Is there any truth to this?

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I sometimes have people insist they are feverish when they aren't based on what they state their baseline temp is. "Well, I usually am 96.5 so YOU may not think 98.6 is a fever but for me it is". I have only ever had females make this type of statement and to be honest it has always been a patient who is difficult to care for in other ways. I do not want to dismiss it out off hand but my gut reaction is pretty much an inward eye roll. Is there any basis for this claim that anyone knows of?

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
Do you also roll your eyes when an athletic person says their pulse is usually in the 50s? When someone says their blood pressure usually runs 70s/50s?

Is it really THAT out of the ordinary for someone's baseline vital signs to be below "normal"?

Nope, I don't. Nor do I for a low basal temp as a norm. If you read the original post, what I said was that those who want me to treat 98.6 as a fever have made me wonder if there is any scientific basis for considering that a fever, because it often comes from an individual who is difficult to care for and therefore triggers a reaction in me that may not be warranted. I would hate a gut reaction to dramatics to cause me to miss something. Pretty sure self evaluation is a good thing.

I appreciate those who took my question seriously.

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Specializes in Oncology.
Do you also roll your eyes when an athletic person says their pulse is usually in the 50s? When someone says their blood pressure usually runs 70s/50s?

Is it really THAT out of the ordinary for someone's baseline vital signs to be below "normal"?

So should we start anti-hypertensives in these people when their BP is 110/70? Push Adenosine if their heart rate hits 90?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
In regards to monitoring ovulation, an early morning basal temp before you get out of bed is much different than what it is later in the day. I personally run 96.6 as a basal, but if you checked me any other time after being up I am back to normal 98.1-98.6. If a woman is basing their "norm" on basal temps then they are severely incorrect. As for fevers, evidence is growing regarding whether it is necessary to even treat them unless there is patient discomfort or unless they are high. Personally, if a patient is 99.5 and I am told they normally "run low" but they are awake and ambulating and functioning just fine, I am by no means humoring them and treating that fever. I would educate on the body's defense, the benefits of low grade fevers, and to give me a call if they begin to feel uncomfortable in any way. Now, if they were admitted for a significant reason related to fevers then my approach would be much different.
I didn't say they were correct......all I was giving a reason on why they may say it......I agree that all temps should not be treated. I am just saying to consider the patients perspective and while you may not treat it you can moderate your answer to help them feel better while education them about the appropriate treatment for their present situation.

Even though we nurses think we roll our eye inside our heads....trust me .....it can be seen.

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You have people who's bp is 70/50 all the time? Walking around with no radial pulse?

My husband has a radial pulse, but it is really low. He is a runner and I have never known his pulse rate to be above 45. When he did an exercise tolerance test his pulse would not get above 50 even. So while I may not treat him with a pulse of 90, I would be somewhat worried.

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Specializes in ED.

Sorry Esme, my ED patients come in to the VA, mostly male, usually with wives coming along saying they've had a fever, 99.8 temporal, with the response of "they are always 96.8" so this is a fever. They may feel like crud but its typically not that bad.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.
I sometimes have people insist they are feverish when they aren't based on what they state their baseline temp is. "Well, I usually am 96.5 so YOU may not think 98.6 is a fever but for me it is". I have only ever had females make this type of statement and to be honest it has always been a patient who is difficult to care for in other ways. I do not want to dismiss it out off hand but my gut reaction is pretty much an inward eye roll. Is there any basis for this claim that anyone knows of?

I have DEFINITELY had patients tell me this before. Yes, they are female now that I think about it. I always want to say, I'm not calling the doctor if your temperature is 98.6 when you "usually run 95.5!" I tell them we'll keep an eye on it, mainly to be nice.

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I sometimes have people insist they are feverish when they aren't based on what they state their baseline temp is. "Well, I usually am 96.5 so YOU may not think 98.6 is a fever but for me it is". I have only ever had females make this type of statement and to be honest it has always been a patient who is difficult to care for in other ways. I do not want to dismiss it out off hand but my gut reaction is pretty much an inward eye roll. Is there any basis for this claim that anyone knows of?

In order not to miss a patient who had sepsis or an infection that needs to be treated, I personally would evaluate a patient telling me they are feverish at xyz temp based on their baseline temperature by asking about their chief complaint, other symptoms, and medical history. I would check ABC's and vital signs. As Esme12 and a few other posters mentioned, an elderly patient with sepsis may have a subnormal temperature. Also, a patient who was undergoing chemotherapy and whose immune system is compromised could have an infection without a significantly elevated temperature.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I'm a home health nurse who takes care of a little one on a vent with a Gtube. Her baseline runs about 94-95 degrees axillary. A new RN worked a shift and noted that baby felt warm, but since her temp was only 96-97 degrees, she "knew" it wasn't a fever. Um, yes, for baby it was. If she had bothered to read the charting from previous shifts, she'd have known what a baseline temp was for this patient.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

My opinion call the doctor get an order for Tylenol or use the PRN orders if they have them. What does it hurt? People know their body's and they may be hard to take care of because everyone treats them like they are stupid.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Tylenol, like all other drugs, isn't totally benign. It's never good to treat more than need be. Tylenol is hard on the liver, especially when given with other hepatotoxic drugs.

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Specializes in Oncology.
My husband has a radial pulse, but it is really low. He is a runner and I have never known his pulse rate to be above 45. When he did an exercise tolerance test his pulse would not get above 50 even. So while I may not treat him with a pulse of 90, I would be somewhat worried.

I was commenting on the BP of 70/50, which I've never seen in a healthy person, not the low HR, which I have.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
My opinion call the doctor get an order for Tylenol or use the PRN orders if they have them. What does it hurt? People know their body's and they may be hard to take care of because everyone treats them like they are stupid.

But there is where I get hung up. If there IS something brewing, Tylenol is simply going to mask it and delay treatment. I can promise that no doc I work with is going to order blood cultures for 98.6, no matter what their baseline is.

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