Finding the cause of your infection

Questions your doctor might ask?

Your doctor will want to examine you and ask you a number of questions if you develop a fever or infection. This is so they can find out the exact cause and treat it in the best way. 

They might ask:

• When did the fever start?

• What symptoms do you have?

• What cancer treatments are you having?

• How long is it since your last treatment?

• Do you have any difficulty peeing or opening your bowels?

• What medications are you taking?

• Do you have any pain? If so, where?

• Are you coughing up green phlegm?

• Do you have a painful, throbbing tooth?

• Do you have any lines into your veins, for example, a PICC line or central line?

• Do you have any tubes, drains or catheters?

• Is the fever there all the time, or does it come and go?

• Do you have night sweats?

• Do you have any skin changes, for example, your skin feels hot, swelling, pain, redness, or a change in normal colour?

• Do you have any wounds that have not completely healed?

• Do you have any other illnesses?

• Have you taken medicines to lower your fever or treat any of your symptoms?

Tests

Your doctor will examine you if they suspect you have an infection. 

Sometimes your symptoms can give your doctor some idea of where in your body your infection is. For example, if you have burning and stinging sensations when you pee, you might have a urine infection.

Your doctor will also check your breathing and you may have a chest x-ray to rule out a lung infection. If you have a drip or central line they will carefully examine the entry site for any signs of infection. 

You'll have blood samples taken. This is to check that your blood cell counts are normal. You may have a blood test called a blood culture. This looks for infection in your blood.  

You might also have other tests to check for infection in your:

• pee (urine)

• spit (sputum)

• wound site

• poo (faeces)

• nose and throat

What happens if your team can't find the cause?

It's not always possible for your doctor to find out exactly what is causing your fever. Or it make time to find the cause. So you’re usually treated with a type of antibiotic that is active against a wide variety of bacteria. This is called a broad spectrum antibiotic. You will probably start antibiotics while you are waiting for your tests.

You might need to have some tests repeated. And you may need your antibiotics changed if tests show up a bacteria that needs to be treated with a specific antibiotic, or if you become more unwell.

It's important that your doctor keeps checking to find the cause, but some infections are very hard to find. You may get better with antibiotics before your doctor can find the cause.

Find out about treating your fever