feeling better soon, poor mite

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 01:00

He'd be dehydrated if he has a fever so he'll be needing to feed more

He does need to see a proper paediatrician, he does sound ill.

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 01:01

Thank you. He had a terrible cough at christmas, and he was in such good spirits with it, it did not bother him, he was a happy little boy, and has been since he was born, so to see him so upset and inconsolable has been hard. I have a 3 year old and even she said he was being 'crabby'! like we call her (she is a cancerian!).

I probably am somewhat over anxious. But he is a very precious bundle of baby. Its my job to worry isn't it?

Anyway, sleep calls for sure now! night night x

OP posts:

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 17/02/2010 01:11

Let me know how things go tomorrow.

blinks · 17/02/2010 01:14

yup straight to A&E.

esp as he has no obvious cold symptoms.

Poledra · 17/02/2010 09:12

How's he doing today, Pavlov? I am for you about your treatment at A&E. I have had to take both DDs 2 and 3 to A&E with high temps and have always been treated really well - and they were older than your little boy. With DD2, she wasn't drinking as she had a terrible sore throat (the docs thought) so they had me syringing water down her throat every 5 minutes. By the time we left, she was trying to climb over the bars of the bed Nobody made me feel at any time that I was neurotic or wasting their time.

Hope he's much better today, and your court case goes well. These things always happen at the worst possible moment

Original poster

PavlovtheCat · 17/02/2010 09:33

My little boy has just been smiling at me and is doing 'exercises' on the bed. he slept in with me, and with his sleepsuit undone (i did not want it off completely as we would be asleep if/when his temp reduced and i did not want him to get cold) and we had the window open. He had calpol at 3am.

He slept fitfully for a while, then did 4 hours straight, cuddled by me and his temp is normal now, thankfully.

I feel surprisingly well despite a couple of nights of hardly any sleep and ready to take on my fuckwit of an ex cowboy builder, in fact, perhaps i am less nervous than if i was fully functioning and i am ready for a bloody fight. I shall take my angst about last night out on the Dr.

DHfelt vindicated, see i said he was fine, and I told him i was glad he was right, and i would always been glad he was right but i i would always go!

OP posts:

notyummy · 17/02/2010 09:45

Sorry to hear about your experience with the doctor - but you know you did the right thing.

When dd was 6 months old her temperature went shooting up suddenly and she was shivering uncontrollable and her hand s and feet were all blotchy. I was by myself as DG was away and rang our local docs who said to bring her in straight away. The GP was great with her - although by the time we got there the calpol had kicked in and she sat on the docs knee gurgling happily!! The doc said I definitely did the best thing and diagnosed an ear infection. Any decent docotor would rather see a parent bring a non-seriously ill child in, and they need to do is do some checks and reassure you. If you were down there every few days they might have reason to be a bit grumpy, but this wasn't the case. What a knob!

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