I wish my parents took my rectal temperatures

I wish my parents would have always taken rectal temperatures on me instead of giving me a choice. I believe they are more accurate and like the way they feel, but I was always too embarrassed to ask for my temperature to be taken rectally.

Always found a way to screw up the oral reading. Then they had no choice back then but to take it rectal. They never new I liked it there and still do.

I agree. I often had a hard time using an oral thermometer, and the majority of the time, it had to be re-taken, sometimes multiple times, because I had trouble keeping it under my tongue. Mom started taking mine orally when I was in 4th grade. On one hand, I was proud that I had finally "graduated" to oral temps, but at the same time, I also knew inside thst I wasn't really ready for them yet. The first time or two, I managed to do a good enough job to get a believable reading, but other times, it often took three or four attempts. My mom would get frustrated, and sometimes would yell at me. I assumed that out of frustration, any minute she would come back in with the other thermometer, and tell me to turn over, but she never did, which surprised me. I think because she had seen me do an oral temp successfully before, she felt I was capable of it, but was just being difficult. I continued to have trouble with oral temps, even at 12, 13 years old. Personally, I think I should have been switched back to rectal until around 14 or 15. It would have been embarrassing for sure, but I don't think anyone would question the reasoning for switching back.

I have to admit that I enjoyed rectal temps, no surprise there given where we all are, so I did use some creativity to get them after having been switched to oral. I think that if there would have been a firm switch over to oral I might not have tried to get more rectal temps, but my mom would go back and take a rectal reading about once or twice a sickness, especially if I was running a high temp. So with that in mind I would, when I got older, claim nasal congestion, which for me is not a big stretch, and in the day of glass mercury thermometers I would pretend not to be able to keep my mouth closed for the five minutes. Therefore out would come the big yellow jar of Vaseline and the trusty old BD rectal thermometer.

I, too, am embarrassed to ask for a rectal temperature-taking. I wish that I had someone who would ask me if they could take my temperature rectally with my Geratherm. I use it alone just for the feel because I do not know if and when it is shaken down all the way, and even if I do manage to get it shaken down (which I don't ever know f I do), I cannot for the life of me figure out how to read it.

You should have lived in my house! My mother, a former pediatric nurse saw no reason why we should not have our temps taken rectally- even after college!

I actually got my temp taken rectally until 3rd grade I think. I missed it and began to sneak the thermometer into my bedroom early in the morning or late at night when I was about 12.

At 14 or 15 after a dr s appointment, the first one I recall going in alone without a parent, I told my stepfather that my Dr had told me to track my temperature for the summer, but that i had to do it rectally. I also added that he'd ordered a mineral oil enema and a Fleet for that night. I'd always wanted to try mineral oil, and figured on having a friend use those on me.

We went to the pharmacy, where I was kind of embarrassed when loudly asked a clerk for the items. On the way home he mentioned that he'd probably have to help with the enemas. I didn't want that at all.

As soon as we got home, he surprised me by coming in my room, where I'd taken the thermometer and enemas hoping he'd forget about them. He asked me a bit later if Id checked my temp yet. When I said no, he offered to assist with that as well. I tried the say I didn't, but he decided it would be better. He also gave me those enemas that night which I really liked.

To my surprise, I did enjoy him taking my temp most days for over a month. I continued to get rectaltemps occasionally, when I stayed home from school, he took it orally at first, sometimes I would insist that it wasn't right and hint that 'we' might have to do it 'the other way'. Sometimes we did. I still can still see him entering my room with that green case that held the rectal thermometer in one hand, and a large tube of KY in the other (I d had him buy that when I noticed it in my dr s office.) He asked more than once if I wanted to do it myself. I usually told him, it was easier since he was here.

Pleasant memories

Wish mom had given us a choice. It was always taken bottoms up, even in our twenties!

You got the same thing as me, Mom always took our temperatures rectally she said it was truest temperature she could get. So when we were at home that is the way she took them. Not only that we could fake a temperature playing sick to get out of something in school. We tried but it never worked. 😃

My sister and I never had our temps taken at home, ever that I can remember anyway. We just were not sick very often. Maybe that's why rectal temps interest me as an adult?

