Persistent low grade fever

[March55]

Hi all,Sept 23 I started to develop a cough only in the mornings, I tried many remedies and no improvement over the course of the following months the cough started to continue during the day, I attended the doctor's in Dec who said my chest was clear after an x-ray and prescribed me an inhaler to try aswell as omeprazole.

By middle of of January this year I was really struggling to breathe without coughing I almost had a fever, I finally got another GP appointment on the 31st of jan, he said my chest was extremely inflamed and prescribed steroids and that the temperature was viral. He advised he felt it was COPD and suggested I book a spirometry test 6 weeks after the steroids. Well I didn't realise just had hard breathing had become until the steroids kicked in and wow what a difference. After the steroids my chest feels great however my fever has remained.

I gave it another few weeks but the fever stayed and so I booked another GP appointment, the GP ordered blood tests, lots of them including a menopause screen and coeliac test. He prescribed me antibiotics just encase we were missing an infection somewhere.

By beginning of march the antibiotics had made no difference so I rebooked the GP, all of my bloods came back fine with only the red blood cell distribution width being slightly out of range, the coeliac test hasn't arrived back yet. My GP has given me naproxen to take with paracetamol to try and give me some relief from the fever. He has also referred me to endocrine team bit I've been told the referral time is quite long.

I then had my spirometry test in which they stopped it because I couldn't force blow for long enough and without coughing badly. The nurse felt I needed longer to recover and has booked another one for 4 weeks time.

Has anyone else experienced a long term low grade fever after a COPD exacerbation? Did you ever get to the bottom of it? Its really getting me down, I feel horrible and shivery and achy all the time my temp is always around 39c I wake repeatedly through the night as the tablets wear off. Ive gone from never really taking painkillers to rattling when I walk. I always feel like I'm never operating at 100% because of this temperature

[knitter]

I have a slight fever at the moment , blood test showed some inflammation but my cough is only in my throat not my lungs .

I have infected sinuses , feel rough . So I can sympathise

Have you had sputum test , see if any infection lingering in your lungs . May need different antibiotic .

ALUK has a helpline for UK residents , open during office hours .

Hope you get some relief soon .

[March55 in reply to knitter]

No sputum test wasn't suggested at all, originally when they gave me steroids they said my lungs were inflamed but not infected it was just a viral infection. The antibiotics they only gave a week in February as the fever just wouldn't go. Really hope your feeling better soon, sinus infections are awful

[leo60]

Sounds miserable March. So sorry I can only sympathise as I have no experience of this. I hope you feel better soon xx

[March55 in reply to leo60]

Thankyou x

[poppit1946]

Sorry you are struggling. The only thing I can say is it does get better once they find what has triggered it. Took nearly a year before they found mine was due to another medical problem I had and once that was under control it got the rest under control. I have flare ups now and again but not often. Omperazole is one of the many drugs I take,

[March55 in reply to poppit1946]

Thankyou

[Patk1]

I'd request to put a sputum sample & also a urine specimen in for testing.how long was Yr antibiotic course? Perhaps yr gp cld give you a longer course,as it's dragging on.is Yr inhaler helping? Post hysterectomy,my body reacted badly to loss of hormones ovaries produce.tried hrt tablets, creams,gels,implants - nothing helped.was hot and physically sweating day+ night.eventually I researched & found a tried and tested herbal supplement - which thankfully worked for me.my gp was happy for me to take it .

But Yr gp needs to get to the bottom of ths for u.

[March55 in reply to Patk1]

Thankyou the GP hasn't said anything about a sputum sample so I will ask, they said when they gave me the steroids I didn't have an infection just inflamed they only gave me antibiotics for a week in February because the fever wouldn't go just a broad spectrum antibiotics just encase but made zero difference. My lungs feel really good at the moment but I know I'm run down as the eczema on my hands has become bad and I'm getting lots of mouth ulcers, the fever is the bit I'm struggling with even with all the tablets I can't get it below 38c which isn't very high but high enough I feel yucky. I haven't felt like I've needed to take the inhaler for the last few weeks as breathing is so much better