I rarely answer medical questions or give advice online...

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But...I sort of felt I had to tonight. On another board I post on, there is a lady wanting advice about treating her child's fever of 105°. Most people are advising alternating Tylenol with Motrin, dressing cooly, going back to ER, but there is one lady who is advising alcohol baths and taking the child to the doctor, but not giving any fever meds until he is seen! :uhoh21: :uhoh3: :no: :eek:

Oh, boy...I hope the mother doesn't pay attention to that one. I'll probably get reamed for saying that I wouldn't give do the alcohol baths and I would give meds, but...

Usually, the most I will say is "Call your doctor," but tonight, I said a little more.

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Specializes in Brain injury,vent,peds ,geriatrics,home.

That mother needs to take her child to a pediatrician!Why is she wasting time on the internet?

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

Alcohol baths???:uhoh3:

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Exactly...she's already been to the ER and was sent home, but now the child has slurred speech and is lethargic and "acting like she is drunk." Yeah...a good time to go back to ER...this is one I wouldn't even fault for calling 911.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

I agree why is she wasting time sitting around asking people advice on the internet. OR being on the internet at all, her child is sick and needs her mother! Where are some peoples brains???

Going BACK to ER? She has apparently taken the kid to be seen so why is it she cant follow the advice already given by the ER doc?

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Alcohol baths are outdated and very dangerous from what I've heard/read. A child can absorb a potentially lethal amount thru the skin, I believe. Not to mention what it can do to mucous membranes, eyes, etc.

I would not have hesitated to tell her to get the kid to the hospital stat, give it motrin and forget the alcohol bath.

Its so hard when you come across stuff like this isn't it? I find medical stuff now and again that is just wrong and its so hard to bite my tongue when I want to scream at them SEE A DOCTOR. But we can only do so much.

As another poster said, why is she on the net to begin with???

If you told her to see a doc, then don't stress. Its plain common sense to tell her that.

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From what I am getting she is following the ER doctor's advice...she says she's given Tylenol and tepid baths, but the little girl is worse than when she left ER. She has a change in mental status, I say it is time to go back.

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Alcohol baths can cool the body too quickly and casue sever shivering as well as possible seziures. NEVER USE ALCOHOL BATHS!!!!

from a pedi nurse....

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Ouch! No NO alcohol baths!

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The fumes from alcohol baths are bad too. Mac, are we talking about our mutual place?

I can understand why the mom is asking questions; if the child was already seen by a doc then she's probably just wondering what else is left that she can do.

It drives me nuts when a kid comes in with a fever and the mom says "I didn't give any Tylenol because I wanted you to see the fever." Meanwhile the kid is miserable because he's got a fever. For God's sake, medicate the poor child!!!

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Geez, I wish I knew how the child turned out....I hate when little ones are sick:(

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Specializes in Going to Peds!.
slurred speech and lethargic and "acting like she is drunk."

I'd be in the ER, now.

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