Fear of thermometer breaking

A big part of my rectal temperature memories is mom warning me that if I didn't hold still while the thermometer was in my rectum it could break. I don't know if it was really a fear but it sure seemed like it. I was repeatedly warned to "hold still." Anyone else remember their parents talking about the thermometer breaking in the rectum? for me it made the whole procedure seem even more like a big deal and very important that it was done correctly.

In all RT's i got at home and Doctor's I don't recall mom, or the nurse ever saying the thermometer could break inside me. I do recall mom when I was older and she showed me how to shake down a thermometer told me to do it over the bed so that if it was dropped out of my hand it would not break.

I didn't hear much about that until AFTER I broke a thermometer inside myself. Then all hell broke loose! I was five years old, supposedly taking a nap so my mom could have some time to herself. She had inadvertently left the rectal thermometer on the night stand, so of course I started entertaining myself with it. I knew what it was for and where it was supposed to go. She came in to check on me and saw the empty container.

"Where's the thermometer?" she asked, looking very concerned.

I shrugged. "I dunno."

Being a smart cookie, she threw back the covers and rolled me over. There it was, sticking in my butt. Little did I know that it had snapped in half and I was laying on a pile of glass shards. I was used to hearing her cuss, so I wasn't too distressed, but did lie quietly while she carefully removed the half that projected from my ass. Luckily, it had not slipped entirely inside and become lost to view.

I sustained no injuries, thank goodness. It goes to show you that moms should check on their kids often, even when they're supposed to be asleep.

My mom gave me a warning about moving when my temp was taken and I always got a terrible vision of a bleeding butt when having my temperature taken. I always held very still.

I was never told to hold still because the thermometer might break

This is one of the reasons the rectal temp should always be taken with patient lying prone and the provider at least remaining nearby if not with fingers on end of thermometer holding it in.

It's not an unrealistic fear. I bought a rectal thermometer around 20 years ago, that was made in China. One day when I went to use it, the bulb broke off and the mercury spilled out on my bed. I had to toss the bedspread, and sheets as a precaution. It was caused by a lack of quality control. There was no reason it should have happened. I'm just happy it didn't break off inside of me. Imagine a grown man walking into the hospital with that problem ? You're not only dealing with toxic mercury, but glass shards as well. That $5.00 thermometer could have caused $500,000 in medical bills, treatments, etc.

My mom used a mercury rectal thermometer in glass, and I was always told to hold still while it was in my rectum so it shouldn't break. At the same time she was always holding the thermometer with her fingers while it was inside me. I don't know if it was a real fear of breaking it. But I know my fear of taking the temperature rectally has nothing to do about the fear of breaking it... ;-)

More years ago than I like to admit, I was a Boy Scout in a troop on a U S Army base in Germany. Our scoutmaster was an Army medic. On a camp out one time, for some reason he brought up the subject of rectal temperatures, and told us that you should never take a rectal temperature on an adult because their anal muscles were too strong and would clamp down on the thermometer and break it. I have no idea why he brought up the subject or what he was trying to accomplish with that bit of information, but even at 13 years old , I knew it wasn't true.

When I was younger, I would get thermometers and break them on purpose just so I could get the mercury out to play with. I given the opportunity, I would probably do it again, if I could get by with it.

I think the chances of breaking a glass thermometer while you're shaking it down is much greater than when it's in the rectum. I have to remember to keep away from sides of chairs, dressers, night stands while shaking. I once had a nurse cup her hand on my bottom and hold in the thermometer between her fingers. Earlier she had given me a shot of Compazine and I was so agitated I couldn't lie still.

It would be pretty tough to break a normal rectal thermometer that was inserted into the anus. While you may have the tightest sphincter in the world, the leverage needed to break the thermometer just isn't there. Much more risk of breaking by shaking, dropping, or bumping the thermometer into a solid object.

If you were to use a long lab thermometer , then you definitely have to worry about breaking, as the geometry and leverage are more than enough to snap it.

Never had a fear

Naa, The only thing that got broken was my pride! You would have to do gymnastics to break a thermometer after it was inserted. Then again, there is always the head stand!

Mom would always warn us to "lay still" after the thermometer was inserted. She would sit with us while it registered and would place her hand on the up-raised buttocks to keep the child in place if any squirming took place.

No, i've never been prone to fearing breakage...The quality of bygone era thermometers was such that there was very little likelihood of them breaking...most were made of the thicker type pyrex glass...Whenever her thermometer appeared you could bet your bottom dollar that an Enema wasn't far behind

I remember when I was 5 on a cold October Morning I remember feeling the tingle on my belly.

It was a surprise when I broke the oral one and had a Poo Poo thermometer inserted never felt such feelings till that day.

Never had the fear

I was always told to lie still but wasn't warned about the thermometer breaking.

Nobody ever said anything about it breaking, but I do remember (at age 5) my mom stressing that I hold very still when she was inserting the thermometer. I think I figured out why when I felt cold glass in my butt!

When I was 15 or 16 my tonsils went haywire and my parents were away. So my 3 years older brother wanted to take my temperature. But he angered me too while inserting 3/4 length of the thermometer. That was the only time I was afraid the thermometer will break.

My mom would tell me be still and not move when the thermometer was in my bottom.

The most obvious choice for capturing a temperature reading from a patient who cannot be expected to keep a glass oral thermometer intact while placed in the mouth is to take the patient's temperature rectally with a glass rectal thermometer is as nothing is required of the patient but to remain passive while the glass rectal thermometer is securely lodged in place. There are other advantages of taking a patient's temperature rectally with a glass rectal thermometer but these aspects are beyond the scope of this discussion.

I have posted this in another post but maybe it should have went here. When I was maybe five, maybe a little older, I was at the clinic and in the exam room with a nurse and my mom. The nurse couldn't get me to hold the thermometer under my tongue the way she wanted and told my mom she was going to take my temperature in my bottom. I heard this and started to throw a fit saying no. Then I was taken across my mom's lap and held down by my mom while the nurse pulled my pants and underwear down. Went and got a thermometer greased it with Vaseline and came back. I could feel her spread my cheeks. Then I began to kick and squirm trying to get away.

I remember my mom telling me to stop it or I would break the thermometer off in my butt. I must of calmed down enough after that because I can still remember the cold feeling as the glass tube slid up my butt. I remember it making me get erect and not knowing what it was then. Just laying there with the nurses hand over my butt cheeks holding the thermometer in so I couldn't push it out.

I was never told the thermometer could break but I recall once when I was fidgeting too much my mom said if I didn’t stop moving, the thermometer wouldn’t get a good reading and the nurse would have to take it again. She knew very well that would certainly get me to stop fidgeting.

I remember my mom saying that too.

Also remember her dropping one too.

I’ve actually heard of that happening. Some thermometers were very thin, and others were thicker. I would imagine that there was little oversight in the manufacturing process.

A fall or sharp hit by an extremely hard object is how a quality tempered glass thermometer can get broken.

There is nothing much softer than glutes, an anus or rectum. Not even a disagreeable bucking kid is going to break one, especially if it’s planted in their naughty little ass.

The fear of breaking a rectal thermometer is irrational.

@arttemp I think there is much less of a chance breaking a rectal thermometer while laying in bed with it inserted than breaking an oral one holding it in the mouth standing, at the risk of dropping it.

Nope, never was warned or had ant fear that the thermometer would break but I alwqays worried that I would not be able to hold my enemas!