Is there any truth to this?

[Nurse SMS]

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?

[macawake, MSN]

GrnTea, you remind me of my anatomy and physiology professor :) First semester of nursing school, she asked the class what the normal body temperature is. Class answers. She then asked: how do you know that that is accurate? Where do these figures come from? She told us to find out for next class. We then discovered Dr Wunderlich.

I had a patient (age about eighty) who post surgery had a morning temperature ranging between 95.8 and 96.5 (appr.) for five or six days. On the sixth or seventh morning his temperature was something in the vicinity of 99.2. His fever/temperature never got much higher than that. He was diagnosed with pneumonia. There were some other symtoms as well that led me to believe that something was afoot, but I did at the time recall my professor's lecture on "normal" body temperature.

[opdahlamber]

GrnTea, again, you are always my fave poster. Perfect! I think one of the very first lesson that should be taught in nursing school is very easy: LISTEN TO YOUR PATIENT. This will always have exceptions but most of the time, they are right. I have had it borne out time and again, both as a patient and a nurse. I think there does need to be some EBP research on this, though.

[hodgieRN]

I don't do anything for temps unless they are sustained above 101 or climbing. Tylenol for a temp of 101 is more for comfort.

A large portion of temps in the 99.5-100.5 range are induced by us. Has anyone ever been in a bed with a pillow under each extremity, with the arms pillows smashed into the body, a gown that is buttoned up around your neck, with a blanket over you? Most people in their home wouldn't last an hr before asking for the AC to be turned down. If you take away all the pillows, unbutton the gown around the neck, and put a fan on them, there wouldn't be so many "fevers." If I fall asleep with a shirt on, I usually wake up sweating. I always sleep with just boxer briefs and one leg thrown over the blanket.

Then you can add on the family members who can't stop themselves from constantly covering the pt with 15 blankets.

[LydiaNN]

I think the basis for the claim probably goes back to childhood, when someone, their Mom or a teacher or maybe the school nurse, said that the "normal" temperature is 98.6. I know a lot of people who have heard blanket statements like that once in their life and hold to them as if they're gospel.

[Cmenurse]

My husband has a baseline temp of 97.0. when he gets up to 99.0 it often turned out he had an ear infection or something like that.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

If someone tells me "98.7 is a fever for me, because I'm normally 96.2" I will acknowledge that and monitor accordingly. But, if they are otherwise asymptomatic, I'm not going to literally treat 98.7 as a fever. If all they're presenting with is that temp, I think it would be absurd to give Tylenol or call the doctor.

Yes, everyone's metabolism is different, but are we really saying that 98.7 for one person might be the "traditional" equivalent of 101.8 (or whatever)? That's going a bit far. I'm sure for many, 98.7 is surely a low grade fever. And low grade fevers are very important to assess. But I'd bet it's very, very rarely the equivalent of what one considers true febrility.

And I agree with other posters, giving Tylenol for a low grade fever is a huge pet peeve of mine. Why do nurses do this? Don't mask the fever!

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

And all this talk about temps reinforces how dumb it is we don't use celsius.

Fahrenheit should have been dumped decades ago....

[CodeteamB]

And all this talk about temps reinforces how dumb it is we don't use celsius.

Fahrenheit should have been dumped decades ago....

Lol, it would help me, I don't know what any of these numbers mean... (Too lazy to look it up or a do the ridiculous calculation)

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

If a temp is truly 96.5, be careful someone is not hypothermic--that is relatively low, and perhaps a rectal temp needs to be taken to verify. And sepsis will also--as pp have pointed out--make someone's temp low--

I think it all depends what method one uses to take the temperature as well. Depending, it can be a huge range--axillary, oral, rectal, temporal......

I had to get my child from daycare one day with an 102 degree fever...taken in the ear that he was laying on from his nap....by the time I got him, he was right as rain, acting fine, upon getting him home, the "fever" had magically disappeared....

[daisy-mae]

Just my two cents. I work in a peds office and many parents call to say that their child is burning up with a fever. The most common answer I get when I ask how high the temp is 98.9. Usually from parents that panic if the sneeze once. Oh how I love all my kids. The saucy ones crack me up when they tell me they feel fine, but mom insists they are horribly ill.

The answer to what a normal temperature I give my parents is that it depends from person to person. I do have some kids that run warmer and a few that are around 97.4.

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

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.

I have actually had 90/40 (and lower) for myself. Nurse asked me if I was alive...obviously I was. I was in my 20s and thin and healthy.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I have actually had 90/40 (and lower) for myself. Nurse asked me if I was alive...obviously I was. I was in my 20s and thin and healthy.

I see an SBP of 90 as dramatically more acceptable than one of 70.