What should I do for the sore tummy of my 5 year old?
Patient: My 5 year old girl has had a bit of a cold for the past week Yesterday she came down with a fever which is controlled with advil and tylenol, she vomited when she gets the onset of the fever again but that is normal for her. Now she is complaining of a sore tummy even to touch she says it hurts.. What should I do? Doctor: Hi....Fever of few days without any localizing signs could as well a viral illness. Usually rather than fever, what is more important is the activity of the child, in between 2 fever episodes on the same day. If the kid is active and playing around when there is no fever, it is probably viral illness and it doesn't require antibiotics at all. Once viral fever comes it will there for 4-7 days. So do not worry about duration if the kid is active.Sore tummy could be due to viral illness as such due to mild gastritis. This is quite common.Paracetamol can be given in the dose of 15mg/kg/dose (maximum ceiling dose of 500mg) every 4-6th hourly that too only if fever is more than 100F. I suggest not using combination medicines for fever, especially with Paracetamol. Hope my answer was helpful for you.  I am happy to help any time. Further clarifications and consultations on Health care magic are welcome. If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish your kid good health.Dr. Sumanth MBBS., DCH., DNB (Paed).