THIS IS LONG AND I APOLOGIZE. and if I'm not supposed to put topics like this on this board than go right ahead and delete this. I don't want to offend anybody.

On July 24, (I had been on benefiber for about 2 weeks and doing just fine).
On the morning of July 24, I went to the bathroom as if I had eaten half of Pittsburgh. NO DIARRHEA. Just regular stuff BUT LOTS OF STUFF.

An hour later, same thing happens. I say to myself 'maybe it's the half a cup of Plumsmart light (in addition to the Benefiber that I had been taking )that made me go like this??"

I also take one stool softner in the a.m. and one before bed time. Alan's nurse told me to do this because during the month of June, I had bad constipation problems. But after the benefiber and stool softeners, no more problems (I even made a video).

BUT!!! along comes July 24. So by 11 a.m. I had gone 2 times, felt perfectly fine.

Now let me tell you what I had been eating the day or two before. I had bought some Imitation Crab meat salad (not with Mayo). I then bought myself a package of Imitation Crab Meat that had been on sale.

I mixed it with the store bought Imitation Crab salad and there was one BIG salad in my refrigerator. With accompanying mushrooms, little grape tomatoes, and diced celery.

I had a bowl for lunch and a bowl for dinner on July 23rd.

On July 24, I went to the bathroom like crazy BUT NOT DIARRHEA. No pain in belly, no nothing. Just lots of bathroom stuff. And not continually running to the bathroom.

I went one BIG TIME at 10 a.m. and 1 more BIG TIME at 11 a.m.

I figured I was done for the day and felt perfectly fine.

Alan and I go the Wounded Warriors March at 2:30. At 3 p.m. I told Alan,
I Have to go home".

I run home, go to the bathroom one more time. BIG STUFF. No diarrhea.

I finish, and go back and joined him. FELT FINE. It was hot so I drank my water.

The next morning I was absolutely exhausted. I told myself. "my god, look how much you went to the bathroom yesterday. I also did not take benefiber nor a stoof softener. I told myself "what for, you just emptied out everything".

Well, all day I was out of sorts, joints ached (they do when the weather changes, so no mystery there). I had gurgling in my stomach. I thought. Wow, the benefiber I've been taking, is really acting in my stomach. My stomach on that day did not feel right. Lots of gurgling. But no more bathroom. I honestly don't think I had anything left in my system.

And I had not taken any more benefiber after July 24th.

At exactly 6 p.m. on July 25, I felt my face and it felt warm. I took my thermometer and did it orally. It said 101.5. (I now know that it's one point higher if you do it orally). I did not know this when I took my temperature.

So I said to Alan, "I have a fever, it's 101.5" He said "go and lay down". I just felt tired, nothing hurt me, no upper body anything, cough sore throat, NOTHING.

I went to sleep after taking two tylenol. The next morning, I again took it orally and it was 99. Not really, because it was by mouth, so it was actually 100 right?

So I stayed in and ate very light. No benefiber, Just lots of water and tea. My sugar was normal in the a.m. but high in the p.m.

I told myself "okay, you have some kind of infection or bug, that's why your sugar is high". I ate light, my sugar went back down. Took my temp. It said 98.6 and I said "hurray it's normal". I really did not know that oral means your temperature iis one point higher.

I still did not take benefiber any more. But I did do the stool softener at night. Just in case. I took my temp last night. Orally. and it was almost 100. I said "oh shoot", I do have something in my gut.

So from July 24 to yesterday July 27, that's 3 days. I knew I had to go to the bathroom. I remember my mother always saying: "if you have a fever, but you don't feel hot, and you have stomach problems. IT'S YOUR STOMACH. You have to clean out your system. She always said this.

Last night I took one half cup of Magnesium Citrate Laxative (knowing it would kick in this morning and I'd go).

I wake up, felt perfectly fine. No belly pain, no nothing. Took my temperature. Normal (don't forget this is oral, so even though it says 98.6 it was one point higher (but I didn't know this at the time).

So I took myself out for breakfast, had my eggs on a roll and a cup of coffee, felt fine, came home and went to the bathroom. Normally. No big stuff, no diarreah. Felt fine all day. Drank some warm tea, ate a small salad for lunch with some grilled chicken. Sugar was high in the p.m. then I checked Alan and HIS IS NEVER OVER 80 and his was 138. That's when I thought it might be the meter. Changed meters. His was 120. He had just eaten.

He gets his sugar checked every month via part of the blood work he has done. His a1c is 4 something and his sugar number on the blood test has never ever gone over 80 or so. In all the 18 years of the various glucose tests he has had done. and he has had them ALL. He does not have any diabetic condition. This has been made certain.

So I called up the Meter company and they are replacing my meter with a brand new up to date meter. So that's a good thing.

So I went out shopping for about 40 minutes. Felt fine.

I come home and my sister in law informs me that all temperature should be taken rectally if you have a mercury thermometer (which is what I have).

So I did it and at 6:30 tonight the thermometer read 100. That's a true reading.

I feel absolutely fine. I'm not tired. I'm cool to the touch.

So what is wrong with me? Do you think I got some bacterial thing from the crab meat and it got in my gut and that's why I had the fever on July 25th.

I really do feel fine. I'm not dizzy, no nausea. I had a good appetite for lunch and dinner. I'm drinking my water.

Why do I have this 100? Is this considered a temperature?. A low-grade fever? The last time I had a long running fever was when I came home from my gall bladder surgery. I had a fever for a few months. Always 100.

I just want to get your input before I go and call my doctor. What do I tell him. I feel fine but I had a fever of 102 last week and now it's 100 but I feel fine.

Honestly, I dont' know what to make of this.

How long do these THINGS run it's course?

I'd really appreciate some of your expert fever knowledge here.

Thanks much

Melody

So to sum it up. Been running a fever of about 100 since after July 25, no diarrhea, no belly pain, no nothing. The first day of the fever I slept a few hours. I never do that. But not yesterday and not today.
SOMETHING'S GOING ON HERE.

I think I was really tired when I read this....LOLOL

Long?? Its 3 and a half days and I'm not sick. I took it now and it's normal. Actual temperature too!!!

You mean, you've never had a stomach virus or something, and got a fever?

Wow, if I ran to the doctor (in all my years I mean) everytime I got a fever, I'd have no money.

You can't just go to the doctor today. You have to call and make appointments. Actually I would have to show up wednesday morning for blood work (they do this on Wed mornings), then in 3 days IF they found anything wrong, then they call you and THAT'S when you make the appointment.

Of course if, tomorrow, I still have a fever, (I'm not dumb), I just don't like doctors, I will go in on Wed a.m. and take the blood test.

But I feel perfectly fine, my eyes do not look sick or tired or anything.

I feel fine.

And what exactly (let's say I walked into his office tomorrow because he has an opening), what exactly is he going to find out. Nothing is swollen, my tongue is nice and pink (it was kind of whitish 3 days ago), I have no headache, nothing hurts, no headache..I FEEL FINE!!!

I am not the type to go running to a doctor because I have a temperature.

Maybe it's the italian in me. lol

We never did this growing up.

You had to have high temps, head killing you, can't get off the bed type of thing, AND THEN YOU CALLED THE DOCTOR.

Anyway, I do thank you for responding to my post.

I shall let you know if I get better or I get worse.

Melody

I didn't think anyone took their temperature rectally anymore??? except for babies and animals.
Was your sis in law pulling your leg?

My personal theory is - a fever or temperature is just a number and can fluctuate thru the day.
If you feel sick that is the more important thing. {this is just my take on it}

But,
if someone has a very high fever {between 103 and 106 F}, especially with an infant, elderly or if there is other health reasons to cause concern... then it's something to keep an eye on for sure.

It could have been the food or anything could have caused a slight temp increase like that, as long as things get back to normal and you don't feel sick, you should be fine.

We use a laser temp thing that is actually a mechanics tool. http://www.amazon.com/Raytek-MiniTem...=pd_sbs_auto_1
we used a digital thermometer when the kids were young. I can usually tell with my hand if someone has a serious fever or not.

temp/body orifice info
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...ages/19700.htm
fever info-
http://www.medicinenet.com/aches_pain_fever/article.htm

Melody

I'm not Italian, but I grew up the same way. When I'd be laying on the couch sick with a fever, I was lucky if mom would toss an aspirin from across the room. Persistent vomiting just meant keep a bucket handy - it didn't warrant a visit to the doc. The only time I ever went to the doctor was when I'd become delirious from a fever. Guess what - I survived!!

I'm also not a doctor, but I would consider what you have to be a low-grade fever. Sometimes that is just a sign that your body is hard at work fighting something. Considering your bathroom habits and lack of diarrhea, maybe your body is working overtime cleaning out your system. Maybe your diabetes is playing a factor in this as well - making it harder on your GI system to do it's job.

I did notice on the warnings of Benefiber not to take it if you have "severe stomach pain or fever." I'm not sure if they mean only "severe" fever or any fever at all with that statement.

If your fever continues, I would definitely call your doc just to report this low-grade fever and see what he thinks you should do. It wouldn't hurt to do a stool sample study to make sure you don't have any visitors that need to be evicted.

Hope it goes away, and I hope it's nothing serious.

