Help! I can't get this fever to break :(

Hello everyone🙂

It’s been six days now—and I mean all day, every day—of dealing with this fever. It isn't spiking wildly, but functioning while running a temperature is hardly easy.

Without Lupocet, I’m sitting at 99.5°F; once I take Lupocet, it only drops to about 98.2°F—a pattern that has persisted for five full days.

I went to see my doctor, but she wasn't willing to prescribe anything else... I don't have any other symptoms—no congestion, no sore throat, no cough.🤷🤷

I've tried tea, Vitamin C, and plenty of rest, but nothing seems to work.😢

I'm reaching my breaking point here... how does one actually get rid of a fever?

😢😢

A bit of advice...🤷

Why don't you just ask them to run some blood work instead?

It could be a simple virus, but honestly, it could be anything at all. 🤷

Kimberly Booth43 said:Maybe ask them to run some blood work?

It could be a simple virus—or it could be anything at all. 🤷

Well, damn—it's Saturday tomorrow, which means zero progress...😢

I just hope it isn't the swine flu. 😬

It’s definitely not swine flu... if it were, you’d be dealing with way more symptoms than this... 🙂 ... alright... here’s the real question though... are you feeling exhausted and just totally sluggish?....

A fever just means your body is fighting something off—if you can handle it, there's no real need to bring it down immediately (anything under 102°F isn't usually a cause for panic). Instead, try to get an appointment with your doctor first thing Monday morning? You should ask for a blood work referral right then and there—just remember that most labs prefer you to go early in the day for the best results.

Look, I’m not arguing with you on this—getting your blood work done is definitely the right move... but honestly? You should probably go get those lung X-rays checked out too, just to be safe.

cosmicmaker30 said:fair enough... I'm with you on getting the blood work done... but honestly, just grab a chest X-ray while you're at it.

Just ignore the suggestion about the X-ray and you've got a perfect 5.

cosmicmaker30 said:It doesn't seem like the flu—there would be more distinct symptoms... 🙂 ... though, one question remains... are you feeling exhausted and sluggish?....

Yes, I am sleeping all day and yet I still feel drained.😢

So, it isn't the flu? It's too early in the season, and there aren't any classic clinical symptoms.🤷

James Watson84 said:Just ignore that chest X-ray suggestion—it’s all five points.

I'm fine, honestly—my doctor gave me the all-clear during our appointment on Tuesday, so everything was perfectly normal then.🙂

lol... honestly, I’m the kind of patient who can sit around with a 99.5 fever for ten days straight without blinking. I actually went to my doctor early on, and they just brushed it off as some minor bug. Fast forward ten days, and we end up at our clinic where the doctor finally orders an X-ray, only to find out it was viral pneumonia all along. She had just been walking through it. No other symptoms, really—just the constant fever and feeling completely wiped out. And I should probably mention that when you listen with a stethoscope, you don't hear a single thing wrong. In the end, she didn't even take any medication. Her blood work looked totally fine, aside from slightly low white cell counts because of the fever reducers she took.

cosmicmaker30 said:lol... honestly, I had a patient once who sat at a steady 99.5 degrees for about ten days—just drifting along. She’d already seen her primary care physician, who dismissed it as some minor bug. Ten days later, she shows up at our clinic, and after the doctor orders an X-ray, it turns out she had viral pneumonia all along... just flying under the radar. No other symptoms besides the fever and fatigue. Not even worth mentioning that nothing came up via stethoscope. In the end, she didn't take any meds; bloodwork looked fine, aside from slightly low white cell counts due to the Tylenol...

😲😲

thanks 🙂

So, am I getting a prescription? To be honest, I’d rather not waste my afternoon sitting in a waiting room if I can just manage this from home...

p.s. is there anything else for a fever besides Lupocet?

Atypical pneumonia: bird exposure and AC units
Atypical pneumonia gets its name because the clinical presentation differs somewhat from "typical" cases—the culprits being viruses, fungi, or intracellular microorganisms.
The symptoms mimic the flu, usually featuring a dry cough. From a radiological standpoint, you see subtle, interstitial changes—often bilateral—which are vital for reaching a diagnosis. It presents with muscle aches, fatigue, fever, and a non-productive cough (meaning nothing actually comes up).
Certain types, such as those caused by Chlamydia (transmitted via birds) or Legionella (typically found in contaminated AC systems), can be quite severe. Generally, these pathogens don't just target the lungs; they can affect other organs like the liver, kidneys, or brain. A patient's overall condition can become critical, often necessitating intensive care in a hospital setting. If a doctor suspects "atypical" pneumonia based on symptoms and scans, they prescribe different antibiotics than those used for "typical" cases. Treatment is also more prolonged—lasting at least two weeks.

I did a bit of my own digging🙂

The bolded part refers to me... I honestly find it hard to believe my doctor didn't make the connection, especially since I specifically mentioned feeling weak and working in an office with central air. 😠😠😠

It’s funny how someone on a forum can provide a diagnosis before a professional does...🙂🙂 thanks🙂

So, I suppose I really do need to head back to the doctor?😢

Don't mention it... Honestly, we still don't know for sure if it’s actually pneumonia or something else. You really ought to take those test results to your doctor and have them take a look. Depending on how far along the infection is, they'll decide which meds to put you on...
I wouldn't even be thinking twice about it if I hadn't gone through the exact same thing myself... plus, you haven't even mentioned all the symptoms yet...

cosmicmaker30 said:Don't mention it... we still aren't entirely certain if it's actually pneumonia. You should head to your doctor to have them review those test results—depending on how far along the infection is, they'll determine which medications you need...
I wouldn't even suspect it myself if I hadn't dealt with a similar situation once... besides, you haven't mentioned all your symptoms yet...

The only thing that doesn't quite fit is the cough... I only had one instance of a dry cough when I felt a bit of a chill.😁

I will, thanks.🙂

In your very first post, you mentioned that you aren't experiencing ANY symptoms—not even a sore throat, a runny nose, or a cough. So, clearly, that bolded part doesn't apply to you. Honestly, we really need to push back against all this armchair diagnosing on forums, relying on Wikipedia, or trying to self-diagnose everything. It might be pneumonia, or it might not be; there are a thousand different reasons why someone might run a fever.

I’ll give credit where it's due to the internet, but let’s be real: it is the absolute fastest way to spread viral hypochondria.
Keep Googling if you want, and I’m sure you’ll manage to diagnose yourself with at least five more illnesses by the end of the day.

Melissa James70 is spot on, though I guess there's no harm in asking for a second opinion on a forum like this. Before my own scare, I never would have even considered the possibility of pneumonia when dealing with a fever...

Melissa James70 said:In your first post, you mentioned having absolutely zero symptoms—no sore throat, no congestion, no cough. So, clearly, the bolded parts don't apply to you. Let's steer clear of the amateur internet diagnoses, Wikipedia medical deep-dives, and self-prescribing. It might be pneumonia, or it might not; there are a thousand different reasons for a fever.

Kudos to the internet—it really is the premier way to spread viral hypochondria.
Keep Googling, and I'm certain you'll manage to diagnose yourself with at least five more ailments.

The cough only started last night, and even then, it's minimal...

As for the bolded text, it’s the same as my first post—fever and fatigue.

At any rate, a doctor will provide the actual diagnosis eventually...

Exactly... go see the doctor... and let us know what they end up calling it once you get the diagnosis...

It looks like you're dealing with mono symptoms. You should definitely bring that up with your doctor.