When to Call Your Doctor - BestCare Garland

Parents: When to Call Your Doctor

The signs and symptoms of infection that are listed here should be brought to your doctor’s attention. Of course, whenever your child has a symptom that concerns you, you should not hesitate to call your doctor, whether or not the symptom appears on this list.  Although some symptoms of illness differ depending on a child’s age, some are the same for all children.

For any child, infant to adolescent, call your doctor if you observe any of the following:

High fever (the level of fever that is considered significant depends on the age of the child, the illness, and whether the child has other symptoms with the fever)
Chills that make the child shake all over
Loss of consciousness
Extreme sleepiness or unexplained lethargy
Unusual excitement or hysterical crying
Sudden weakness or paralysis of any part of the body
Seizures (convulsions) or uncontrollable shaking of an arm or leg
Severe headache
Pain, heaviness, or stuffiness around the nose, eyes, or forehead
Nasal fluid that is discolored, bad-smelling, or bloody
Sudden hearing loss
Earache
Fluid discharge from the ear
Sudden decrease in vision
Eyes that are red, swollen, and watery, with or without blurred vision
Eyes that are extremely sensitive to light, especially if your child also has a fever, headache, or stiff neck
A yellow color in the whites of the eyes or in the skin, especially with pain in the abdomen and/or dark or tea-colored urine
Stiffness or pain in the neck, especially with fever or headache

Severe sore throat, especially with trouble swallowing or speaking
Uncontrolled drooling because of painful swallowing
Difficulty breathing, especially with pale or bluish color of the lips or nails
Unusually rapid breathing
Severe or persistent cough, especially if it brings up bloody or discolored mucus
Vomiting for 12 hours or more
Vomiting of blood
Intense or unusual abdominal pain
Swollen or abnormally large abdomen
Diarrhea that is streaked with blood or mucus
Pain in the middle of the back, especially with fever or with discomfort while urinating
Painful or unusually frequent urination
Urine that is discolored, bloody, cloudy, or has an unusual smell
Discharge from the penis
Vaginal discharge that is thick and white, brown or discolored, or smells bad
Pain, redness, or swelling of a joint that can’t be explained by exercise or injury
A cut or scrape that oozes pus or becomes hot, red, tender, or swollen
A sudden rash, or sudden crop of blotches or blisters, especially over a large area of the body

Special Signs and Symptoms – Birth to 1 Month Old

Fever (rectal temperature of 100.4°F should prompt a call to the doctor)
Baby suddenly becomes “floppy”—loses muscle tone all over
One or both eyes are pink, bloodshot, have a sticky white discharge, or eyelashes that stick together
Diarrhea in newborns—more than six to eight watery stools per day (breast-fed newborns often have more loose stools than formula-fed babies; check with your doctor for guidance)
Redness or tenderness around the navel area
White patches in the mouth
Nose blocked by mucus so baby can’t breathe while feeding
Forceful vomiting
Vomiting that lasts for 12 hours or more
Vomiting with fever and/or diarrhea
Baby stops feeding normally
Crying for an abnormally long time

  Special Signs and Symptoms – 1 Month to 1 Year

Fever (rectal temperature 100.4°F in infants younger than 3 months, 101°F in infants ages 3 to 6 months, and 104°F in a child 6 months or older should prompt a call to the doctor)
Baby refuses to eat and misses several feedings
Baby is unusually cranky and irritable or unusually sleepy

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Parents: When to Call Your Doctor

Parents: When to Call Your Doctor

For any child, infant to adolescent, call your doctor if you observe any of the following:

Special Signs and Symptoms – Birth to 1 Month Old

Special Signs and Symptoms – 1 Month to 1 Year

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