What kinds of tests should I ask To be done when I take my daughter to emergency room?
My 4 year old daughter came down with a fever of 105.0 all of a sudden with no other symptoms. Within a half hour she complained that her stomach hurt and she started vomiting. It was in the middle of the night, so I had to wait a few hours until the doctors was open. I gave her a cool bath immediately, and had her drink cold water and eat ice chips, and also gave her children’s tylenol. Which brought her fever down to 100.5 . When I took her to the doctor in the morning, He did not even take her temperature, did not even look at her for more than 30 seconds before diagnosing that it was a urinary tract infection. He put her on a medicine for it, when I got home and read the rest of the medicine info, after he already gave her a first dose, The side effects were nausea, vomiting, fever, and others. He gave me a medicine thats side effects were all the symptoms my daughter had. Both of my daughters will get random high fevers, for what seems like no reason. I also used to get these random high fevers as a child. I am taking my daughter to the emergency room because I think there is something more going on than the doctors care to take the time to see. My question is this, What kinds of tests or things should I request to have done when I take her in? Any ideas would be a great help, Thanks.
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None. You shouldn’t go to the ER for this unless the fever creeps back up or goes up to 106. If she is getting worse or other symptoms show up like a rash, she becomes unresponsive, can’t move her head up and down like a nonverbal yes.
1. Cool baths for fevers are BAD. LUKEWARM water. Children Tylenol is good. Repeat as the directions state.
2.Your kid could have an infection caused by a virus ie the common cold. If so meds wont work.
3. plenty of fluids: not milk. Lots of rest.
4. Find another PCP for you kid if you don’t trust the her doctor.
5. UTI usually cause pain when urinating, but can present with other symptoms.
6. Just because a med has side effects doesn’t mean it wont work on the underlying infection. If it is a UTI then the meds are the best way to go.
7. Random high fevers can be anything. Usually your body is fighting something. Basically it is how you build up your immunity.
ER is for emergency only. This is not an emergency. Call the dr back if you are worried. Perhaps you should ask the dr if they will do a urine test (where the kid pees in the cup) to really confirm it is a UTI or another type of infection. UTI can move up and cause bladder infections which causes pain like stomach aches.
Most likely it is either a UTI like the Dr said, or it is the common cold, or flu.
March 6th, 2010 at 7:00 pmA blood test will be able to show if there’s an infection (based on the levels of different types of leukocytes). I can’t think of much else; hopefully you’ll get a doctor who will take proper care of her. I’m sure if you express your concerns they will take very good care of her.
March 6th, 2010 at 7:00 pmGood luck!
No Emergency Room is going to be able to tell you why kids get fevers. All kids get fevers once in a while, so if that’s what you want to find out, you won’t. Emergency rooms are for the short term, quick diagnosis of acute problems, not intermittent conditions.
Do your children get fevers when they’re teething ? Children’s immune systems and body Temperature regulation systems are still immature, and they can - and do - respond to even sub clinical infections with a raise in temperature. If you are looking for some kind of other underlying reason for fevers, it’s highly unlikely you will find it in E.R.
You should be seeing a pediatrician - or a different one. Or make an appointment at a major University medical clinic. I agree, it doesn’t sound like the doctor you saw was attentive at all , even though he could very well be right about the nausea , vomiting , and fever. These are all common signs of infection, and pretty common ones.
At the Emergency room you should expect relief of the immediate symptoms, at home care instructions, and possibly a simple diagnosis, anything from ear infection, urinary tract infection, gastroenteritis, appendicitis, or some other acute problem.
Your daughter may have a needle stick into her arm for a white blood cell count, a unrinalysis which may require a tube stuck up into her bladder, but at the very least a thorough(although probably quick), physical examination. possibly a prescription, possibly instructions to continue using the same medication, possibly advised that no prescription should be used,possibly some thing for vomiting (although in very small children this is rarely if ever done as this can be quite dangerous to the child ), possibly a suppository for fever , and advised to give the child nothing by mouth for at least an hour after the last episode of vomiting, and then to start with small sips of a clear liquid.
If the child is toxic appearing (lethargic, pale, etc.) I would expect to see a white blood cell count (CBC - complete blood cell count ) and maybe a urinalysis. There aren’t generally extensive tests done in E.R. , unless the child has the symptoms of meningitis, in which case a spinal tap would be done. But, then, I wouldn’t (didn’t) tale my kids to an emergency room for the kinds of symptoms you describe.
almathea gave you some excellent advice, and that is exactly what I did with my kids, and exactly the kind of instructions we gave in E.R.
If it were my child, and I was convinced that they had something worse than a common viral infection, I would want them to have a white blood cell count (CBC).
Good luck, hope it goes well.
March 6th, 2010 at 7:00 pmYou can best help doctors by giving DETAILED History & precise development of Symptoms (+ Treatments/Time) of your daughter’s acute episode, & background health history (previous & recurrent illnessess, known conditions, Medication, etc), anyone else also ill, + Family History.
She may just may have food-borne illness / stomach bug ….. even UTI as diagnosed by first Dr is possible (he probably prescribed Antibiotic - to cover infections in general, not just UTI). Could be some other Infection. Appendicitis is remote possibility (low probability - untypical presentation).
Side-Effects of medicine : indicate what May arise - does not mean everyone WILL GET THEM.
FEVER can be due to Dozens of reasons - best to do is provide as much information as possible to Dr, so they have clues where to pursue : let Dr decide what tests are appropriate. Request Urine test for UTI if it will please your mind (but results could be skewed since starting Antibiotics).
March 6th, 2010 at 7:00 pm