I’m a bit of a hypochondriac at times, and have an important event tomorrow. I’ve been all keyed up about it, and worried that I’ll get sick. I just took my temp and it’s 99°. Could I be creating this in my head?
Have you ever taken your temp when you’re feeling hale and fit and hearty? Some people naturally run hotter or colder; 98.6F is an average, not an absolute-or-else-you’re-ill.
99° is only .4° above 98.6°. That doesn’t even count, in my book. People are warmer and cooler at different times of the day, anyways. And what **purplehorseshoe **said.
When I was a kid I ran a fever of over 100° the day I was supposed to appear in the school play (so sad, I guess you’ll have to stay home), and 102° the day I had to take the Physics AP Exam (that one my Dad dragged me to, saying that I had studied to hard too let a little fever stop me). It could just have been a coincidence, but since I very rarely got a fever, I have my doubts. Take my anecdotes for what they’re worth.
I agree that it’s probably not a fever at all. Sometimes, though, I’ll think I’m sick when I’m probably not because I’m just so fixated. Like, I’ll be slightly sniffly and in my mind that’ll translate to, “OH NO COLD!” I’m pretty anxious about my health in general, but it’s something I’m working on.
I always hated to do the dishes as a kid, and whenever my mom would ask me to, my hands would magically swell up like hot itchy balloons. (Some days I had to concentrate more than others to get the effect.)
Not only that, but it’s an overly-precise average. It comes from someone measuring average body temperature to be 37 Celsius, and because it was an imprecise measurement, properly left it at only two significant figures. But then we Americans came along and decided to convert it to Fahrenheit, and didn’t understand about precision, so the approximate value of 37 Celsius turned into the seemingly-exact figure of 98.6 F.
I usually am 98.6 on the dot. I did have a UTI at the beginning of the week that got bad fast. Took antibiotics for it and feel fine now, but I had felt pretty crappy at the time. Now I’m just tired & fixated. I’m working on it too! 
One time when I was visiting my GP, he had a student following him. They took my temperature. He then asked her what the official definition of a fever was. The basic answer was a temperature over 100F on two separate occasions.
My takeaway is that your body temperature fluctuates, and needs to be elevated for a while to be meaningful.
None of this has anything to do with the original question, of course.
-D/a
I can psychosomatically give myself heartburn (really bad heartburn for that matter) and migraines. Of course I’m prone to both of those things and it usually happens in situations that I don’t want to be in. Not stressful situations mind you, just places I don’t want to be. A bad date would be a great example. It’s like my body’s way of saying, “You wanna leave, fine, now you feel like shit, go home.”
Sorry if I am posting inappropriately, but what I have to say is related. I am definitely warmer in general than most people. What I mean is, I get hot easily, and am often quite annoyed by the fact that (in my opinion) people are ridiculous with their heaters at home and in cars during winter. I can sometimes break a light sweat when riding in friends cars this time of year while they’re wearing a coat and beanie and are quite comfortable. I’ve often times wondered if these are fevers I’m having. My biggest issue is getting warm and breaking a sweat in situations where I (based on others being comfortable) should be just fine. When I think about the fact that I’m so warm and become concerned about others noticing, I seem to remain as warm or get even warmer. I’m sure thats nerves or whatever, but is that me causing a fever? It’s quite embarassing at times, and I realize I am often the only one really noticing, but it’s extremely itrritating to seemingly have both complete and absolutely no control over it at the same time.
Well I’m still at 99° and I woke up this morning feeling flu-like. Unfortunately I don’t think this is psychosomatic- I went ahead and rescheduled the event which is fine. I’m betting that the flu-like feelings didn’t have anything to do with the UTI or the antibiotics I took for it. There must be something else going on with me. I probably ought to make a doctor’s appointment because these aches & general feeling of shittiness (and perhaps the slightly-above-normal temp) is probably due to something lurking…bummer.
Now I just have to try not to freak out about what is ailing me. I hate not knowing!
Everybody’s got the fever
That is something you all know
Fever isn’t such a new thing
Fever started long ago
I went into an asbestos contaminated compartment on a ship without a respirator when I was younger.
I started to get a really sore throat that evening but suspected it might be psychosomatic but that didn’t stop it happening.
The following day I saw a Royal Naval doctor who told me that being exposed to asbestos didn’t produce symptoms that quickly, and yes, I had told him that I suspected it of being psychosomatic.
When I discovered that it was all in my mind the symptons disappeared almost immediately.
I would bet money that your symptons are such.
Sorry to second post, but I have on a couple of occassions experienced the opposite.
Thought that I was enduring a particulary persistant hangover which turned out to be on medical examination, influenza.
Just to add some additional dope - Lewis Pugh is a cold water swimmer and environmental campaigner who can raise his own body temperature by 2[sup]o[/sup]C in preparation for a swim. This ability has not been observed in any other person.
So he could conceivably give himself a fever.
Si
Was it recorded by any other observer? :):dubious: