My 9yo stepdaughter has had a low-grade fever since Thursday, 7/3. It started out at 103.5 and her little body was on fire. I've been giving her children's motrin along with children's tylenol to bring the fever down, but it's been yo-yo'ing between 100-102 for the past few days. She's had no other symptoms, just very lethargic and sleepy (which is very unlike her, especially during the summer). We didn't want to take her to the doctor's because we figured they'd tell us it was a viral infection and she'd have to wait it out.

With going into the 5th day of this, I decided to see her pediatrician. Sure enough, he said it was viral. He checked her out physically and couldn't find anything wrong, except for her throat being a bit red with some pus. He tested her for strep, it came back negative. He sent us home saying there's nothing he could do for a virus.

Has anyone experienced something like this? Could it possibly turn into something bacterial? Atleast if it did, she could be treated with antibiotics. Just trying to get some peace of mind here, she feels so cruddy. :(

Your doctor probably went over this with you, but typically viral fevers last from 3 to 5 days. The strep tests they use in the office are pretty accurate, but if her throat starts to feel worse or she has difficulty opening her mouth or swallowing, contact your doctor. Push fluids, because even slight dehydration can make a fever worse. She should be feeling better in a day or two!

Tylenol and Motrin interfere with the bodies natural ability to heal. The fever is present because her body is doing what is suppose to be doing and fighting the infection. I would not be using the medications. She can take baths with a few drops of eucalyptus oil added. It is naturally antiviral, antibacterial and antiviral. Her skin will soak in the oil and the eventually into the blood stream where the eucalyptus will help fight the infection, whereas Tylenol only suppresses what she is feeling at the moment. You can look up how to fight this naturally and get some good tips.