My 13 month-old son recently developed a very high fever (104 degrees F). As a result, we took him to urgent care that same day. The PA (Physician’s Assistant) said it was a viral related and there was not much to do about it; aside from keeping the fever down.Two days later, my son was still battling a high fever (101-104 degrees F). As a result, we took our son to our pediatrician’s office. Unfortunately, our doctor was not available, so we ended up seeing a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in that same practice. The NP diagnosed my son with “Herpangina.” The NP said tha fever typicially lasts for about 4-5 days and that this viral infection would eventually go away within 5 more days. The NP was correct in terms of the timing of the fever dissapearing. However, once the fever went away, my son immediately developed a rash and became extremely irritable. in addition, he’s balance is a bit off and he now tends to fall down after taking a few steps. The imbalance really concerns us because he endured a total of 4-5 days of high fever. We have talked to a few friends and have done our own research about these symptoms. Something tells me that we should also consider “Roseola infantum” or even “meningitis.” Again, what really seems to stand out is my son’s inability to walk as good as he used to. Any advice?

Lori Buher responds:

I’m sorry, it sounds as though you have been through a very difficult experience. As a Mom, I’m not qualified to give medical advice and must urge you to continue to talk with your doctor about your son’s lack of balance. It’s so frightening when our children are sick, and you’ve the added challenge of trying to communicate with a 13 month old! I learned early in my own son’s illness that I AM the best advocate for my child and that it is important to persevere when talking with the doctors. The only real advice I might give you is to do just that, continue asking questions of your medical advisors until you are satisfied that every avenue has been explored.