My son has a fever of 101.5 after 250mg of acetaminophen. Before it was 101.3. Symptoms incl. fever, headache , sore neck, sore eyes in and out of light, over all aches, lethargy. No sore throat , runny nose or signs of flu like symptoms. Prone to ear infections but these symptoms do not match his normal course of ear infection. And he does not complain of earache. I m worried about meningitis . I hope I m just overreacting, but do the symptoms above seem similar to meningitis? Thanks... He is ten years old.
Hello and welcome to Chat Doctor. High grade fever and the other symptoms you describe are not suggestive of meningitis. Only thing that you should check is neck stiffness. There will be pain in neck associated with usual fever cause. But in meningitis it will be very severe, so that the child will not be able to flex his neck. Which means that, in a sitting position, if you try to bend his head down to touch the chest, the child will scream with extreme pain.Additionally, the child will look very sick and vomiting may be present. Occassional seizures(fits) can also occur. If you see any of these signs, rush him to the nearest Pediatrician. Thank you.