Could It Be the Flu

My 8 year old nephew had exctly those symptoms - fever around 101, a toucgh to control fever, and leg cramps. They took him to the Dr and apprently these are common flu symptoms this year.

If the meds are not lowering her temp you NEED to take her to the doctor. Especially if it is really high. Like over 102.5 It probably is the flu but you don't want to take that risk. My son had the "flu" and his fever was not lowering with the meds so his fever went up to 104.5 and we had to rush him to the ER where they put him in ice! It was tramatizing for him. He still is phobic about getting a fever.

its probably just growing pains. I had a fever sometimes when i was growing along with pains in my legs, arms and feet.

Hi K.,

Sinus infections are the pits! I hope Ashlyn feels better soon.

K.,
I absolutely could be the flu. I am a school nurse (13 yrs.) and I have seen multiple cases of the flu this year even in people who have had the flu shot. Each year the pharmaceutical companies "guess" at what type of flu will be most common. This is necessary because they have to culture and grow the viruses to manufacture the vaccines. Unfortunately, this year they were pretty poor guessers! The symptoms are usually high fever (102+), achy joints (which would explain her legs hurting), as well as various cold type symptoms including swollen lymph glands in the neck. If you get them to the doctor in the first 24-48 hours they may start Tamaflu to lessen the length and severity. Other than that, keep her hydrated and her fever should subside in 3-5 days. If it gets too high and you aren't able to break the fever, she may require a trip to the doctor.
Hope this helps and I hope she's better soon!

It could be the flu or another virus. How high is her fever? I would say if it's more than 101 for a sustained period of time you probably need to visit your pediatrician.

Try cooling her down with tepid washcloths. Fever makes everything hurt. Be sure to keep her hydrated! Lots of fluids.

That very well sounds like the flu. Now today is Tues., and if her fever does not seem to be letting up by now, take her to the doctor (if you havent already).

I would take her the the doctor ASAP. Better safe than sorry.

It sounds like the flu to me. My kids just had the flu last week, and I couldn't get their fever down with Tylenol or ibuprofen either. My daughter also complained that her legs hurt for about 5 days while she was sick. A fever isn't dangerous unless it goes above 103, so you really don't have to worry about it, just keep an eye on it. The fever actually serves a purpose of killing the virus, so it isn't necessary to control a fever completely unless it becomes dangerously high. My rule of thumb was to make sure they got doses of ibuprofen at night before bed, because their fevers tend to spike while they are sleeping. I hope she feels better soon, and that you don't get it!

My daughter had what I'm convinced was the flu last week. She hardly ever gets fevers, and last week hers was 102 for 2 days. Motrin helped a little, but what really seemed to make her more comfortable was a cold pack on her head. Not too cold, just a wet washcloth stuck in the fridge for a few minutes.

I agree with the pp that a fever should often be left alone, but ONLY if your little one is still acting like herself. With my daughter, she was looking absolutely miserable, just laying there with her eyes watering, so I decided to medicate. As for the leg pains, my daughter got cramps in her legs too, those ones you get at night when you're in bed. So I gave her a banana (was probably low on potassium from the fever/dehydration) and that seemed to help. Maybe give it a try.

Good luck! Hope your little one feels better soon!

With her legs hurting I would take her to the doctor to make sure it is not something else going on. Also I am trying to find a honost stay at home job. Can you email me at ____@____.com if you are working one and would like to share info. Thanks

What ever it is, you need to take your child to the doctor and find out. That is the best advice any good mother can give!
B. D

DISREGARD my advice, I just got your post this morning, Tuesday, had no idea it was written on Sunday, so of course you had sense enough to take your child to the doctor by now! HA! Glad to hear it isn't the flu but know how those respiratory things can get you down for awhile, too.

I would suggest you take her to the doctor immediately. Granny J.

It sounds like the flu. We all had it and the symptoms were the same. I don't recommend trying to get the fever down unless it is extremely high, because your child's body is doing it's job and fighting the infection. It may take a week to get over. My oldest daughter, who is in first grade, had 7 people absent yesterday and one went home sick. Chicken Noodle Soup can help your little angel feel better. You may want to give her a Tylonel at night so she can sleep. I don't normally take pain killers of any type and I broke down and had a couple when I had the flu because my legs hurt so badly that I couldn't go back to sleep. By the way, the flu strains that are going around this year are different than the flu vaccine this year. The flu vaccines are always based on last year's flu, which is almost never this year's flu. So if you didn't get a flu shot this year, don't feel guilty. If you feel really uncomfortable, you can certainly bring her in to see the pediatrician, but there is really not much they can do for viral infections. I always worry that they will get more germs going out than they came in with. Good Luck and hope your daughter feels better.

