Aa
12yr old daughter
Our 12yr old daughter has a fever for over 12 hours with taking medication and it wont go down and that scary for us because her fevers have always gone away after giving medication. But with the fever she has a little congestion, lower back pain, And a headach. she is only sleeping 5mins at a time and she is freezing. She is keeping water down but she keeps feeling like she has to throw up. If you can give me any help that would be great or should i go with my gut instinkt and taker her to the er.
Fevers are not necessarily bad, unless they are excessively high, or last for excessively long periods. It is inappropriate to treat every fever with aspirin.
Fevers are part and parcel of the immune response system. They are a first line of defense against invasive organisms. Fevers are generally associated with bacterial infections, but can also occur with biral infections.
A century ago, the basic treatment protocol was to watch for the point where "the fever breaks".
The mechanism for the destruction of invasive organisms is simple. Many bacteria and some virus's can only replicate within a narrow range of temperatures. If the body temperature is elevated the invasive organism cannot replicate.
That being said excessively high fevers can cause brain damage, and should be treated appropriately. Whether or not to treat a fever involves a judgement call.
Treating a fever, under normal circumstances, invariably causes the illness to be prolonged.
If you are an adult and absolutely have to go to work or perform a function, taking aspirin may be justified. In the case of a child, rest and hydration with electrolytes are often the best way to deal with an illness.
Viral infections cannot be treated by anti-biotics, but often a bacterial infection will "piggyback".
Viral infections are generally self-limiting, and take several days to run their course, regardless of what one does.
Observe the color of the phlegm being coughed up. If there is no phlegm, go to the drugstore and purchase an expectorant, so she can cough some up.
If the color is yellow or greenish, she should go to a pediatrician for an antibiotic.
Fevers are part and parcel of the immune response system. They are a first line of defense against invasive organisms. Fevers are generally associated with bacterial infections, but can also occur with biral infections.
A century ago, the basic treatment protocol was to watch for the point where "the fever breaks".
The mechanism for the destruction of invasive organisms is simple. Many bacteria and some virus's can only replicate within a narrow range of temperatures. If the body temperature is elevated the invasive organism cannot replicate.
That being said excessively high fevers can cause brain damage, and should be treated appropriately. Whether or not to treat a fever involves a judgement call.
Treating a fever, under normal circumstances, invariably causes the illness to be prolonged.
If you are an adult and absolutely have to go to work or perform a function, taking aspirin may be justified. In the case of a child, rest and hydration with electrolytes are often the best way to deal with an illness.
Viral infections cannot be treated by anti-biotics, but often a bacterial infection will "piggyback".
Viral infections are generally self-limiting, and take several days to run their course, regardless of what one does.
Observe the color of the phlegm being coughed up. If there is no phlegm, go to the drugstore and purchase an expectorant, so she can cough some up.
If the color is yellow or greenish, she should go to a pediatrician for an antibiotic.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
If the temperature/fever was high, more than 101 degree Fahrenheit, then it will take time to go down. Fevers of viral origin generally take about 3-5 days to go down completely. Apply a wet cloth to her forehead, arm pit, soles and palm. Re dip the cloth in water (cool water) and reapply. Give her plenty of fluids along with her medications. If the fever does not come down (may not reach baseline normal) then you can either take her to her pediatrician or to ER.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
Thanks for writing to the forum!
If the temperature/fever was high, more than 101 degree Fahrenheit, then it will take time to go down. Fevers of viral origin generally take about 3-5 days to go down completely. Apply a wet cloth to her forehead, arm pit, soles and palm. Re dip the cloth in water (cool water) and reapply. Give her plenty of fluids along with her medications. If the fever does not come down (may not reach baseline normal) then you can either take her to her pediatrician or to ER.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
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