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Mama, see the gorilla?
Filed under: Toddlers Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Babies
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I recently had my first experience with a delirious child and it was a fearsome event. My three-year-old daughter went to bed loaded with Tylenol and slightly warm. But when the medicine wore off, the fever took hold with a vengeance.
It was around 3 a.m. when she woke crying, so hot that I was afraid to take her temperature. I didn't want to know. I started wiping her with a cool wash cloth and couldn't bring myself to give her more Tylenol since the sight of the bottle would start her crying.
She didn't seem in pain or all that unhappy and was talking to me coherently. I took heart that she must be okay.
Then she said it. "Mama, see the gorilla?"
Calmly, evenly, staring in the middle of her room. Not a stuffed gorilla in sight.
"No honey, I don't see it. You must be dreaming."
"There Mama, see it? See it? Right there."
That's when I took her in to wake up Daddy. She must be dreaming, he told me.
Then she said it to him, "Daddy, the gorilla. There. It's right there." He started to get a freaked too.
That's when I got serious with the Tylenol. We didn't want to rush her to an emergency room in the middle of the night unless absolutely necessary.
Frances kept talking about the gorilla for a while, but eventually cooled and fell asleep. The next morning I took her to her pediatrician, who diagnosed it as a bad summer virus and expressed no concern at the gorilla sighting. "The fever makes them do that," she said simply. By that afternoon she was better.
Here's the funny thing: I told the story to one of my old bosses who I saw a day later. He said he remembered seeing a gorilla in his bedroom when he had a bad fever as a child. He believes that the pounding in his head sounded like the low, repetitive grunt of a gorilla so he hallucinated one to match the sound. Could be.
All I can say is thank God my daughter isn't afraid of gorillas and that the fever went away the next day.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
7-12-2006 @ 2:28PM
roolalenska said...I distinctly remember having a high fever as a child and hallucinating that two tiny people were sitting at a table having tea on my windowsill. Their droning conversation irritated me and I wasn't able to sleep until my fever broke and I fell asleep.
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7-12-2006 @ 2:30PM
Matthew Miller said...Random internet advice: our pediatrician told us when Guen had a fever that ibuprofen is also safe for infants and takes effect much sooner and lasts longer than acetaminophen (Tylenol).
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7-12-2006 @ 6:07PM
jj said...My 3 year old had a fever in the middle of the night while were on vacation recently. We were awoken by a high pitched scream, and he said that there was a monster but he said "NO! Go away, monster!" and threw something at it. Then we realized he was burning up. By morning, he was fine. Must've been a similar bug!
And then of course, the next night, the 3 month old got it, and was even hotter. But it was short, and nothing more than the fever, thank goodness!
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7-12-2006 @ 9:14PM
Jill said...Similar medical tip- you can stagger tylonol and advil so neither is completely worn off at any given time. Helps to get thru the night. They're safe to have in your system at the same time. Check with a pharmacy or Dr for dosages.
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7-12-2006 @ 9:42PM
Marsha said...My oldest hallucinated with a fever when she was 2. She saw spiders, and was sleeping with me since she didn't feel good. She was so adamant about it that I turned on the light and there was nothing. She was so sure though. Then she fell asleep again though. Fevers do strange things sometimes.
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7-12-2006 @ 11:10PM
ann adams said...What a story. Fever can do some strange things.
I haven't seen you before. Welcome.
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7-13-2006 @ 8:43AM
wookie said...More drugging tips for children:
Don't be afraid to look up the for-weight dosage and dose your child according to weight, not age. Get a calculator out if you need too. I have both my kids weights and appropriate dosages written on an index card in the bathroom because I am not capable of doing that level of calculation in the middle of the night. Most high-fever emergency room trips can be avoided by use of the OTC meds like ibuprofen and tylenol, in conjunction and at proper amounts and times.
However, the biggest thing to watch out for is signs of dehydration. If your child ever shows signs of severe dehydration, get them to the emergency room no matter what time of day or night it is. Dehydration CAN kill you.
Sorry for the assvice, but I'm a paranoiac on the dehydration thing.
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8-19-2006 @ 6:07PM
Donna Daniels said...I just want to ask, has any of your toddlers had night terrors? Is that possible for a 2 year old? My son woke my husband and me up in the middle of the night screaming hysterically (wasn't sick at all) crying, shaking, still half asleep, and we were both trying to awaken him and get him calm as possible. That event took quite a few minutes, that scared the ever loving daylights out of us. He has had 4 so far. Is this something that is hereditary? My husband has them from time to time and my mother in law had them as well. (she is deceased now). Should there be some concern?
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9-22-2006 @ 11:21PM
Melissa said...As Jill said, you can stagger Tylenol and Motrin or Advil for a fever but they must be given an hour apart. So you should give the Motrin first since that works faster and is stronger and then give the Tylenol an hour later. Then because Motrin is given every 6 hours and Tylenol every 4 it is easy to keep readministering. This works very well for keeping fevers down but can give an upset stomach so you should make sure they eat something so they are not being dosed on an empty stomach. And Wookie is correct, you should be very careful of dehydration. Since liquid Pedialyte expires in a couple of months I like to keep the single serving powdered liqiulytes made by Gerber. They last so much longer and are easy to keep a little box on hand in case you have a nighttime illness. No one likes to be running to the 24 hr store for electrolytes at 2am because that always seems to be when you need it. To be honest, I administer electrolytes at the first sign of fever or vomiting or diarreah to be on the safe side, and even sometimes on incredibly hot days in the summer and my daughter is not drinking well, so she does not get dehydrated from the heat. One last thing to be especailly careful of with fevers, a luke/cool bath can be given to bring down a fever but NEVER EVER WET THE HEAD! The body needs a place for the heat to escape and wetting the head along with the rest of the body can cause a stroke and brain damage! I like to put my daughter in the kitchen sink and use the sprayer with luke/cool, not cold water, or the bathtub with the detachable hose/shower head. Boy, there really are so many things to worry about!
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