What could my father be sick with?

my dad is 63 years old and in overall good health. he was suffering from some very painful neuck/upper back pain on one side for several days. a week ago, sunday night ,he came down with a fever and a slight cough. the doctor diagnosed him with pnemonia after a chest x-ray and put him on some strong antibiotics. to make a long story short, my father was hospitalized today. x-ray shows his pnemonia is completely gone but his fever has remained hovering around 102.5 ever since last sunday. he has no other symptoms except for that pain in his neck, which is not as bad as it was. in the doctor's words "we don't know what we're treating". he is on a strong IV coctail of poweful antibiotics, we'll see if they've helped by tommorrow but no antibiotic via mouth or injection has helped with the fever till now. it could be several days before the blood culture results are in and my family is pretty scared. anyone with any knowlage out there who can guess what could cause these symtoms?

my father had already suggested meningitis to the doctors. they said they's look into it but said nothing more. as far as MRSA, his symptoms don't fit. MRSA involved more moscle pain, runny nose, much more flue like.

Meningitis

MRSA. It is a bacterial infection that is antibiotic resistant. That is why they have him on strong IV antibiotics, but they can't diagnose him until the cultures come back. He will be ok.

You are not saying much. You just say that he had neck and upper back pain. You did not give any test that were done, or what the doctors were looking for. Pneumonia is a diagnosis and the lungs are clearing up. It was given for the reason of having fluid in the lungs with a high fever. Bacterial and/or viral pneumonia is the first thing to diagnose, and to get the lungs cleared out is very important. That alone is something that has to be done immediately.
Now the next thing the doctors should be looking for is serious life threatening problems. That is done by blood test, and possibly imaging (x-rays, ultasounds, and scans) which you said nothing about except for the lungs. What about the muscles and bones? The doctors should of given your father a complete blood count and at least a very good chemistry- profile, that may lead them in a direction to find the problem. If everything comes back negative that is good, but then they have to decide on more intricate test. And again, nothing was mentioned except blood cultures.
As an ex-professinal in the medical world. I am retired. I would advise you to talk with your mother to the doctor and find out all the test that were done, and all the results. Ask about the diseases that come to the almost elderly. Arthritis can cause a high fever for the first time or a strong returning episode (exascerbation period). It is not always in the hands and fingers, legs and feet. Fibromyalgia is a new name for God-Knows-What, but it also effects that area in the back. I am sure, that the doctors already ruled out heart problems. Cancer is another problem they probably already ruled out. That is why test are so important. He could also may just overworked himself at work, play, and believe it or not at the computer. All those can cause inflamation in that area. One more question, did your father have polio as a child? There is a post polio syndrome, that can cause problems too?
I hope that I did not scare the heck out of you, but again, the best thing is: Find out what the test are. Have an open relationship with the doctor and your parents. The doctor is good when they are honest and tell you that they do not have all the answers, however the doctor has more answers to what it is not. Ask the doctor for those answers too. This will help relieve your fears and anxieties of things that your dad does not have. Sometimes in the medical profession what it is not, is better than what is. The doctor is looking for all the answers to all the questions and/or is finding out the answers as I am writitng this. The doctor is doing the best one can do. Since the doctor is troubled, I guarantee you, that they are asking their collegues for help. It can be as simple as the flu going around. The doctor did do the right thing, by making sure the vital things are working. Any doctor would of treated your father first for the pneumonia.
As I said before, communication is the best anxiety reliever. Have a good relationship with your mother, tell her how worried you are. Ask her to find out the test results which both of you should talk to the doctor together. Imagination is very scary, and in the medical world, something that seems simple can turn into something terrible. On the other hand, something that seems terrible can be something very simple. Communication is the best and effective way to get your father the best help.
I hope by the time you get this, it was simple and you will have a happy holiday season. The last method many doctors and medical professionals will tell you; God is up there and he works too! God bless you and your family! There is a prayer for your family tonight.

ask doctor okay