I got a strange question for anyone that can offer help:
My brother (moderately active, healthy, slender, and about 42 yrs. old) had a slight fever on Christmas day. Then since that point in time, he is fine every morning, but by about 8-9 pm that night he has a fever of 100.5 to 100.8 (usually right on 100.8). This seems to have happened every day since Christmas. He has had to go to work most of the 9 days since then, but he has a straightforward office-type job. He says he also feels a little congested in the breathing and quite sweaty in the evenings. On thurs. (his next day off), he will try to make it to a doctor.
Any ideas as to what might be the realms of possibility here in terms of an ailment? The symptoms seem quite strange.
Thanks a lot. And any advice given here will be verified by him visiting an MD in person ASAP.
I’m neither an RN or an MD, but this happens to me quite often. It’s almost as if my body can fight the fever during the day, but the fever comes back in the evening. One time it was a bronchitis; another time it was a chest infection; another time it ended up going away on it’s own (flu?). The fever has been going on too long. He has to see a doctor as soon as possible.
He needs to see a physician. With a low-grade fever like that and other flu or cold-like symptoms, it could be a wide range of things. At a minimum, he should have an exam with CBC/WBC and hematocrit, urine (for dipstick and casts) and a physical to listen for lung sounds etc. You didn’t mention any malaise or myalgia, I think.
Does he travel overseas much? And if he does, when was he last outside the United States? Like I said, he needs to schedule with a live physician. That fever thing, while not highly unusual, warrants a closer examination.
Thanks. I am trying hard to get him to see a doctor, but he is slow at doing this.
If it helps, he lives in FL (tampa area) and does not travel much–he was overseas last time about a year ago, so hopefully that might cut down on the possibilities. He does have a 1-yr old, but his son is not in daycare or exposed to too many other kids.
Probably some low-grade infection (which is why you want a urine and CBC/WBC panel to look for signs of infection), which will be easily handled by a proper regimen of antibiotics. Any speculation beyond that would be alarmist
So, tell “genius” to go get an xray before the bacteria that is causing the pneumonia damages lung tissue and decimates his VO2 max.
From an ER RN that hates to take Theraflu or anything else for that matter and hates to be a patient after taking care of them all the time and hates to be sick - I suggest you get your arse to the doctor, get a chest xray, lay off the tea, drink a ton of water or electrolyte replacement and take your antibiotics after they are prescribed until they are all gone…you’ve got pneumonia or a nasty bronchitis and to lay there and ignore it is just plan stupid or your synapses collapsed a long time ago and you just don’t remember what a doctor is.
Lecture over class dismissed…btw - I have pneumonia right now after ignoring fever and symptoms and training anything…so don’t take my harsh jokes to harshly…I should lecture myself about these things!
