Page 2 | Child feels hot and has diarrhea

angstridden2 · 22/09/2020 09:50

My adult son had a really high temperature recently then really bad gastric upset.. Had covid test as recommended by 111 due to temp (and testing centre was empty then).temperature went down after 24 hours, Test negative, bug lasted two weeks and sample test came back as very unpleasant named stomach bug. So there’s still other stuff out there...

Char2015 · 22/09/2020 10:03

[quote emptyshelvesagain]@Char2015

But they do need to isolate for the duration if test is not taken as per NHS guidance.

What part of the NHS guidelines says a child who was hot but didn't have a temperature needs to isolate?[/quote]
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/

This part.

OP said child was 'really hot' - one of the areas being on his back. OP did not test temperature at this time to confirm his temperature so I'm not sure why you say he didn't have a temperature . OP didn't say hot but instead referred to him as 'really hot'. That would indicate something is not quite right...

emptyshelvesagain · 22/09/2020 11:35

OP said child was 'really hot' - one of the areas being on his back. OP did not test temperature at this time to confirm his temperature so I'm not sure why you say he didn't have a temperature .

OP said he was hot then half an hour later he had cooled down. He didn't have a temperature, he was hot for a while, that's all.

Char2015 · 22/09/2020 12:02

@emptyshelvesagain

OP said child was 'really hot' - one of the areas being on his back. OP did not test temperature at this time to confirm his temperature so I'm not sure why you say he didn't have a temperature .

OP said he was hot then half an hour later he had cooled down. He didn't have a temperature, he was hot for a while, that's all.

I must have missed the post which stated that child's temperature was taken. I don't understand why people just don't get it. NHS guidance is quite clear, if someone feels hotter than normal body levels they get a test. No ifs and buts about it. Guidance is clear. Obviously you or parents know if that level is alarming or not - child was not just hot - child was quoted as being really hot therefore that language to me requires something out of the ordinary which would require testing and isolating. It wasn't clear from OP when child became hot all that she checked on him and felt really hot but 30 minutes later had cooled down.

My daughter felt hot, I tested her had a high temperature just over 38. Checked again after an hour. Temp back to normal. Within a few hours temp had shot back up again. This is what happens with temps sometimes, it can go up and down. NHS guidance doesn't state wait until it drops then you don't need a test. It says if someone has a temp, get tested. I don't think they could be any clearer.

Mippi · 22/09/2020 12:06

@EggysMom

Really? Both DM and myself have had a gastric bug recently which gave us diarrhoea for about a fortnight (well, diarrhoea for a few days and then controllable but really loose movements for the rest of the fortnight). We probably were warm too but it didn't occur to me to check temperature as it was definitely just a gastric bug.

Covid is also a "gastric bug"

cuppycakey · 22/09/2020 12:11

I would test.

emptyshelvesagain · 22/09/2020 12:16

I must have missed the post which stated that child's temperature was taken.

You must have missed 2. The one where the child was cool half an hour after being hot and the one where the temperature was taken today and was fine.

I don't understand why people just don't get it. NHS guidance is quite clear, if someone feels hotter than normal body levels they get a test

You are the one 'not getting it'. The NHS guidance says if you have a temperature, not if you feel hotter then usual.

It's really normal for people, kids particularly, to sometimes feel hot to touch without them having a raised temperature.

Mippi · 22/09/2020 12:19

@emptyshelvesagain

I must have missed the post which stated that child's temperature was taken.

You must have missed 2. The one where the child was cool half an hour after being hot and the one where the temperature was taken today and was fine.

I don't understand why people just don't get it. NHS guidance is quite clear, if someone feels hotter than normal body levels they get a test

You are the one 'not getting it'. The NHS guidance says if you have a temperature, not if you feel hotter then usual.

It's really normal for people, kids particularly, to sometimes feel hot to touch without them having a raised temperature.

To be fair, this does say "a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)" www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/

AntiHop · 22/09/2020 12:23

I disagree with @emptyshelvesagain

The NHS guidance is clear. The parent should judge if the child feels warmer than usual.

