Hi there, I am responding because it sounds like something that i actually had myself a few weeks ago.. depending on which part of the back is sore.. the sore back could be from coughing also so dont panic, but in reading your concerns, it sounds as if your son has an infection somewhere in his body and would most probably need antibiotics.. what I had was a kidney infection that got gradually worse over a few days and they ended up having to put me into hospital on IV antibiotics.. origionally the doctor did see me but it wasnt improving so they made the call that the oral antibiotics werent going to be effective in time to stop it getting worse.. It could have something to do with the h1n1 virus, with the coughing and so forth, but alert them when you get there about your concerns and they will most probably isolate you from the other patients.. the swine flu is basically a less severe version of the flu that we usually get thru every year.. the problems mostly arise in people that already have health problems so the likelihood if he does have that will be that he recovers with little or no problems as long as he is otherwise well...either way he needs to see a doctor to be checked for signs of infection and its not something you should put off much longer.. hope he recovers well soon xx Cheers from Mel

Hmm

I'm a wee bit concerned that you may be giving too much paracetemol; 1000mg every 6 hrs. Excess paracetemol can cause kidney failure; so please be careful.

If its 'swine flu' you're referring to; it has classic flu-symptoms like very high fever (39.5+) & muscle/joint aches & pains. So I'd not be concerned about that if I were you.

If his phlem is yellow-green in colour; it developed into a bacterial infection so a Dr would prescribe antibiotics. If its clear or white; odds are its still a virus so only time will cure it. Oftentimes an illness will start w/ a virus & then develop into an infection (as the virus has taken down some of the immunity; another bug comes in.)

Medication is not the only way to relieve fever; ice-packs on pulse-points; cold baths/showers; laving w/ eau de cologne/water before a fan etc are also effective. Liquids are very important; especially if high in vitamins. Chicken soup is useful as it provides protein & minerals w/ the liquid (the body needs the raw materials in order to fight off a bug).

B/c he feels better then worse & b/c his fever is not too high; I suspect his immune system is putting up a good fight. So do encourage him to rest even when he does feel a little better.

If I were you I'd trot out all the old home remedies; chicken soup made w/ lashings of garlic (perhaps bulked up w/ pearl barley); warm lemon/honey drinks (perhaps spiked w/ a little ginger); eau de cologne on the damp cloth for his brow; any amount of orange juice he's prepared to swallow (fizzy drinks leach vitamins from the body so best not those)... whatever home remedies are traditional to your family & lots of sleep. Do keep an eye on his temp (try to keep it under 39 at least) & the colour of what he coughs up. 

Whisk him off to the Dr if his sputum turns yellowish or greenish or if you can't get his temp under 39 or if he's in much pain..

Good luck  

Paracetamol (Panadol/Tylanol/Heron = some brand names) will help with the fever. A temperature isn't to be overly concerned about until it gets to about 40 degrees C. If it hits 40 and paracetamol and staying cool and rested brings it down a bit, then it's okay. It's when it's at 40 and nothing more can be done to reduce it that a trip to hospital is recommended.