temperature checking

[Sunny]

Anyone checking their temperature? My wife is now sick with a sore throat and a bit of a cough. I have a headache.

I'm sure we are fine, but do we have a fever?

Beats me. We have our prescriptions, food, new subscription to netflix, etc. etc. but for the life of us can't find a thermometer. Well, we did, but it is broken.

No problem, I'll order one on Amazon or pick up from the local Walmart.....out of stock.

 

[Dawg52]

I had a slight headache yesterday and so I checked it. Good news is it was normal. Bad news I'm not sure it was my thermometer or my dogs.

 

[Aerides]

I am checking because I have one, and I do have a slight cough but it's just a residual symptom from an upper respiratory infection a few weeks back.

But even though I am doing daily reads (because it costs me nothing to do them), I believe from everything I've read:

A) False negative - lack of a fever does not mean I don't have Covid
B) False positive - if I did have a fever it could be the flu or other things too

Generally I know if I have a fever before I take my temp. I can tell, I'll get chills. Then when it breaks I'll know by the sweats.

 

[CardsFan]

I had a slight headache yesterday and so I checked it. Good news is it was normal. Bad news I'm not sure it was my thermometer or my dogs.

Truth is, we haven't owned a thermometer since our 38 year old son was in grade school. Probably need to get one.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Funny to read this as I just now checked my temp after blowing my nose and coughing once or twice while watching TV. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I thought I'd check anyway. We have two cheap digital thermometers and since DW was an RN a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, she still has an old hospital thermometer (filled with mercury!).

Anyway, the two cheap thermometers gave me 95.8 F and 96.3 F. DW laughed at those readings and told me to take it the old fashioned way. That one said 36.4 C, or 97.5 F. I always was a bit low.

So no worries. I plan to take it again in the morning. I plan to visit someone tomorrow so I figure it's just "an abundance of caution," as they say.

 

[W2R]

No, I am have not taken my temperature recently because I haven't felt feverish.

 

[bingybear]

We've got several thermometers... likely still have an analog version.


When I get sick (not often) my temp can go up or down (several degrees)


You should have a couple thermometers since they are cheap and useful. Have some spare batteries.

 

[Luck_Club]

Hurry buy thermometers!

 

[powerplay]

I think it's a little late to hope to find a thermometer. Good luck!

 

[Jerry1]

I started taking mine last night. Me and DW in the AM and the PM. Good so far.

 

[Ian S]

I have an ancient mercury one but not feeling feverish so not using it.

 

[cranberryjoe]

I had the foresight to buy a battery for my thermometer a couple of weeks ago since the old was was long dead, having not been used in years. Lucky I did that, as I ended up having a fever several times over the weekend. But I have a question about interpreting the results.


I don't know how well this thermometer is calibrated (cheap Amazon purchase an unknown number of years ago). My normal reading on it is in the 97.0 to 97.8 range (a degree or so lower than the magical 98.6). Should I assume the thermometer is reading low, so if it tells me 100 its really >101? Or am I a cold-blooded animal who can tolerate an extra degree before it's really a fever?

 

[Jerry1]

I had the foresight to buy a battery for my thermometer a couple of weeks ago since the old was was long dead, having not been used in years. Lucky I did that, as I ended up having a fever several times over the weekend. But I have a question about interpreting the results.


I don't know how well this thermometer is calibrated (cheap Amazon purchase an unknown number of years ago). My normal reading on it is in the 97.0 to 97.8 range (a degree or so lower than the magical 98.6). Should I assume the thermometer is reading low, so if it tells me 100 its really >101? Or am I a cold-blooded animal who can tolerate an extra degree before it's really a fever?

I’m no doctor, but I would look at the temp you’re getting and view that as my base and focus on how your reading changes. If you’re at 97 and your reading goes to 100 and you’re feeling different to not well, you should seek help. If it stays at 97 and you’re not feeling sick, I’d feel good about just making the most of this strange situation.

 

[Ronstar]

Hurry buy thermometers!

Just ordered one from Amazon. Then I read the details and the reviews. Turns out that the one I ordered is highly rated by women checking their temps in an effort to get pregnant. Oh well, I guess it will still work for my use.

 

[travelover]

.......... our 38 year old son was in grade school. .............

Didn't the other kids think it was odd?

 

[Sunset]

Just ordered one from Amazon. Then I read the details and the reviews. Turns out that the one I ordered is highly rated by women checking their temps in an effort to get pregnant. Oh well, I guess it will still work for my use.

There might be an interesting thread in 9 months .....

We are checking ours , as frankly I don't feel great but it might be the medicine.

We have 3 , as Menards had them free after rebate a couple of years ago.

 

[Aerides]

...But I have a question about interpreting the results.

I don't know how well this thermometer is calibrated (cheap Amazon purchase an unknown number of years ago). My normal reading on it is in the 97.0 to 97.8 range (a degree or so lower than the magical 98.6). Should I assume the thermometer is reading low, so if it tells me 100 its really >101? Or am I a cold-blooded animal who can tolerate an extra degree before it's really a fever?

No, you're normal, and fever is still 100, see this recent discussion, many of us are well under 98 when healthy.
https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/are-you-cool-your-temperature-that-is-101724.html

 

[audreyh1]

We located all our thermometers to take with us. I’ll probably start monitoring my temp daily as I’m helping care for my elderly DF.

 

[audreyh1]

Just ordered one from Amazon. Then I read the details and the reviews. Turns out that the one I ordered is highly rated by women checking their temps in an effort to get pregnant. Oh well, I guess it will still work for my use.

As long as the upper range is high enough. It is a more precise thermometer and thus takes longer to get a reading. They must give you a range spec somewhere.

 

[Golden sunsets]

We have 2 digital thermometers and have been taking our temps as we have both been sick. We travelled back from Mexico a week ago and I got sick about 3 days later despite using all of the conventional protections suggested during the travel day. My feeling is that it is a cold, but who knows? Sore throat, head cold but temp never greater than 99.0. Dr did not want me to be tested unless symptoms worsened and I am now much better. DH started with same symptoms 2 days ago. Temp is 97.0- 97.9. We are self quarantining.

 

[Ronstar]

As long as the upper range is high enough. It is a more precise thermometer and thus takes longer to get a reading. They must give you a range spec somewhere.

Thanks for the info. I checked - it’s 89.6 to 107.6. That should be a wide enough range.

 

[audreyh1]

Thanks for the info. I checked - it’s 89.6 to 107.6. That should be a wide enough range.

Oh yeah, you’re good. You’ll get one more digit of precision and have to wait a bit longer for it, but whatever.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I had a slight headache yesterday and so I checked it. Good news is it was normal. Bad news I'm not sure it was my thermometer or my dogs.

Or, a meme I recently saw in my feed, "Make sure you have a thermometer that hasn't been in a horse's butt"!

 

[gtweath]

Hurry buy thermometers!

They're at the grocery store, next to the toilet paper

 

[Freedom56]

We have been taking our temperature twice a day with a Braun Thermoscan ear temperature thermometer and a digital tongue thermometer. Ear temperature is normally 0.5 to 1 degree higher than under the tongue. We are getting readings of 97.3 to 98.5 ear temperature and 96.5 to 97.7 under the tongue. We have acetaminophen ready to control our body temperature should it go above 99.5. My wife is a nurse and she has purchased many items for emergency response such as first aid equipment, saline drips, etc... and we are able communicate with our doctors by phone or Skype. We have no plans to go to a hospital unless it is absolutely necessary.