Fever - take him to the Dr?

[marispel]

I posted a couple days ago that I thought my DS might be teething which wast he cause of the fever. Well, he still has a fever and has slept almost 12 hrs (still sleeping). He didn't stir one time last night.

He has no other symptoms (no runny nose, a little cough here and there...maybe once every couple hours, no diarreah). He only snacked yesterday...a bite here and a few bites there. He drank some V8 Fusion, a little milk, water. He drank 6 oz of milk before bed.

He has had Ear Infections in the past, but on our last visit 3 wks ago, the Dr still saw fluid, but it was clear (vs pussy) - so she thought it was on it's way of clearing up. He did have strep throat which was a HUGE surprise because he was acting so normal....

....normal...hmmm...I never knew he had strep and I never knew he had EI...he just never "acted" like it. Since he is sleeping so much (which he is a good sleeper).....I wonder if I should take him to the DR?

...sorry to go on & on. I've just read that fevers can be a good thing to fight off an infection and that you shouldn't "rush to the Dr". The fever has been 101.3 and was 103.3 last night (but came down to 101.3 after I gave him Motrin).

[Just1More]

If he's had a fever for more than 72 full hours, I would take him in. Shy of that or extreme symptoms, I would wait.

I have found the book How to Raise a Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor, by Mendelson a tremendously helpful book. IMO, it can seem a bit off the edge in some ways, but we temper it with a mainstream child health book. One says they will die if you don't take them to the doctor. The other say they will if you do. It's a nice to read both sides and then decide. (Though, I have found, that usually waiting produces the results I want.)

eta-I have only taken one of my children ONE time for an illness. And I regretted it. They did a several tests that were not needed, and then said, "Well, we have all the lab work, and it came back clear, so just call us if she gets worse." They were panicked when I brought her in (her fever was upper 104, and had reached 105), but then, they didn't care her fever was still high after she'd had the tests. FWIW, her fever broke exactly 72 hours after it began...a classic sign of a virus. .

[marispel]

I took him to the Dr. He has a inflammed throat...no strep though!!!! And his ears were clear (that's a first since November)!