Hi Melody. I m sorry you are feeling so badly. I do know when you take
a temp orally that is what it is. no one point higher.(its when you take
it under the arm that you add a point.) at least that is what Ive
been told by the pediatrician all these 18 years.

So thats really a loooow grade temp as they say 100 degrees is when
they consider a temp.

Maybe you have a virus going on. feel better soon. Im sorry I couldnt
be of more help but Id thought Id share what I was told.

Soxmom:

You said:

"Hi Melody. I m sorry you are feeling so badly."

That's what's so confusing. I FEEL PERFECTLY FINE!!!

I now have two thermometers that give me two distinctly different readings. And you are the only one who diagrees and says the oral reading is correct.

How come everybody else I speak to say "no, rectal is correct, and if you use a regular themometer orally, you have to add one point"???

Maybe when a person uses a digital thermometer orally, THEN THAT'S CORRECT!!

Well, I did and I'm lower than normal with a digital themometer used orally.

My god, I can only imagine what will happen if I put the darn thing under my arm!!!

lol

Oh, I asked the pharmacist.

Someone I know uses a laser termperature thermometer, do you know anything about that?"

she looked at me like I lost my mind.

Oh my god, even the pharmacists are clueless now.

Please bring back doctors who made house calls and moms who gave us Bay leaf teas!!!

lol

Mel

P.S. You're GONNA LIVE THIS. Took it again, (the lower end, lol), and it's 99.2. That's 30 minutes after it was almost to 100 range.

Maybe I'm a CHIMERA??. Two people in one body. lol

It's like I'm obsessed with temperature readings.

I would have been a perfect candidate for one of those ovulation tests when you take your temperature all the time. lol

Thanks to all of you.

Last night it was normal. Just got up (It's Tuesday in Brooklyn). Took it, it's normal.

I do have gas, but then again, since I know it's my stomach doing it's thing here, well at least I have bowel signs (lol).

I feel fine. The only time I felt "not fine", was the day I had the 101 (really was 102). That day I felt "not fine", but I did my stuff in the house.

I was not "laid out", as we used to say when we got SICK!!

If I don't have any more fever, well, I'm going to forget about this. I still eat light.. I ALWAYS EAT LIGHT, so that's not going to change. I might lose a few pounds, but hey, my goal is 150. God I haven't weighed that in 40 years. Wouldn't that be something.

Have a ways to go yet. Oh when I checked after I went yesterday, THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE BOWL that needs to be evicted. I once read a story when a lady had parasites and they were in the bowl.

My friend just told me her friend did a colon cleanse thing for one week and stuff came out of her that no one should see swimming in the bowl.

I don't think I could ever do one of those colon cleansing thing. Good Lord, if I saw anything swiming in the bowl I would think I was possessed or something like that.

So I'm monitoring myself. I'm also going out right now and buy a digital thermometer.

Can you believe I've been using the old fashioned ones??

Me, Miss technology person who loves VCRS. lol lol lol

Will update.

And I'll probably go for blood work tomorrow.

Thanks so much for the support.

We all need to get our hands held once in a while.

Mel

Well, now I'm completely confused.

I just went out to breakfast (still feeling perfectly fine). It's very hot outside today by the way.

I ate my usual coffee and scrambled egg on a roll (sometimes I have egg whites).

Walked to CVS and purchased one of those digital thermometers. It says it beeps when the temperature is ready.

I walked over to the pharmacist and I said: "The package says you can use this orally, rectally and axillary".

The pharmacist said "Rectally???" who does it rectally any more. You use this orally!!

I then said: 'But if I do it orally, will it be a true reading, or do I add a point". She asked the other pharmacist and he said "whatever the number is, that's what your temperature is".

So I went home, and after getting the darn thing to start beeping, (I had to unscrew the battery compartment (which separates the connecting thing to the battery), and I plugged the whole thing back in. everything did what it's supposed to do. I got the 188.8 reading. The the L with the flashing f next to it.

I popped it into my mouth and it said (and I did this 3 times). It said 98.3

Every time, it never went over 98.4.

I said "aha, let me do the rectal thing with my other rectal thermometer. It reached almost to 100. Did this 3 times too.

So the digital thing is telling me one thing. The mercury rectal thing is telling me something else.

AND I FEEL PERFECTLY FINE BY THE WAY.

Went to the bathroom and everything. Nice and normal.

How the heck can I have an almost 100 reading rectally, and a not quite normal reading with a digital thermometer??

Good grief.

I think my stomach needs to empty out more and flush everything out

It's times like this when I wish my mother was alive.

She would always say "Drink Bay Leaf Tea", that gets everything out.

I just might go out and buy some bay leaves.

I think I just might do this.

Sounds like she just did