ds2 is ill, i'm a bit worried

[cheeryface]

on the way to school this morning he was unusually quiet and looked pale but said he was fine.

picked him up at 3:30 and apparently he's been crying with headache.

now, he is lay down, says his head hurts and is extremely quiet.

took his temperature it was 37.1 and is normally about 36.2

gave calpol an hour ago and took it again, this time it's 37.5!

thought it would have come down.

he's 7 btw

our surgery is shut now till monday too.

NHS Direct? Could just be a bug, but I think if a temp still carries on rising after calpol the advice is to get it checked out.

As an aside, I would be pretty annoyed if my DS was crying at school feeling poorly and they hadn't thought to let me know!

Hope he feels better soon

AFAIK you will need to give the Calpol at maximum dose 4 hourly. It might take a few doses for him to feel better.

If it was me, as long as he didn't develop any other symptoms (like a rash, breathing difficulties, neck pain, etc.) I'd keep going with the Calpol and maybe Ibuprofen until tomorrow. If you're still worried then maybe a call to NHS Direct?

It is worrying when they're not well, isn't it? Poor DS

Hi, I think I would take him to your out of hours GP Service to be checked over, just to be on the safe side or at very least, phone NHS Direct for advice. It's such a worry when they are not feeling well and you don't know what it is - hope he's better soon.

i hate it hen they are ill, i always think the worst.
apparently school don't ring unless the child has been sickwtf?

in fact when ds came out of school i could clearly see he was ill but he just kept sayoing he was o.k, he has this thing where nhe doesn't like to tell me and i don't know why.
it was only because his older brother had seen him lyoing down at school that i knew anything. i had to ring school when i got home to ask the bloody teacher!

My ds is the same - doesn't always tell me there's a problem as he doesn't want to worry me - I've explained that it worries me more if I don't know what's going on and that it's my job to sort these things out for him and he's promised now to always tell me.
Not very responsible of the school not to let you know - you'll have to speak to them. If you are a bit of a worrier, like me, perhaps best to get him checked out to put your mind at rest.

thanx, the only option now i think would be a&e and i don't relish the thought of that on a friday night.

the calpol normally works within an hour though doesn't it, normally?

bloody hell

you must have an out of hours service- often easier to get seen there than at a regular gpp's appointment- as milmanner said ring to get the number.

Agree that OoH should be contacted, but I wonder if your ds is like my dd - Nurofen working way better to bring down a temperature than Calpol.
Have you tried this yet cheeryface?

ooh service can be contacted on your behalf by NHS direct in my experience the ooh number is not published. Can he tolerate light? If I were you I would get onto NHS direct asap and at least speak to a nurse there who can decide whether ooh need to get in touch. If she/he does ooh doc will then ring you.

37.5 isn't a huge temp though - it's his behaviour I'd be more worried about - if his neck is stiff or he is complaining about his head, I'd definitely call the out of hours doc

and we also find nurofen works better for temps and aches and pains than calpol on our two

the answerphone message hen i ring the surgery says i can either go to the walk in center in the next town, were there are nurses but no doctors, A & E or phone 999.

his temp is now back to 37, he has eaten a piece of toast and is lay down watching tv. he is still really quiet.

would i be correct to now wait and see ?

i haven't any neurofen, he is mildly asthmatic so i have never tried him on it. as far as i know it isn't for asthmatics?

I wouldn't worry about the being quiet side of things if I were you. That is normal when a child has a temperature although I know it is really disconcerting to see your normally lively child lying there doing nothing.

If this was my child, I wouldn't go to the doctor at this stage but wait and see what happens. Obviously the things to worry about are rashes, aversion to light, stiff neck, all the rest of the big M symptoms.

But if it is a virus, an early night might just work wonders.

Good luck.

thankyou, it's appreciated

you are right - nurofen has to be used with caution in asthmatics (but some, like mine, are fine with it) - however, when he's ill, it's definitely not the time to find out he can/can't have it .

is it every 4 hours or every 6 hours for calpol?

It can be given every four hours-but you must not exceed 4 doses in any 24 hour period.

he's asleep in bed now, i think i might end up having used up the 4 doses my morning though, then what?

i'm sat here worrying that maybe i should have got him to a doctor tonight. he looked pitiful getting in to bed and said it was his head and he felt cold/shivery

perhaps it's flu or something

Once he is asleep, he might be OK for the night, fingers crossed.

I think if you find in the morning you have used up your 4 doses of Calpol and he is still bad, that might be the time to get a medical opinion.

Don't want to be insulting but are you definitely using the maximum dose of Calpol? I work in a healthcare environment and lots of people don't give the maximum straight off.

From 6-12 years they can have 10ml of 250mg/5ml (ie Calpol 6+)

ye, thanx, but i have given him 10mls each time of the 6+

You seemed like the sensible type

Hope he's better in the morning. Is he still sleeping?