I think the mice eat them. I have to buy one any time we need one. Although I did find the forehead one the other day. Not convinced of that. Thermapen is probably better.

I checked last week and actually found it. I did need to buy a new battery for it, but it's working just fine.

I always have problem finding mine. Good thing I am not a proctologist.

dcarch :-)

Yes. Magnetized. On the side of the fridge. Use them all the time.

I was wondering why I was getting a sharp pain every time I sat down ...

sorry, thot we needed some levity ...

We use our instant read cooking thermometer because the medical thermometer seems like it always has a dead battery.

I have one because Ashley asked for it yesterday and I told her I didn't think I even had one. Well, I do, it was still in the package, unused. So, now I have a brand spanking new one and I know where it is! That'll probably never happen again in my lifetime.

Annie

seriously, I have an old-fashioned candy thermometer that (I swear) always lives in a special drawer, on the edge of the drawer because of its shape. It is NEVER there but has always fled to another drawer. (Just like the electric knife blades) I think it is a game my DW must be playing ... alone. Then again, she loves to Alpha arrange the spices.

I can never find one when I need it.....and 21 years ago I did the chemo thing and had to take my temperature often after every infusion....so that was 2 new ones....then last year I was sick and ran a temp for a long time and of course couldn't find the ones I had....
Anyhow a month or more ago I found 3 of the battery operated ones and2 of the old style mercury ones.....and i have an thermo-pen and I always know where that is....plus a dairy thermometer and a meat thermometer and a candy....etc etc....

I miraculously found ours in a packing case......

I'm 75 and I have never had a thermometer. Raised a healthy son without one too. I doubt I'll buy one now.

I know where mine is. I haven't used it in years. Maybe I should check the battery.

My digital, wireless grilling thermometer is in my grill drawer. My Insta-read and candy thermometers (I have 2 mercury candy thermometers) are in my baking drawer in their own slot, with an extra unopened battery for the insta-read kept in a baggie next to it. I have 4 mercury thermometers in the back hall closet in the container labeled Flu and Cold (I moved two of those thermometers to our bathroom earlier this week). I have 2 digital thermometers in the back hall closet in the Pet Medical box – one has a dead battery, the other I tested years ago against the mercury thermometers and it’s .80 degrees off.

I’m not sure if I should pat myself on the back or be utterly embarrassed!

I know where mine is, but I do think a Thermopen might be a possible substitute, even though it is less accurate. I have a laser thermometer than I can also use.

My kitchen thermometers are all in a kitchen cabinet. Medical ones are in a bathroom cabinet.

Good question, plllog!

Thanks everybody for fessing up. I feel less like a doofus. :) I don't know if my cooking thermometers are accurate enough, but then I don't know if my medical thermometer is either. I just assumed. I'm pretty sure the meat thermometer is accurate, since the temps correspond to sensory determination, for what it is--a dial topped probe--but the markings aren't very fine.

It's important to have a thermometer if you start having symptoms. Your doctor will want to know your temperature when you call in. While this virus is more problematic for people who have certain conditions, including age, sincer there are no immunities to it, it can hit otherwise perfectly healthy people just as hard.

bbstx, that's why I tested all mine too : ) I made a note on postit's with each as to how far off they were. Digital thermometers tend to be more off than mercury. But mercury thermometers were banned in 2001 due to safety issues when broken. I'm always very, very careful using mine, especially when shaking down the mercury.

I tried with my instant read, using it like a regular oral thermometer, but with the probe in a bag to make cleaning it easier. I didn't get a credible reading, which kind of surprised me. Luckily, when I went to visit my mother, we found an extra, old mercury thermometer (case looks just like the one I can't find). Thanks for suggesting checking the accuracy. I'll do that today. The thing is, my normal temperature runs a bit low (lizard blood), though it can also make the 98.6 if I've been warmed up. :)

I checked my temperature just now, and it was 96.0. I guess I also have lizard blood. At the doctor's office, my temperature is always 97 point something, and I figure if it gets to 98.6, I might have a fever. It seems that the new normal for body temperature is below 98°. It seems that hypothermia starts at 95°, and so I am close to that. Time for a hot shower, I guess.

Lars, if you have a reliable instant read thermometer, use it to check your oral thermometer. First test the instant read. Fill a glass with ice cubes and water. Stir it around a bit. Put your instant read in the glass. It ought to register 32 degrees F.

Then get a cup of very warm tap water. Adjust it until the instant read thermometer reads 100 degrees F. Stir your oral thermometer in the warm water and see what reading you get. Of course, the instant read isn’t going to be as precise as the oral thermometer because it doesn’t read in tenths of degrees. But you will know if it is close.

I’ve always had lizard blood. Something in the 97-ish range has always been normal for me.

Evryone in my family, including my DH, had normal temps around 96.6 º F. It is always hard to get doctors and nurses to believe that we have a fever at 98.8 . So far so good with only normal temps.

I bought a digital type years ago, and put it inside an odd little eyeglass case I had lying around. It's a small rectangular case, padded inside, with a finger strap - rather like a miniature handbag with no closure.

The exterior is a glossy magenta fake crocodile. It fit the thermometer perfectly - the top just peeks out slightly - and I figured I would never mistake it for anything else. The instructions slid in next to the thermometer. Stuck the bag inside the medicine cab and never looked at it again....

.....until Spouse asked me if we had one, so I went looking. Sure enough, easy to see, standing up in the cab next to the extra toothbrushes. Changed the battery and tested it. Thankfully, it worked fine!

Whew.

I know I had an old mercury one somewhere but I think it's packed in a box after we moved a couple yrs ago. We had a new thermometer for making wine so tried it out under our armpit. It was surprisingly accurate. When I go shopping next I'll have a look for a proper one in the drug store.

I'd be surprised if you found a thermometer right now, but great news about the wine thermometer working so well. What temperature is "normal" for an armpit?

Armpit readings are one degree lower than mouth readings.

I took my temperature this afternoon, and it was 98.5°, and so I guess I have lizard blood only in the morning. My temperature is also always higher after taking a hot bath.