Digital Thermometers.

dreamdaisy

I dislike them intensely (found one on Sunday morning because I wasn't feeling bonny and discovered its battery was flat) far preferring my trusty mercury-filled glass tube which I have had for around thirty years - until yesterday. I also far prefer the old measurements of 96, 97, 98.4 etc. I understood those, I don't grasp the metric equivalents.

I haven't been to bonny since Saturday and wondered if I had a raised temperature: I usually run between 96 and 97, so when I reached the giddy heights of 98.2 I knew that for me I had a low-grade temperature (one of the great joys of being immuno-suppressed is you don't know you're ill because you don't produce symptoms until something's got a hold). I didn't feel as though I had a temperature but I knew I wasn't right. After taking it yesterday (still 98.2) I cleaned it and put it back in its tube: I heard a crack and found that part of the mouthpiece had sheared off. I hared off to Boots to buy another and needless to say you can't buy them anymore. Purchased another digital heap. I still know I'm not right but according to the machine I am fine. :roll: DD

stickywicket

As an autoimmuner you should be well-versed in the 'according to our tests you're fine' puzzle but to be betrayed by thermometers on top of blood tests is, I realise, an unnecessary coup de grace.

I guess mercury thermometers were banned because of the dangers of mercury. (How, on earth does one dispose of it?) Actually I could never work them and now have one that I can – almost – manage to stick in my ear though I rarely bother as, like you, I find they lie.

Whatever the thermometer says I hope you will soon be bonny again

theresak

I hope you feel more `bonny` soon, DD. I think anything digital is not necessarily better - one of the practice nurses at my surgery always uses the old - style BP monitor, as she swears they are more accurate. Digital phones can be prone to error too.


Never mind, it is, after all, progress....................

dibdab

Oh the disappointment when an old favourite bites the dust . Hope you start to feel better soon.

Deb x

dreamdaisy

Well, I'm still in the 'green zone' so ergo fighting fit! 8) I know I'm not but, having read up on body temperatures (and how unreliable they are) I suspect I will have to present something around the blood-boiling point at the surgery before any doc takes me seriously.

Oh theresak, I'm with you on that one! My rheumatology clinic uses the digital BP monitors and they hurt because they are rubbish. When I go to the hypertension clinic at the GPs I always compliment them on using the 'proper' kit - and the humans at the other end have always said they prefer them: a few pumps, ears working, one reading, job done.

Thank you, dibdab, overall I am feeling brighter but not necessarily better.

Sticky? Apparently this one can be stuck in various places :shock: but I am an old-fashioned gal and prefer wrapping my tongue around the tip. Stop sniggering. DD

PS You raise an interesting point: currently my old favourite is encased in my bedroom bin but I will seek advice about its disposal. Thank you for making me think about that.

dreamdaisy

I'm still struggling every now and again - I'm definitely bugged. :roll: I've been advised to contact my local pharmacy about the disposal of my old thermometer so I shall. DD

Starburst

I had to laugh because I was looking at temperatures for Florida in May and I had no idea what it meant. High 70s? Erm, could be coat weather or sweating in your swimsuit for all I understand.

Anyway, sorry to hear you've been under the weather. Hope you have a nice, restful weekend and start to pick up a bit more.

Sophie x

dibdab

How are feeling by now DD? I think I've come out in sympathy....sore , wheezy chest, ear and sinus ache, bit hot....having abandoned my DMARD's for 10 days I gave in and went to the GP. So she thinks it's a virus but has sent me home with 7 days of steroids to avert the next asthma attack and support my joints until I get back on track with RA meds, and 2 weeks worth of antibiotics just in case it turns into a full blown chest infection......oh the joys of RA and all it's spreading impacts.

I didn't even bother with the thermometer.....GP used the fangled ear beepy one and apparently my temp was 36.2......what ever that means!

Keep being gentle with yourself.

Deb xx

stickywicket

Starburst wrote:

High 70s? Erm, could be coat weather or sweating in your swimsuit for all I understand.

High 70sF = mid 20sC and rather nice to my way of thinking.

Interesting how none of us seem to naturally do the conversions. I go to California every year to see my son and grandson and this results in my understanding high temps in fahrenheit whereas I understand low temps in celsius.

I don't actually understand body thermometers at all. I'm not sure what my own temp should be whichever scale is used so only use ours in extremis.

I hope both bugged ones are on the mend by now.

dreamdaisy

Over here we do winter temperatures in degrees C (a high of 2 on Wednesday with a low of minus 1 etc. ) but come the summer we revert to Fahrenheit with headlines screaming '96 in the shade!' The only one I remember is that 16 C is 61 F.

I'm sorry, dibdab, that you too are lurgied - there is a great deal of dross going around at the moment but hopefully the promised cold snap will deal with the bugs and germs. I was pleased I rang the doctor for advice (a child I love and saw on Boxing Day went down with something resembling measles a week ago today so I rang for advice) but she was content that I didn't have measles so held off on the antibios. We are complex cases, yes? My breathing is OK at the moment but I have upped my inhalers due to the unseasonal warmth - the moulds everywhere have unsettled things to a degree but so far so good. I hope you feel better soon and that the pred helps: it should. DD

dibdab

Thank you for the kind thoughts.....3 days into pred and I'm beginning to feel less wheezy and more human. Hopefully the cold snap will kill off some bugs, every one I've seen at church today seems to have been coughing and barking and whilst I love (most of !) them dearly all I could see was invisible floating germs coming to get me! :oops:

Today I discovered that walking in wellies whilst taking the puppy out in a muddy field makes all of my lower extremities ache abominably..... bring on the coco's and a hot water bottle for bed.

I'm heading for bed with Horlicks and the hope of sleep, the former is guaranteed, the latter perhaps a forlorn hope, but hope is worth hanging on to.

Glad the measles germs didn't get you DD, here's hoping the lurgy fades soon.

Deb xx