[BeckyS]

Darn it!! I just lost an almost completed, long-winded post.

I have a 3 1/2 year old that gets frequent fevers. They generally occur about every month (sometimes skipping a month) and last a few days to a week. This has happened since he was an infant and we made several trips to the ER as a babe with 105 temp. We alternate tylenol and motrin just to manage the fever and most of the time, that is the only symptom.

My peditrician just says he is just on the high side of average for viruses - average being 7 to 10 a year. I have heard and been reading up on a connection of a tonsilectomy reducing or eliminating frequent fevers. Any experience out there? Anyone go thru this or would one of the pediatricians on the board give their input.

I am not keep on jumping on the bandwagon until I'm confident that there is a big chance that it will help. We have just thought all along that he will outgrow it and it just doesn't seem to be happening.

Thanks for any input.

[dstoeck]

I for one am not the kind of parent who sits by when a doctor tells me that after repeated visits that my child will be OK. Not that your docs are bad docs, they just don't have all of the answers. I'm also not saying that something is terribly wrong with your child. I'm not a medical doctor, but have experienced recurring sickness in my child only to find out a year or so later that something WAS wrong and "why did you alert us?" ARGHHH!!

I found this article for you to look at: Recurrent Fevers in Children: Differential Diagnosis - February 15, 2003 - American Family Physician

What type of blood tests have they performed? the end of the above article states that there are instances where a child simply has fevers and grow out of them..but as a parent, I totally understand your need to get an answer.

Be sure to keep good notes and all test results just in case you do need them for future visits. You may aslo want to try to see another doctor for a second opinion. Sometimes having 'fresh eyes' look at your child's folder brings something out that the first doctor didn't see. AGain, not because the first doc is bad, just overwhelmed with his/her case load and the file is becoming "familiar' in that he/she may be missing something.