52 million fever threads- am i understanding this correctly?

[porenn]

I don't believe in medicating fevers, but sometimes I just need to check in- I assume, after reading other threads, that if she's drinking and sleeping, there really isn't that much to worry about, right?

My daughter started running a fever this morning- she's 23 months old- I noticed that she was a little off because she put herself to bed for a nap at 11 am.

She woke up flushed and a little warm, so i took off the vest she fell asleep in, and she played normally for most of the day. She's been fussy and cranky, not interested in eating, willing to drink water as long as its in a bottle and not a cup. I'm ok with that. at 300 her temp was around 98.5 (usually at 97.6). by 530 it was 100. its been fluctuating between 99 and 101 since (I know- its not THAT high, but I still wanted to check, because she FEELS like she's burning up).

her face is bright red, with the crazy teething cheeks, and she is cutting a tooth, so I'm hoping it's just that, but she's been grunting all day- not "I have to go to the bathroom" grunting, but "every breath I take I grunt on the exhale" grunting. she did this the last time she got a fever, but that fever climbed much higher, and came with a head cold. She is breathing much faster than normal, but she isn't stuffy, or have a runny nose.... her feet and hands are a bit dusky, but they always are, unless they are very warm, so I'm not worried too much about that.

She's been content to sit with us (my husband or myself), falling asleep on us, after much wiggling, which isn't like her- she's usually much calmer (not energy-wise, just movement-wise)

She's now asleep, after drinking a lot of water and eating popcorn. (wouldn't eat the chicken soup I made), but there is a lot of mumbling in her sleep.

How do you get broth into kids who just don't like it? I tried to put it in a bottle, but she refused it.

If she was really uncomfortable, she wouldn't be able to sleep, right? is it possible for babies to sleep too much with a fever?

Funny, after typing this I'm much less nervous, because it sounds much less worrisome than it did....

[tanyalynn]

I tend to use symptoms, including fevers, as helpful clues about what's going on with the kids, how sick are they, and then ratchet up or down the number of supportive things I'm doing accordingly. I haven't needed fever reducers in years, but I do do things that will help the kids get through their illnesses faster. For us, it's lots of nutritional support plus foods that are easy to digest.

If your LO doesn't want broth now, I'd put it in the frig for later. Mine have come to associate chicken noodle soup with mom taking care of them when they're sick, so they love it--plus hey, it has rice noodles, which are yummy anytime, at least to mine.

In terms of when to worry--temperature isn't one of the things I use to make that determination. For me, it's a combo of fuzzy things--does it seem like past illnesses; do they seem to be following a being sick then getting better pattern; extra sleeping is fine and good, but do they wake up and seem coherent/aware periodically; does it seem to be resolving in a reasonable timeframe; and watch for dehydration symptoms if it's a gastro bug. Those are the things I can think of that reassure me that the illness is progressing appropriately.

[springmum]

Tanya mentioned some good things.

The only other thing I do is observe what might be causing the fever. For example, is he/she tugging at the ear or complaining of ear pain (possible ear infection), foul smelling urine & complaining when peeing (possible uti)
Only because you would want to treat those symptoms however you feel comfortable.

If it appears to just be cold/virus/teething related, it sounds like you are doing what I might do.

[ASusan]

Agree with Tanya and above poster. I'd add that you should keep an eye (ear) on her breathing. Put your ear to her chest/back - do you hear a wheeze or a whistle? The reason I ask is that you say she grunts on the exhale. Asthma/wheezing occurs on the exhale, and when DS is wheezing - or developing a wheeze - he starts to get vocal about it. He chatters/yammers and gets increasingly agitated. The first time he had a wheezing attack, he yammered for over a day before we figured out what was going on. (and the end result was us in the ER with a nebulizer and inhaled steriod)

BUT, DS has never needed to be medicated for a fever. We've had success letting him ride out the fevers with supportive care.

[SquishyKitty]

I treat symptoms when DS is sick. I do give a dose of motrin, simply because having a fever sucks and doesn't feel good, you know? If she's wiggly, it could be because she's got that sore body feeling people get sometimes with a fever. I get it, kind of feels like a sunburn, but with achy muscles. A little motrin and a nap usually do the trick.

Hope she feels better.