It is also well documented that gastric symptoms are a common sign in children. Not so much in adults. I'm surprised the government has not included this in the guidance.

So yes, test.

emptyshelvesagain · 22/09/2020 12:25

To be fair, this does say "a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or bac

I'm not disagreeing with what a high temperature is. I'm saying a one off episode of feeling hot doesn't mean you need a covid test.

randomsabreuse · 22/09/2020 12:26

My kids often feel "hot to the touch" but don't have a temperature.

Temperature around 40 is usually "burning hot to the touch" but both run warmer than my hands so on casual touching feel hot. Not when I kiss their foreheads though...

I clearly have cold hands, not constantly feverish kids!

Char2015 · 22/09/2020 12:42

@emptyshelvesagain

I must have missed the post which stated that child's temperature was taken.

You must have missed 2. The one where the child was cool half an hour after being hot and the one where the temperature was taken today and was fine.

I don't understand why people just don't get it. NHS guidance is quite clear, if someone feels hotter than normal body levels they get a test

You are the one 'not getting it'. The NHS guidance says if you have a temperature, not if you feel hotter then usual.

It's really normal for people, kids particularly, to sometimes feel hot to touch without them having a raised temperature.

I've not missed anything. Temperature was not taken with a thermometer during the night which is what I was referring too. In which case, temperature was tested using parental touch to check twice in the night - once which was high then was low. Thermometer used in morning which showed normal temperature which is great. But it doesn't mean child didn't have a temperature in the night.You are saying child didn't have a temperature - but according to OP he was really hot - so how can you be so sure child didn't have a raised temperature as you are so confidently saying?

Trust me I get it. I work for the NHS so these lists of symptoms are always there. I'm sure a temperature means you are hotter than usual, is it not? I didn't say guidance used these words. They say (which I will repeat as you are clearly not understanding):

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

Child felt really hot (not just hot but really hot) to touch on back.
Guidance states no need to use a thermometer to measure because as I said, you know what is hot and what isn't. You use your judgement, take into consideration other factors that may make someone feel more hot than usual, hot room etc.. as you said other factors can make someone feel hot to touch. But child who is really hot along with other symptoms (in this case diarrhoea) indicates child is probably unwell and that child probably had a high temperature when parent felt child who was really hot in the night.

dairyfairies · 22/09/2020 12:46

I've taken his temp and it's only 36.4.

he does not have a temperature, no loss of smell/taste nor a cough. not sure why you think he needs a test. The form will ask you if he has one of this three symptoms... what are you gonna tick?

Char2015 · 22/09/2020 12:47

high temperature*

ClinkyMonkey · 22/09/2020 13:02

My son's temperature was up and down like a yo-yo the weekend before last. So, let me see: test - don't test - test - don't test etc. Think you get the idea.

I took my child for a test because he intermittently had a fever of up to 38.6. That seems reasonable to me, because a spiking temperature is really not normal. I could feel, with my witchy maternal temperature assessing palm, that he was hot, even without the thermometer to confirm it. NHS guidelines state that this is sufficient to establish that someone has a fever.

emptyshelvesagain · 22/09/2020 13:11

@ClinkyMonkey

My son's temperature was up and down like a yo-yo the weekend before last. So, let me see: test - don't test - test - don't test etc. Think you get the idea.

I took my child for a test because he intermittently had a fever of up to 38.6. That seems reasonable to me, because a spiking temperature is really not normal. I could feel, with my witchy maternal temperature assessing palm, that he was hot, even without the thermometer to confirm it. NHS guidelines state that this is sufficient to establish that someone has a fever.

I totally agree with what you are saying. My comment was about an one off episode of feeling 'hot' not necessarily meaning a temperature. That's all. I'm not saying you can't reliably use the touch method (I have done this myself for 19 years, only this year have I bought a thermometer) I'm saying being 'hot' doesn't always mean you have a temperature. Recurring spikes up and down? Of course that's a temperature.

