Need urgent advice on temperature please?

[pucca]

We have all had a bout of a very bad cold or could have been flu.

Dd is doing ok now, but ds who is 15 months, has a terrible cough, which is causing him to vomit occasionally, and this cough is waking him up at night, he is bringing "stuff" up too (tmi sorry)

I did suspect a chest infection last week so i took him to GP on Thurs but he said his temp was ok and his chest seemed clear too.

Since yesterday he has been running a temp, last night it was 38.9, so i gave him calpol, then nurofen later on, and he seemed ok. He had a temp again this morning, so again i gave him some calpol, but have just checked it now, and it is 39.9...he seems grumpy but is not lying still or anything, what should i do?

Is this worth a trip to emergency docs do you think?

TIA

Have you given him calpol and nurufen since this evening?

I personally would advise seeing the emergency doctor. Better now then in the middle of the night.

yes, that is VERY high - have to be careful about pneumonia.

I have given him 10ml of calpol (max for his age),but he still feels hot

What are he signs of pneumonia? he is walking around but is just very grumpy, and clingy, i don't think i have ever seen a temp of 39.9 even with dd.

My DD2 has had a temp since Thursday. It went up to 40 deg at one point. Calpol/Nurofen is controlling it and she is pretty much fine in herself.
As long as meds are keeping it down and is otherwise ok he should'nt need to see a dr.

I recommend the doctor now because at 15 months he is very young still, and because he's coughing up stuff. What colour is the stuff he's coughing up?

and because he's temperature is getting higher as the days go by.

I would go, definitely, really anything over 38 in a little one is worrying and your mind might be put at rest iyswim.
Poor little thing!

pucca, i wouldnt worry about pneumonia, that is a condition that is seen more in immobile patients as a result of phlegm build up on the little hairs inside the lungs. (i think) This tends to accumulate in bed ridden patients.

To be honest, if the temp is nearly 40, (what thermometer are you using) in spite of using calpol i would be concerned. The calpol should work for up to four hours, so if it is past four then dose up again, see if you can get him to have a hottish bath and let him air dry in a warmish room. If the temp doesnt drop, i think it warrants a trip to the out of hours im afraid.

How is he in himself?

Belgo...I can't really tell the colour as he is vomiting what ever is in his stomach at the same time, have phoned the emergency doctor and someone is going to phone me back.

Thanks for all the help, will let you know.

I am using a braun digital ear thermometer to take his temp, he is off colour, he is normally a mad man, and is quite grumpy and just wants to sit on my knee all the time.

They often throw up with a temp or a cough anyway, I wouldn't be too concerned about that in itself...I'm glad they are ringing you back. Good luck xx

i hope your little mad man is back to his usual shinanigens soon pucca. Maybe give him a bath whilst waiting for the doc to ring back to help reduce the temp in the meantime (but then if they want to see him its a bit grim to have to go out post bath) How long did they say you would have to wait? Is he having plenty of fluids

The red book says to seek medical advice above 39.4. I would get him checked. at temp of 40C must be getting into the realms of dangerous in itself - without whatever it is that is causing it.

I am confused about the suggestion of a hottish bath for a child with a high temp? How does that help?

How is your little one now, pucca?

Nab it tricks the body into cooling itself. Brings blood flow to surface, away from core.
Then let dry without towelling, evaporation also cools.

i was just about to say......and then sweetFA came along and explained it in a lovely concise manner.

It does seem a bit weird though doesnt it, i was recommended to do this by our out of hours nurse (i thought she had lost the plot tbh)but it really does work. Because the blood comes to the surface during the bath in the bodies effort to cool itself, it is then actively trying to reduce the temp as well. With a cool bath, the body reacts by tring to warm itself and hence is battling against you by bringing the temp up, if you see what i mean.

SlightlyMadStuffing - that's very useful about the red book advice, didn't think of looking at ds's as he's nearly 5 and tbh, never had a temp that high. I'm a childminder and once recently had a baby aged about 9 months with a temp of 39.9 and her mum was shouting at me for daring to ask for her to come home!!!

pucca - did the Dr phone back?

Goodness. All the things I didn't know but now you have told me realise I had read it somewhere.

Nab I didn't know till LEM told me, now I am acting all wise

They only changed it recently from the old sponging thing I think.

Thanks everyone, doc just said see how he goes, and gave me the correct does to give ds for his weight, so just going to see what happens.

His temp has come down slightly to 39.6.

Thanks again for all the help.

My ds used to regularly get 40 degree temps (8 or so before he was 12 months old)....with every cold (he got an ear infection). Calpol never worked on him. Nurofen at maximum dose allowed was the only thing that brought the temp down. You may want to try nurofen on your ds. You can use it at same time as calpol....docs usually advise staggering it if you are using both so that you get maximum coverage, but you can give it at the same time if calpol isn't working.