Now that we're officially not going to Wyoming this weekend (sigh) I'll admit that I really am sick. The fever, the runny nose, the constant coughing, the general malaise. Ugh. Didn't I just get over this? Moan.
Paul and I are sniffling and one-upping each other's misery, while the girls are happy and energetic as ever, albeit with the occasional runny nose. I'm trying to convince Paul to actually take a - gasp! - sick day from work tomorrow. He agrees to stay home, but is leaning toward calling it a "vacation day." A fever does not a vacation make, dear.
Anyway, we have a fairly nice Braun ear thermometer, purchased after Paul and I found ourselves consistently unable to get a reasonable reading for our daughters (read: anything above 96 degrees) using the classic digital armpit model.
But it doesn't seem all that consistent to me. Or, maybe it is and I'm just inconsistent. But if I really want sympathy, I'll take my temperature in my left ear, which is usually about a degree higher than my right ear.
Ellie's temps are often different enough that I take both and use the higher one when calling the doctor's office, though I never remember whether it's the same ear that's higher. (I chalk this up to her extraordinarily small ear canals, which are still - at age 4 - smaller than Ada's were as a newborn.) Ada's temps were normal today, each ear measuring within a couple of tenths of the other. Paul claims that his measurements are usually similarly consistent.
So, is it just me, or is this a common problem with ear thermometers?
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8 comments:
Our pediatrician said that if one ear is infected the inflammation can cause the temp in that ear to be higher...
www.twolinesonastick.com
I once asked our pediatrician to recommend an ear thermometer. She told me that none of the "over the counter" brands are very effective beyond verifying if a child has a fever or not. She said to always go rectal if you can (ugh), under the tongue if the child can grasp the concept, or under the arm.
TLoaS, yikes! Well, I sure hope that I haven't been suffering from a painless ear infection for months. That can't be healthy.
Angela, I figured that might be the case; maybe I should look into getting one of those fancy-schmancy under-the-counter ear models.
Not one single over-the-counter digital thermometer has worked for us (digitally or under the arm) though I admit that I haven't attempted a rectal administration. Somehow, knowing the exact value of the fever has never been quite *that* important. (But my girls are relatively afebrile, so we've been very lucky so far.)
I find that the Braun ear thermometer usually backs up my kiss-on-forehead assessment.
I tend to believe the higher of the two ears, because supposedly the ear thermometers tend to undermeasure. Unless the ear in question has been pressed to a pillow, thereby reading extra-warm—then I believe the cooler ear's temp.
We have a forehead model that is supposed to be accurate, and yet I don't believe it at all. I always come up around 96 degrees and I know I tend to run warm, so I have no words of wisdom. Rectal as a baby is one thing, but for a kid, oy, no thanks! :)
We have been very lucky and fevers have not been a big deal for us, we don't get the illnesses that come with fevers. Barfing yes, fevers no.
I'm sorry you are sick, being a mom and being sick is just not fun. And if Paul is like my sweetie, you have THREE children and not two. :)
My experience with ear thermometers has been that it is difficult to get consistent/accurate readings. In my experience though, it very much depends on getting the angle of the thermometer right.
That said, we gave up using ear thermometers when I was ill and we were sure I was running a fever but the ear thermometer insisted I had hypothermia. If your kids can be pursuaded to sit still long enough, under the tongue is always best -- I think my parents used one with me from when I was about 4 years old, and under the arm before that age.
Hope you all feel better soon.
--IP
My ear thermometer doesn't seem to work very well. I have stopped worrying about what the actual number is. I look at the kids and feel their foreheads. They've never seemed "out of it" enough for me to worry.
This is not medical advice, by the way. I am not a doctor and do not play one on TV.
You know what I miss? Mercury. Now, those were some reliable temperatures.
Forehead, underarm, under-tongue: nothing works well for me. I went through months and months of pre-Ellie morning basal body temp-taking where not once did I actually get a temperature consistent with most human life (unless maybe I really am just naturally about 95 degrees while all nice and snuggly warm under the comforter).
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