Held in or left sticking out?

My rectal temperature was held in place by a nurse in the health department and didn't like it.

Since I am doing rectal temperatures for the fun of it. Sometimes I have to hold the thermometer in place and sometimes I leave it sticking out. I am laying on my side taking it now.

My mom would insert it and leave it sticking out. She would maybe check it once to make sure it hadn't slid out any. The next time she touched it, it was time for her to slide it out.

I recall a combination, probably depending on who was taking it. Usually just left sticking out and maybe checked to make sure it didn’t slip out, and sometimes held in place.

I remember noticing that I enjoyed the sensation when the thermometer was pushed or gently tapped back in a little deeper if it had slipped out a little bit.

It was held in.

My mom folllowed the Dr Spock technique to taking my temperature. I was over her lap and she held the thermometer in place between her index and middle finger while cupping my buttocks.

Well-lubed for me and deep in. That's the trick of it.

Growing up 'i never had a temp taken anally only orally. Maybe my doctors thought orally was better? According to a lot of people on this site anally was the norm. I did hold the thermometer at the very end or asked to bear own on it while being taken.

My girlfriend keeps it in moving it from time to time looking at it

If it keeps falling out, then it's probably not in far enough. On the other hand, if it's in far, and you fall asleep, it might become lost up there. They might find it years later, during a colonoscopy. What a horrible thought!

I prefer it to be held in place.

I've had both. While I can hold it with my cheeks, I find it more comfortable to have someone hold it in place, even if they rest their hand on my bum.

For the most part my mom held the thermometer in place

Had my fair share and still do of RTs, but I've experienced where it (thermometer) was held in by the person taking the reading, and left in place on its own w/o being held during the reading. A point here: The older (if we're discussing mercury glass thermometers, I found, usually stayed in place w/o needing to be held. Geratherms-No way, often come out and need to be held. Found the same w/ digitals. The electronic probes, as big and long as they are, were inserted, never held. I would guess this thread concerns the glass mercury thermometer as opposed to the others I mentioned.

Mine were always taken with the nurse holding the thermometer between her fingers, and her hand on my bottom. Usually, her other hand would be placed on my lower back as well.

I remember being left alone on the bed with the thermometer in. When I give a temp I like to cup it between my fingers and also like to twirl it and pull it in and out to enhance the sensation

Mostly my thermometer was deeply inserted but left sticking out while my bared bottom was under a constant supervision by some of my parents. They always adjusted the inserted thermometer now and then so it stayed safely in place inside me during the temptaking.

Mine was left sticking out, at the doctor's. With my pants and underwear down to my knees.

Mom always just left it sticking out.

Mine was always held in by the nurse, or at home by my parents. One time though, another nurse entered the room while my temperature was being taken, and while they were discussing something, the thermometer apparently came out, and was resting, I guess, on the back part of the knee. I actually didn't know it came out. When the nurse finally realized it she had to start the entire procedure over again. That was the only time I can remember.

I always remember it being held also remember being always embarrassed lol

I have had both it depends on who and which kind of thermometer.

Mine was held in until I was old enough to be still enough to leave it sticking without it coming out.

Always held because i would often try to "push it out"

My mother would mostly let it stick out and keep an eye on it. Pushing it back when out to far.

My neighbor would babysit us sometimes. When I felt hot she would take my temperature. She would not only hold it in place but twirl it around.

I remember with mom she would just monitor it and push it back in as necessary. With my late partner I always had to hold it or she would squeeze it right out unintentionally.

Mine was always held in place. Even today, play docs usually hold the thermometer in place with their hand resting on my butt.

When a nurse took mine I could tell she always held between her two fingers like she was holding a cigarette and then move a little in and out

Around age six is the last I recall my temp being taken rectally (as a child). Only once did I have a nurse insert the thermometer and then pull my brief up and over the glass in order to hold it in place. It's seems like more nurses would have used a child's panty or brief as an extra "helping hand" technique. I can only guess that she was from an era or institution when and where a nurse didn't have time to dote on only one patient's bottom at a time.

I had the thermometer both left alone and held in, but usually held in. My first memories involved my mom holding it in me while over her knee, but it was (always) inserted by a nurse. About age four I figured out how to push it out in order to cause the entire process to be started over. I could push that sucker out like a pea from a pea shooter. Pushing it out was mostly my protest to submission, and also for amusement I suppose. The entire procedure was terribly belittling and embarrassing for me. Prolonging it didn't make much sense, but I guess it was all just part of being young and figuring out cause and effect.

I definitely recall the thermometer being heavily monitored with the feeling of a warm wrist and palm resting upon my lower back. Whether the instrument's end was pinched and held by two dainty fingers, or merely covered with a lone fingertip occupied my mind's eye almost every time. It still does.

I don't ever remember the thermometer being held in my bottom either by my mother at home or the nurse at the pediatrician. From when I was 4 to when I was 9, I went to my annual check ups with my sister who is 2 years younger. One of us would be on their tummy on the exam table with the thermometer in their bottom, while the other was having height, weight, and other vitals taken. The nurse was busy with the child not getting their temp taken, so I can only assume my mother was keeping an eye on the thermometer. I guess neither my sister nor I ever pushed the thermometer out of our bottoms very far. My check up as an 8 year old was my last rectal temp at the pediatrician.