HOT AND BOTHERED: THE FEAR OF THE FEVER

It's been a while since I posted anything- well let's just say I have my hands full now that my daughter is crawling-  but that's not to say I'm short on material to share with you. Today, my wife and I had a bit of a scare; one I hope to never endure again, but that's highly unlikely. My daughter awoke in the middle of the night with a slight fever (100.9 degrees). Normally, I wouldn't worry about a fever that was so close to normal range, but as my daughter had just recovered from a bought of bronchial pneumonia it seemed a bit odd that she was feverish again. I checked her once again in the morning and her fever was still around100.04 degrees, but she was alert, playful, even happy, so I thought it would be okay to take her to daycare for the morning, knowing my wife would pick her up at noon. Boy, was I stupid!

My daughter's fever got progressively worse throughout the morning. She didn't eat her lunch, and by the time my wife picked her up at noon, she was lethargic and glassy-eyed. Her fever had spiked... to 103.5 degrees. That's when the phone calls started, back and forth between me and my wife, my wife and the pediatrician, me and the pediatrician. First we weren't supposed to bring her in as there was nothing they could do. Then we had to bring her in because we called back and said it may have something to do with her bronchial pneumonia. It was a back and forth that shortened my life, just a little bit, worrying what to do, and where to take her. It was a feeling of helplessness that you just have to experience for yourself... but hopefully you never have to. We did finally get her to the doctor's office. Thankfully, the pediatric Tylenol we gave her before leaving the house kicked in and reduced her fever to a respectable 100.08 while we sat in the waiting room. Once we got her looked at,  the doctor surmised that this fever had nothing to do with her bronchial infection, which had fully cleared up, and it was probably a virus she picked up at daycare. That was it. No harm. No foul.

It was an eventful afternoon to say the least. As first-time parents, we needed a medical practitioner's assurance that she was okay. She still has a fever, and probably will for a few days, so we just have to monitor her. If anything, I've learned that (1) when you're child has a fever it's better to stay home and care for her yourself, (2) you will never love your child more than when she is feverish and lying in your arms (but you will also never feel more inept), and (3) knowing is always better than not knowing. 

Here's some facts about fevers. You can't avoid them, but you can educate yourself on what to do to comfort your child and when to seek medical help.


Taking your child's temperature and fevers