When yourself or a loved one spikes a high fever, it can be very scary – especially if that loved one is your child. As scary as they are, however, fevers can be a good thing. It means the immune system is working to get rid of the illness. Sometimes it’s okay to simply wait things out instead of rushing anywhere, but other times that trip to your local M.D. Express urgent care center or the emergency room is well warranted.
Stay Home
If a fever is not causing any discomfort in a person over the age of three months or doesn’t fall under one of the reasons to visit Urgent Care or the ER below, you can stay home. In fact, it is now recommended to not treat a fever unless it causes the person (children included) discomfort.
For children under the age of two years, but over the age of three months, a fever under 102 which is not accompanied by emergency symptoms can be treated at home. Any fever in babies under three months should be evaluated immediately, however.
Urgent Care
If a fever is accompanied by pain or burning when urinating it should be evaluated at an Urgent Care center as these are the symptoms of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). If the fever is accompanied with minor to moderate vomiting without the presence of blood it would also be appropriate to be evaluated.
If a fever under 101.9 has lasted five days in a person over age two and access to a primary care physician is not available, it is suggested you get checked out at Urgent Care. Likewise, if a fever over 102 with no emergency symptoms has lasted longer than two days, seek medical care.
If a fever under 101.9 has lasted three days in a child between the age of six months and two years and a pediatrician is not available to see the child, you should seek an Urgent Care center. Also, if a fever of 102 degrees or higher has lasted 24 hours in a child of this age range, it’s important to seek medical care.
Emergency Room
If you have a fever of 102 degrees and are pregnant, immune compromised, or a child between the ages of three and six months, you should go to the emergency room. Likewise, if a fever in a person of any age is accompanied by the following symptoms you should head straight to the ER:
- stiff neck
- confusion
- slurred speech
- chest pain
- a debilitating headache
- rash
- difficulty breathing
- severe vomiting or diarrhea with symptoms of dehydration, or anytime blood is present
Also, remember that ANY time a child under three months runs a temperature of 100.4 or higher they should be immediately taken to the hospital. A fever in an infant can cause long-term damage, or even result in death very quickly.
M.D. Express Urgent Care Centers have 6 convenient locations to serve you. With a full team of medical professionals available for every situation, M.D. Express can handle whatever emergency life throws at you. No appointment is ever necessary, and a doctor is always in!
