Why does my 4yr old keep running fevers?? (read for more info)?

Question:

the fever will come on and last for about 3 days, not a high fever, more on the low side. sometimes coughing will come with it, but other times it doesn't. this afternoon he said his tummy was hurting, then said he was cold (109 temp here w/heat index) so it wasn't cool out by any means, that was when i realized he had a fever again. the fever comes and goes about 2x a month, sometimes he'll go a month w/o any. this has been going on for close to a year now. it's mostly in the summer months tho. i took him to the doc awhile bac and was told it was a cold. he was giving several diff cough meds, but none worked. triamintic seems to work better than prescrp. meds. for him. we did move into a new (used) home last yr at this same time, not sure if that has anything to do with it or not. i know ppl has allergy probs, but i don't think that would explain the reoccuring fevers. any idea what's causing the fever all the time?? like i said he has already seen a doc, but still don't know anything

Answers:
Children of his age quite commonly suffer mystery fevers, unfortunately. They think it's a normal response to viral infections, which can take up to two weeks to get conquered. He could also be suffering from an allergy to something. The first things I think I would check would be the filter on the a/c or the water pan in a swamp cooler. Mold or mildew in either spot could be the cause of the low grade fever or cough. An allergic responce can and does cause low grade fever, especially in little ones. It is a response of the immune system, and the first line of defense is to raise the body temperature. Body cells can function quite well in the higher temperature, while bacteria and virus can't. When the allergen level drops off, the immune response would back off, and his temperature would drop. The fact he's coughing makes me suspect this is something he's breathing it, coughing is the body's way of reducing or eliminating things that irritate the respiratory tract. His skin color is a genetic thing, although if he is staying on the sickly side, he might look paler because his little body is always on the fight. Try checking the various filters, and do a big clean on things like carpet, pillows and drapes. My son had a run like this at the same age, and I ended up putting some Lysol disinfectant in the rug cleaner, as well as the wash for the pillows and drapes. I used the anti-allergen spray all over the place, and loads of bleach cleaner on just about every washable surface there was. We never did figure out what it was that caused it all, but he did get better as he got older. The pediatrician said sometimes that's how it goes with the little ones. We did discover our a/c unit filter was loaded with pollen and mold spores. We just changed it out monthly when it had to run, and I sprayed like a nutter with the allergen spray. For the peaky look, I'd make sure he's getting a multivitamin/mineral chewable every day, to make sure that's covered. And as long as the fever isn't getting up there, and if it stayed near 100, my peds doesn't recommend doing anything to bring it down. He said push the liquids and let the body do what it does best. It's not the fever that is the enemy, it's whatever is spurring it on. I know what you mean about the pale, I personally think I can give a snowbank a run for the money, and my kids are all on the pale side as well. So that could be genetic. Just trust your instinct on that, you will know from the way he looks overall if it's a pale from genes or a pale from sickly. Look at his eyes, not the skin. Bright eyes are healthy, a dull look is either tired or sick.

Take him to a different pediatrician, you need a second opinion...that's not normal.

Probably just an allergy to something like sheets, pillows etc...
Hope this helps

Why does my 4yr old keep running fevers?? (read for more info)?

Health Resources