Help with fever

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Rachel75

Contributing Member
My son has the flu and has had a fever that jumps around it will go up and down and this will be the third day.
I have tried motrin and cool wash cloths nothing will break this fever, i will think its breaking (from the sweating) and it will go down to about 99. then a few hours later it shoots back up to 102.8.
The weird thing is, is there are no other symtoms besides the cough.

His twin brother had this same thing a week ago and the fever only lasted a couple days and didnt get quite as high.
My dad insists that i dont give him tylanol something about Rye syndrom or something so i am wondering is there any other alternative to getting the fever to break.

I can't get inot the Dr.'s till thursday, and the school told me that last friday there were 50 kids out of school with the same symtoms.... there are only 200 kids in their school.
I have checked the Texas health dept website and our area is really bad for flu.

any help would be great, Thanks

Rachel
 
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oma

Senior Member
Tylenol is ok. Dont give asprin that could cause the ryes syndrom.
As to the fever, my grandmother always drew out the fever thrue the lower legs,i know it sounds funny. But it works; cold compresses around the lower legs, changed as needed.
She done this to her children, there to me and my sister, I to my children, and there now to theres, even my daughter inlaw is swearing by it and spreads the word.
 
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Rachel75

Contributing Member
i just read that about the asprin, will go get tylanol.
I will try the cold compress i am at the point i will try just about anything.
I will let you know if it works, thank you

Rachel
 
R

Rachel75

Contributing Member
oma just wanted to let you know it worked! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did it yesterday afternoon and last night the fever broke :)

Rachel
 
G

grommit

Senior Member
A mild fever actually keeps viruses from multiplying allowing the body to catch up a bit on the cleanup process. The body makes a fever on purpose for a reason. It is only when it is over say 102 or 3 for several days that it has a chance of actually damaging you. A moderate fever makes you feal lousy, keeping you out of other people's faces and keeps you from spreading the virus while it also keeps the viruses from multiplying like mad. Makes you feel lousy but may be for the best for a couple of days.

As for Reyes syndrom, our old country pediatrition was convinced that it only happened when a parent allowed a child to not drink for multiple days when they were sick, and it was an accumulated dehydration, not from an actual action of the aspirin itself. I think with tylenol the kids do feel a bit better and are more likely to eat and drink like normal, but keep an eye on them and the danger is minimal.

As for tylenol, tylenol overdose is the leading cause for needing a kidney transplant. A sickeningly large number of parents have misread the dosage on the bottles or changed from children drops to infant concentrated drops and killed their child's liver in a single day. As far as I am concerned the danger of tylenol is too high unless you have a really bad fever, and then the doc tells us to use ibuprofen anyway.
 
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oma

Senior Member
grommit, i agree with you in part. but a consistent low grade fever needs to be broken.
As to the aspin and reyes, my best friends daughter who is a nurse, lost her 7 year old to reyes; she was at all time hydrated, would not get better,{she also had been under doctors care}went to hospital to pass away within 2 days. Test where done and it was from the aspirin. This all accured about 12-15 years ago when this reyes stuff first started. Needless to say we where all saddend and shooked.
To the tylenol or for this matter any meds., it is important to dose correctly, if you dont know ask someone that does
 
S

squeeksmom

Deceased
DD has been told by several medical people to alternate the Tylenol with ibuprofen - seems to work better. I'm gonna have to tell her about the "drawing out through the legs" - she'll do anything when grandson gets a fever, and this might work for him.

squeeks
 
M

MoonGazer

Contributing Member
I've always combined the tylenol/ibuprofen doses since I learned you could do that and it has taken care of the problem.

Amy
 
O

oma

Senior Member
The idea with drawing out the fever through the leg is simple.
High fever can cause brain damage, so drawing it out through the legs eliminates this.
Same principal as giving a tepid bath, only simpler and convinient.
and it works.
 
M

MoonGazer

Contributing Member
I remember giving my baby daughter a tepid bath for fever once and she started shivering so bad I couldn't keep her in there. It was horrible.

Amy
 
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oma

Senior Member
Hi MoonGazer
I never had to give a tepid bath, I always gave the cold compresses and when my children where babys, tepid compresses. Of course as with everything you have to use good judgement. What i mean by that is: water temperature, how long, how often etc.
I remember when my jungest was so sick with a fever of 101. It would go a little higher , then a little lower, the meds the doctor just did not work, I had to wait 4 houres to get back in to the doctors office becauce he had a birth. I gave the cold compresses to her lower legs , as cold as i could get it from the tap.
Changed the towles every 10 min. and her fever broke in little more then 1 houre. Needless to say our Dr. wondered what the fuss was all about when i got in his office.
 
V

Vere My Sone

Inactive
motrin never works for fevers here
tylenol for fever
motrin for headaches

so when my daughter spikes a really high fever with a bad headache, it's really hard to decide which first, because the headache will eventually make her sick to her stomach

we've been advised they can be given about an hour apart(in an emergency) because they are broken down in different organs--liver and kidney
 
M

MoonGazer

Contributing Member
You know, isn't that the way it always is? You worry and rush your kids to the doctor and by the time we get there, the symptoms are hardly showing?

Amy :sht: :D
 
S

squeeksmom

Deceased
MoonGazer: :) you got that right! I rushed my daughter into the hospital one time - she was laying in her crib, unresponsive and glassy eyed with fever. By the time I drove the 25 miles to town, her temp was 99 - wanted to smack the little twit. Is it the thought of the doctor that makes them get better so fast?
BTW, oma, I told daughter (same one) about the cold compresses on the legs - she's sure gonna try it - she does daycare, and doesn't like giving meds to the kids all the time, so this might work out great for her. Thanks.

squeeks
 
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oma

Senior Member
Squeekswomen, good luck to your daughter, i bet it works.
I always admire people wit daucare, i sure would like to know how there do it.
I have 3 grandchildren and when there all together in my house i almost go nuts. I love them to death buy wow, what a pace when tere here.
 
S

squeeksmom

Deceased
oma, yep! Just have one grandson and he's enough to wear me plumb to a frazzle if I have him the whole day. She takes care of her own son, 3 other toddlers, and two infants - I would be a babbling idiot by the end of the first hour. (there are some who say I already am, but I ignore them.) :)

squeeks
 
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