Worried About Flushed and Feverish Son

QUESTION: There have been three separate occasions when my son returned from
playing with his friends when he was flushed and feverish. I don't mean just
hot and sweaty, but actually had a temperature of over 100 degrees when I took
it with an oral thermometer. My doctor advised me to just watch him, and of
course it went away without any medication. However I am still worried, and
hoped that you might be able to offer some explanation.
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ANSWER: You sound very much like a normal, caring mother, for many parents
worry about elevated temperatures when they occur in their children. In this
case, however, I doubt that there is cause for concern. There is really no
such thing as a "normal" temperature, for even in normal individuals it may
vary as much as 2 to 3 degrees in a 24 hour period, with the lowest reading
being found during sleep and the highest temperature recorded during the late
afternoon. When fever is noted after a healthy workout or period of play, it
is not a cause of concern, especially when it descends after a short period
without medication. It that case it is considered to be a normal variation in
the constantly changing level of body temperature. It may interest you to
learn that the so called "normal" body temperature of 98.6 degrees F was
determined by averaging the levels found in just a few individuals in a study
conducted in the 19th century. Most doctors therefore do not react too
strongly to brief variations from this level. And that is good advice for you
as well. Any serious conditions usually produce fevers that are both higher
and sustained over a longer period of time. It is generally conceded that a
rectal temperature over 101 degrees F (38.3 degrees C) is abnormal.