【It would have been too scary if I didn't know】 The truth behind "incoherent speech" during a high fever | A personal account of "febrile delirium" that happened to my child
Introduction | It started with the "sense of unease" she showed during a high fever
After Golden Week,
a normal weekday—or so I thought
A sudden high fever struck my second daughter.
Thursday evening,
after coming home from school,
a little while later,
"I'm sleepy, I'm tired"
my second daughter kept complaining.
She had a bit of a stuffy nose, but
other than that, there were no particularly noticeable symptoms,
and just to be sure, I took her temperature and it was a high fever over 39°C.
From there, for 2-3 days, a high fever of 39-40°C continued.
My second daughter is prone to high fevers by constitution,
so it's not rare for it to go up to nearly 40°C.
Just when I thought, "It's probably the usual pattern" this time too,
a certain abnormality occurred.
The moment I noticed the abnormality | "The whereabouts of the Papico" and an incoherent reply
Two days after the fever started, Saturday morning.
My second daughter, who had been eating a Papico, went to the bathroom
and when she came back.
"Did you eat all the Papico?"
When I asked her,
"I don't know"
was her reply.
"You were holding it before you went to the bathroom, right? Where did you put it?"
Even when I asked her,
"…I don't know"
She really seemed not to know.
When I looked for it with my eldest daughter,
for some reason, it was propped up inside the door of the children's kitchen.
"Why did you put it in a place like this?"
"…I'm sorry for erasing the letters on the blackboard without asking"
I was dumbfounded by the answer that came back with a serious face.
She didn't seem to be joking at all; she seemed completely serious.
That was when I finally realized something was wrong.
The term "febrile delirium" I arrived at through a search
I thought about calling an ambulance right away, but
I decided to look it up first.
That was when the term "febrile delirium" jumped out at me.
A condition where one speaks incoherently during a high fever or makes statements that seem like a mix of reality and delusion.
This matched my second daughter's condition exactly.
I couldn't help but shudder.
What if she suddenly went outside?
What if she opened a window and tried to jump out?
Such worst-case scenarios crossed my mind, so I decided to
make an effort to never take my eyes off her.
When taking a bath, I took turns with my eldest daughter to ensure
someone was always by her side.
Could that be "febrile delirium"? | Check the symptoms and how to tell
I learned through my research that
this condition is called "febrile delirium." It is a state where, when a high fever occurs, the brain becomes
temporarily confused, leading to
hallucinations or incoherent speech. It is
common in children and is characterized by being more likely to occur at night or while sleeping.
・Becoming confused about location or people
・Claiming to "see" things that aren't there
・Acting in ways that don't make sense
If these symptoms are observed, it is highly likely to be febrile delirium.
The key point is the "responds to being called, but doesn't make sense" state.
How should a first-time mom handle this? | Points to avoid panicking
If you encounter febrile delirium,
the most important thing is "not to panic".
At first, I started to panic thinking it was a brain abnormality, but I took a deep breath and reminded myself that "this might be temporary."
In reality,
・Do not shake them vigorously, deny what they say, or get angry
・Speak to them gently so they feel safe
・Create an environment where they can sleep quietly
It is said that many children calm down just from this.
Of course, if they are very anxious or show seizure-like movements,
without hesitation,it is safer to rely on pediatric emergency services or after-hours clinics.
Actually, I have experienced "febrile seizures" in the past...
My second daughter had a
"febrile seizure"when she was around two years old,
and I have the experience of calling an ambulance.
The terror of that time came back to me, and this time too, it wasa spine-chillingexperience.
As I researched further, I learned that
"febrile delirium"has symptoms similar toinfluenza-associated encephalopathy,making me realize that even more careful judgment is required.
That is precisely why I did not take my eyes off her and spent the time observing her condition closely.
How the parent handled it | Efforts to lower the fever as much as possible
Thinking, "First, I have to do something about this high fever,"
I immediately administered Calonal.
Cooling sheets under both armpits,
and a cooling ice pillow at the neck.
Although I had been using them before the febrile delirium started,
they would come off when she tossed and turned,
so this time I was thorough about fixing them immediately if they shifted.
Fortunately, she was able to drink plenty of fluids,
and she could eat things like jelly, so there didn't seem to be any worry about dehydration.
However, this time I felt the medicine was taking longer to work than usual, which made me anxious.
Signs of recovery and a moment of relief
When the medicine started to take effect,
I asked, "Do you know where you are?" and my second daughter replied, "In bed."
I felt a little relieved.
However, even after that, when her fever rose, she would say strange things again,
"Fever goes down → responses are normal → fever rises again → incoherent"
We repeated this cycle several times.
And around noon on Sunday,
it finally settled down to the 37-38°C range even without medication.
"Not knowing" is the scariest thing | What I thought after experiencing it
My second daughter has previously been hospitalized for
acute bronchitisand
at that time, it was severe enough to require a ventilator.
Because she is physically delicate, I never stop worrying whenever something happens.
It seems there are types of colds that don't agree with her constitution,
so I get nervous every time she catches a cold.
My eldest daughter is healthy and rarely gets a fever,
which makes my second daughter's fevers all the more alarming.
Having encountered the term "febrile delirium" this time,
I truly felt from the bottom of my heart:
Not knowing is truly a scary thing.
If I had had the knowledge beforehand,
I might not have panicked so much.
That is precisely why
I want moms and dads who read this article,
those expecting a baby,
and those raising children for the first time...
at the very least,febrile delirium—I want you to at least know this term.
What our family is careful about | Measures we can take to prevent recurrence
Hearing that febrile delirium can happen repeatedly,
we reviewed how we respond when a fever occurs in our home.
・When a high fever occurs suddenly, the possibility of "febrile delirium" increases
・Do not take your eyes off them at all
・It is easy to get confused if it is too dark, so keep a nightlight on
・If the fever is behaving differently than usual, watch them carefully
Also, I shared with my husband, who lives with us,
that "this is what febrile delirium can be like,"
sharingthe information so that in an emergency,
I don't have to carry the burden aloneas a precaution.It is reassuring to be a little more sensitiveto the child's condition from the evening onwards,
when body temperature tends to rise.
Conclusion | How precious a normal daily life is
Currently, my second daughter has recovered safely
and has returned to her normal life.
My child is the type whose appetite doesn't return easily after a cold,
but that's normal for them.
Being able to hold a normal conversation and move around energetically.
I am once again feeling how grateful I am for
such daily life.
Through this experience,
I keenly felt the importance of having knowledge.
To prevent panic in case of an emergency—
"Febrile delirium", please keep this in mind.
So you don't panic when the time comes.
So you don't get flustered.
To protect your precious child.
And to protect your own heart.
I hope this article serves as a charm for someone.
【Video URL regarding febrile delirium】
This time, there were no notable symptoms other than the fever.
Although their nose was a little stuffy,
Cannot sleep at night due to severe coughing
Waking up many times at night due to severe nasal congestion
Feeling miserable with a runny nose
and so on,
no severe symptoms were observed.
While you cannot prevent the fever itself,
here are the measures we take at home
to prevent cold symptoms from worsening👇
Please read it if you are interested📖
＼Click here for articles summarizing our experiences raising children close in age🗒️／
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