SoUtterlyGroundDown · 22/09/2020 13:15

My children feel hot to the touch every morning when they get out of bed. Because they’ve been wrapped in a duvet all night.

RepeatSwan · 22/09/2020 13:18

@SoUtterlyGroundDown

My children feel hot to the touch every morning when they get out of bed. Because they’ve been wrapped in a duvet all night.

So do mine, but I can always tell when they have a temp because it's different somehow. I assumed it was bollocks til I read the research. I check with a thermometer but if I didn't have one I would trust my cheek!!

SoUtterlyGroundDown · 22/09/2020 13:20

So do mine, but I can always tell when they have a temp because it's different somehow. I assumed it was bollocks til I read the research. I check with a thermometer but if I didn't have one I would trust my cheek!!

Oh I agree, I can tell by touch when they have a fever rather than them just being hot.
The point really was that the OP was feeling her child’s skin in the middle of the night when they are naturally warmer. They could very easily feel warm to the touch in bed without having a temperature.

RepeatSwan · 22/09/2020 13:22

Oh I agree, I can tell by touch when they have a fever rather than them just being hot.
The skin feels really different somehow, it's weird. I can feel it in my head but can't put into words at all.

SoUtterlyGroundDown · 22/09/2020 13:22

I think it’s like a ‘burning’ heat rather than warmth. It is weird!

Char2015 · 22/09/2020 13:24

I'm sure OP wouldn't have wasted time by stating child was 'really hot' if they thought it was just the duvet.

Original poster

magicgoldpot · 22/09/2020 13:29

I am not going to get him tested. His temperature has stayed around 36.4 and he has no other symptoms.
Why I considered the test was that he was hotter than usual and not just warm from being under the duvet.

OP posts:

Char2015 · 22/09/2020 13:41

That's great OP that his temp has stayed around 36.4 and he no longer has any other symptoms. It is entirely you choice to get him tested or not and you have chosen obviously what you think is best.

In answer to one of your original questions - Do we all need to isolate until results come back negative? Yes, even in the absence of the test, still need to isolate - child and family.

HazelE123 · 22/09/2020 13:43

36.4 is a normal temperature but I would urge using a different thermometer! We had huge problems with inaccurate thermometers (particularly the head gun one). The only truly accurate reliable one was our old fashioned one (glass with mercury substitute liquid in except it's not actually glass it's hard plastic). It's a pain as it takes a good 10 minutes under the arm - not easy with wriggling children. I'll link it. The next most reliable was the Braun ear one - but only the first reading is accurate and the ear needs to be pulled up and out slightly. The head gun ones are terribly unreliable and can be massively too low or too high. (I'm an ex nurse from 40 years ago). For ease with a wriggling child I'd go with the Braun ear thermometer.

The little under arm digital ones are "sometimes" accurate - within a point of a degree or so but can turn themselves off before you get a reading. Even before Covid we tried various thermometers and these are the ones I found the best ones. Although I have reverted to the old analogue one for accuracy with the ear one as back up.

If doing it under arm you need to add .2 to the temperature to get accurate temperate. Everything online says add .1 but believe me it is .2. That can make a difference if you get a reading of 37 degrees (normal temperature) which would actually be 37.2 and whilst that is not the high fever level they are talking about with Covid you can feel pretty ill with a slight raise of temperature like that.

Normal depends on the person - one person's normal can be 36.5 - so 37 can actually be a bit of a temperature for them. The usual "normal" is 37 degrees. So anything over 37 degrees is a temperature. 38 degrees is very high and fever level. But I would also count 37.7 or 37.8 as per .Gov website. If it's under arm and it's 37.5 that is also high and could easily be 37.8.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003LDHM7W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000QGI6JU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

www.amazon.co.uk/Braun-ThermoScan-Ear-Thermometer-Precision/dp/B07KVNC3SW/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Braun+ear+thermometer&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1600778550&sr=8-5