Fever-How high to warrant the ER?

[MandyMV]

Hi everyone,
Yesterday Ryan was having some tummy pains and then began feeling like he was getting a fever. He took his temperature and it was 99.5. We tested every couple of hours and it didn't go up and after a couple of Tylenol it went down to 97.

He feels good today but it was our first mini scare since his MVR after having endocarditis. The ID doctors reiterated over and over again to us that we need to rush to the ER/Doc any time he has a fever-better safe than sorry!

I think this was just a stomach bug but at what point or temp do you go to the ER? 100+? Anything above normal? How long do you wait until you go? A couple of days or right away?

I know this sounds paranoid but just hearing he had a temp brought back the fear of last summer and I need the advice so I don't overreact out of fear but at the same time we are conscientious.
Thank you as always.
Theresa

 

[Lynlw]

ARe you talking post op or for the rest of your life in General?
IF you mean the rest of your life, IF Justin has a fever over 100 (he usually runs mid 97s) off and on for a couple days, we call his doctor and go from there. I've never taken him to the ER for a fever.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

He is already a year out, so I think you can relax. I agree with Lyn. If his temp goes above 100, call the doctor. If there are other symptoms, you might want to call the doctor even without a temp. Only use the ER if it's an emergency. You can get really sick from hanging around that place.

 

[KristyW]

Theresa,

My Dr. told me the magic number was 101°. However, running a low grade fever 99°-100° for more than a couple of days would warrant a call as well.

 

[dick0236]

Each situatioon can be a little different. If the fever is +1 or +2 degrees with no other symptons it is probably only a "bug" and should not cause alarm. Treat it with Tylenol. If the fever persists, call his PCP

I'd stay out of an ER if at all possible.

 

[MandyMV]

Thank you everyone for the advice so far...I was thinking along the same lines but I just had the ID doctors voices in my head last night. Oh and I should mention that a trip to our ER is safer than going to our PCP and not a currently very busy place so germs aren't too scary there but I know what you mean.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

The ID Doctors should have given your a Number to use as the trigger. ASK your Primary Care Physician or Cardio.

 

[MikeHeim]

From everything I have read, an infection will almost always be accompanied by a fever of over 101F. I had constant fevers for at least six weeks after my surgery, with the highest being 100.8. I called the hospital that night and they told me to come in to the ER. Long story short, that night I spent in the ER was probably the worst night of my medical life and virtually nothing would make me want to repeat it. I would personally always wait until the morning with a fever if you decide to go in at all.

 

[Dina]

Theresa,

My Dr. told me the magic number was 101°. However, running a low grade fever 99°-100° for more than a couple of days would warrant a call as well.

Kristy is right, the 'magic' niumber at my hospital was 101.5 ,which personally
I never totally agreed with. To me , if your temp is 100 and is sustained,
this is evidence that SOMETHING is going on. I used to get so upset when
someone has a temp of 100.9 and they categorize it as afebrile.
But in your case at this time , I would keep an eye on it , and dont keep him on the tylenol all day,since then you won't know what the natural temp is.
If his temp reaches 100 and over ,because of the history , I would get it
checked .
My Best--Dina

 

[Bryan B]

Mandy,

I had endocarditis in the summer/fall of 2003 so I know how you and Ryan are feeling. It probably took me about 2 years after my surgery in March of 04 before I didn't freak out every time I had a symptom that slightly resembled a symptom from when I had endocarditis. Part of the problem is that there were so many symptoms I had before being diagnosed with endocarditis that were similar or the same as minor health issues that resolve on their own.

I know in my case I usually ran a low grade fever when I had endocarditis...about 1 or 1.5 degrees over my normal. BUT...it occured daily and was usually the worst in the evening. My other symptoms were terrible night sweats, constant fatigue, swollen joints (especially fingers and feet), and towards the end a dull constant pain between my shoulder blades.

I still think about it when I have any symptoms that slightly resemble those I mentioned. But I also reached a point where I had to kind of let go of the fear of contrating endocarditis again. That doesn't mean I ignore what my body is telling me, only that I had to stop worrying about it so much (which is easier said then done). My suggestion would be to worry if he starts to have more than one symptom resembling the symptoms he had when he had endocarditis. One of the reasons I ended up choosing the Ross Procedure is because the rate of recurrance for those who have had endocarditis is lower than mechanical and tissue valve replacements.

My suggestion would be to stay diligent but don't let the past consume your lives. I guess the one positive thing is that having gone through it before you now know what symptoms to look for (it took my doctor 4 months to finally figure it out ). IMO a fever alone that is under 101 degrees that goes away in 2-3 days is probably not a major concern. I'd be more worried if he (or I) started running a low grade fever that lasted for a week or more. Also...I now know that if I have any doubts at all I will bypass all of the "diagnosis stuff" and pretty much demand that my doctor do blood cultures. IMO that is the quickest way to find out if you have bacteria in your bloodstream. That is how they finally started the process of diagnosing my endocarditis. Too bad my doctor didn't think to do the cultures earlier. I don't know if it would have eliminated my need for surgery but it definitely would have ended the misery I was in a lot quicker.