That never happend for me I wish it would have

@ruthiney I wish someone would've taken my temperature that way! The embarrassment only makes it hotter.

This was not a wish I had, it was more the reality of being raised in the 60's. If I was to have my temperature taken, I remember my mom would go to the linen/medicine closet that was always locked in our home and she would have me come to her room, having the thermometer case and a jar of vaseline ready. I would undress to my briefs as requested and she'd sit beside me on the bed and have me lay on my tummy. After shaking down the thermometer, she would slide my briefs down, dip the thermometer in the vaseline and slide it into me for a few minutes. This was status quo until my mid-teens.

@muddqt: have you considered a digital thermometer?

@rijames99 - Yes, I do have a digital thermometer (in fact, that is what I used before I got my Geratherm!!); however, it is just not the same as having a "real" rectal thermometer up your butt. Plus, I still have to do it myself - not as much fun as having someone else take it for me, I would imagine.

@rtobsessed

Exactly. The delicious embarrassment. So good, isn't it?

Delicious embarrassment it is @Richard_A and @rtobsessed, so good.

My mom tried hard to convert me to oral temps at an early age (5 I think). I wasn't happy about it. I didn't like oral because I would easily gag on the thermometer. Mom would try the oral and I quickly figured out if I played up the gagging bit, she'd give up and do it rectally. My other issue with oral was my nose was frequently stuffed-up and it was impossible to keep your mouth closed around the thermometer when you can't breathe through your nose. She'd revert to rectal again, but it didn't last long. She started taking it under my arm if I couldn't do oral. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

Whenever my brothers, sisters, or I whined about having to pull down our pants for a rectal temperature, mom used to say that it's embarrasingly accurate!

Gabistillgetsit: When I asked my mother why we used rectal temperatures (I had seen in comics etc. that oral was another possibility) she said it was more accurate. End of discussion.

At least after a certain age I was allowed to insert the thermometer myself.

I never understood why my mom went to the oral glass thermometer at age 5, except maybe for the ease of cleaning. I'd always thought oral temperatures were a LOT more uncomfortable; holding that damn thing under your tongue, not being able to talk, or sometimes breathe if your head was stuffed up for two very long minutes. The sheer pleasure of a RT aside, for a sick kid it would have been a whole lot easier and pleasant. And nowadays, for this sick kid, it is!

Pecan nutjob: When mom had her mind made up, nothing could stop her. She did try an oral one, but it broke in my brother's mouth. She quickly washed out his mouth for a few minutes to avoid mercury contamination. From then on, regardless of our ages, it was pants down, bottoms up, and no touching of the thermometer by the patient!

Gabi: Mom once broke a mercury thermometer, though I don't recall whether it was medical. She mentioned the difficulty of cleaning up the mess.

In order to avoid accidents, rectal temperatures, if I recall correctly, were taken in two ways: for young kids (I saw it being done on my brother, though I don't remember it being done on me) she anointed the tip with Vaseline and inserted it herself and held it in. The kid was face down across her lap or on the bed. For older kids, we were in bed and given the thermometer and had to go on the side and insert it ourselves. There was no way it could fall and break because it was in bed, under sheets/covers.

There is far less risk of breaking a thermometer that way than asking a kid to hold it in the mouth while standing, for instance.

On a few occasions as a young child I remember mom taking my rectal temperature. This probably lasted until I was 4 maybe 5. At that point I was given the option of "which one?" when it came to temperature time. Silly me, I would say mouth, and would get an oral temp...end of story. Once when I was probably 7 or 8 mom said that she wanted to take my temperature, I asked for the butt thermometer. Mom kinda got a funny look on her face and said "Noooo... you're too old for that now." Then proceeded to give me the oral thermometer. That was the last time I asked for a rectal temp from mom. It was soon after that that I found the old rectal thermometer, in it's tan holder with the clear top on it and started using it on myself whenever I had the opportunity. I'm not sure if mom ever knew about it or not, I'm thinking she probably did because one day that thermometer just disappeared, but she never said anything to me about it. I'm still hoping to find that thermometer one of these days.