In case of any fever always hydrate constantly. no sugary drinks because sugar depresses the immune system instantly. Orange juice is great and lemon water is even better. a fever is only dangerous when the the head gets too hot and dehydration sets in. A cool towel on the head and back of neck will help too.
I'm glad to see she is going to be ok. God bless!

Hi K.,
I am a nurse and my husband is a doctor. Most, likely it is a virus - body aches are common with a virus, as is lethargy. As you know, antibiotics are not effective against viruses. The best thing for a child is REST, FLUID, REST, FLUID, REST, and you get the picture!
It is not necessary to make a trip to the doctor unless the fever is sustained and lasts longer than 10 days.
Many parents panic and run to the doctor, but you have to remember that all kids are going to get viruses and colds. We have to just let a virus run its coarse!
I just want to save you a trip to the MD!

Good Luck!
K.

My son (4 1/2) is just getting over a virus. The only thing to it was a high fever. With the fever he had aches and pains all over his body, but mostly in his legs. The alternating every 3 hours helped lower the temp some, but did not break it. I took him to the Dr. since he had been exposed to strep. She said it was just a bad virus that lasts 3-5 days. We only had high fever for 3 days. He had no fever yesterday and is going back to preschool today! Yeah!
Hope this helps.
L.

First of all she needs to see a doctor. There is a test for the flu. Secondly alternating to get the fever down is great. However my doctor told me yesterday to throw out all IB Profen. He swears it causes bleeding ulcers and says my kids aren't allowed to have it any longer. My oldest, 11 yrs old. Was diagnosed with the flu yesterday. Its no picnic. Three different med.60.00 with insurance, ouch!!

Well, at least a sinus infection/upper respiratory infection can be treated with antibiotics. I hope she feels better soon!

Could be the flu - but what ever is going around right now has been really weird - and more severe that before. If her fever is low-grade let it run a bit and let it do what it's for and that's destroying the virus. If it's 102 or over try using a cool rag at the wrist, inside elbow, neck, behind the knees, forehead. If that doesn't bring it down - try a lukewarm bath - not cold. Put a light cover on her so she won't chill - but not keep her too warm. Popsicles are good. BEWARE OF TAMAFLU!!!! too many side effects. Good luck!

It sounds like she needs to see her pedi today. Are her legs red or swollen? Will she walk on them? If her only symptoms are fever and pain in her legs, it doesn't really sound like the flu (although it could be presenting oddly). The flu usually causes a 102+ fever, aches, chills, and a dry cough. Both of my boys just got over it, and it was terrible.
I hope your daughter feels better soon!

It sure sounds like the flu. I am just recovering (it's been a week) and it is a slow recovery. My joints hurt very bad until the fever quit. I would sure call a doctor and ask about getting the fever down.
Thank you and your husband for your sacrifice for our country. My son is in the Army and will deploy in June. He's leaving a wive and 2 small children behind.
God bless you.

It sounds like growing pains, and the fever may or may not be a part of that, I don't know.

If the fever is not going down -- it is probably an infection. Maybe the flu -- but it could be an ear infection ...I would have her checked out.

Yes, it definately could be. It is really going around. Some other signs are headache, red blood shot eyes, she could have nausea/vomitting but not always. Take her to the Dr. if it's not to late they can start her on Tamaflu, it really helps shorten the course and severity. They can also give it to you as a preventative. Mom's being sick is the worst when you have little ones and no help. It would also be helpful to know for sure with your baby around get her to the Dr. I would avoid all milk products for a few days! They can really aggrevate the nausea and vomitting. Stick with clear liquids water, sprite, and dry foods. Good Luck. The flu just went around my house 4 of the 5 of us got it. Thanks for what your family does to keep our freedom safe. My husband and I were both in the Army for several years, he is still assigned to a training unit with the Reserves. God Bless you stay strong.

Take your child to the doctor. Fever is the bobies way of telling you something is wrong. My son had that last week. Fever and leg hurting which I thought was weird. He ended having strep throat. Antibotics knock it right out.

At the time, my son was three when he got the flu last year and he was running a 103 temp and it was hard to get it down. The most important thing is don't let it stay high. Even if it bounces back up, keep trying to get it back down. I kept giving him water to drink and a wet wash cloth on him to keep him from getting so hot. At one time, I had to lay him in the bath with luke warm water for several minutes. It's not easy but I had to do it. This lasted for several days...maybe 4/5 days.

Your daughter's leg hurting is probably part of the acheing from the flu. Typically our joints ache during the flu.
If you continue to be concerned about her, take her to the DR.