If your child has abdominal pain, call your child's doctor to make sure the problem is not serious. Speaking to your child's doctor is especially important if your child has not had a pain crisis before and you are not sure what to do. Check for fever before giving Tylenol. If the child has a fever of 101 degrees or more, call the child's doctor right away. During a painful crisis, it is important for the child to drink a lot of fluids.
Dehydration can make sickle cell disease worse by causing the red blood cells to sickle faster.
Encourage the child to drink liquids like juice, fruit drinks and water. Discourage the child from drinking fluids that contain caffeine, like soda, tea, and coffee. Give pain medications as instructed by your doctor. If your child does not get better with medication or develops a fever or seems to be getting worse, call your doctor. When the blood vessels supplying bone get blocked by sickle cells, the bone can become damaged.