She started out with a cold -- a mildly runny nose and a bit of a cough -- on Thursday. By Saturday night, she had a 102.5 degree fever and felt like a little baked potato in my arms, radiating heat from her chest, back, arms, legs and even her fingers and toes. At midnight, it's easy to over-react, so Miguel and I packed her into her car seat and headed for the emergency room.
Have you finished laughing yet? Ok, I know we probably didn't need to, but we were a bit scared, because we've never felt her that hot before, and the tylenol I gave her didn't seem to help. So, the emergency room docs gave her a dose of Motrin and two hours later, after poking and prodding her multiple times, they sent us home with the diagnosis of "fever of unknown origin".
She's spent the last three nights in bed with us, as her congestion and cough have escalated to the point that she can't breathe through her nose when she's lying down, and her coughing often wakes her up. Although we elevated the head of her mattress, it didn't seem to do much good. She just doesn't feel good and wants mommy and daddy around.
Sunday was spent mostly keeping her cool and trying to get her fever under control. By Monday, we were doing pretty good, dosing her with tylenol every 4-5 hours and giving her a cool bath. Today, she's more herself, even though she's still tired and cranky. Hopefully, it won't last much longer, though. I hate seeing my baby like this!
3 comments:
Hey, I've done that plenty of times! Really! In Germany, when I couldn't get an appointment, I'd show up, sign in, and just sit there till they saw me. Anyway, Tylenol doesn't work too well. If the fever doesn't come down after the first dose, I give a second an hour later. That double dose usually does the trick, along with a wet washcloth. Use it to sponge her face and the back of her neck, then lay it over as much of her head as you can. It'll dry out quickly with all that heat, so wet it often. If it's daytime, a cool bath can help, too. I hate night fevers.
Beckie . . I was told by my kids doctor that if you are having trouble controlling a fever, you can give Tylenol and then Motrin 2 hours later. They are different medicines and don't complicate each other. you just alternate them every 2 hours.
Thanks for the support! The Tylenol alone seems to be working alright during the day...we'll work on the nighttime stuff though.
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