What is a fever? (Lupus related)

[anyothergirl]

I finally have a rheumatology appointment next Friday so I've been collecting my notes from my previous doctors' appointments and any new developments. Because one of the things we're looking at is lupus, I have been taking my temperature regularly but I have no idea how to interpret it. Yeah I know how silly that sounds.

So, I know your temp is lower in the morning and higher in the evening. I know it can fluctuate up to .5*C (.9*F) daily. I know a (mild) fever is .6*C (1*F) higher than your regular temperature. (OR IS IT? It's actually really hard to track down concretely.) Here's where I get lost.

I've recorded temperatures from 36.1*C up to 37.3*C. I THINK my average temperature is 36.4*C, it's the one I see most often regardless of when I take it and the fluctuations are generally small and close to that, typically 36.4-36.7. So would the times I hit 37*C be a mild fever? Does it depend on when I took it? Would a fever for me need to be at least 37.3*C to be higher than my highest average range of temperature? Or because my average temperature is really 36.4, is 37 "enough"? I don't know how to answer the doctor when he asks if I have fevers or not. It seems like yes, a bit, or am I just completely off?

I have joint and muscle pain and fatigue (my presenting symptoms), mouth ulcers (never knew this was a Thing...), photosensitivity (I get heat hives sometimes and the flush turns realllllly obvious), a butterfly-esque rash, mild Reynaud's, and I had a positive ANA (though I think on the retest it was negative, but I'd been on a high dose of anti-inflammatories regularly when they retested and the rest of my symptoms were also mild or not present as though I had been flaring and by the time I got to the internist it had remitted.) I also have non-diagnostic but related symptoms like migraines, anxiety/depression, IBS, etc.

[Tessie62]

Wow! You have mirrored me to a T. It sounds like you ordinarily run a low body temp so 37.3 would be a low-grade fever for you. Can I ask what time of day you're experiencing low fevers? I saw my Rheumy the 25 of Jan. Four days prior I called his office begging for help with fingers that wouldn't bend. In short he put me on steroids causing the labs he took to read normal. It's good you're keeping track of your visit and current conditions. Mine started out years ago with sun blisters on my hands. Hands on the steering wheel, direct sunlight....

l started wearing sunblock on my hands for the drive home from work. I usually run a low-grade fever by the time I get home from work. On top of that my nose gets red.

[anyothergirl in reply to Tessie62]

Thanks. Thats so weird my heat hives are on my hands too. Not terrible or all the time but only ever there. I've recorded the 37-37.3 at different times during the day, I haven't been good with recording consistently heh. I didn't realize I had the face rash just assumed it was ruddy cheeks with sunburn but it has the shape and gets worse in sunlight even if the rest of my face sunburns it stands out and I've always been sensitive to light generally, hurts my eyes/headaches.

[Tessie62 in reply to anyothergirl]

Yes. It's called photosensitivity. Being outside in the hotter months doing yard work, mowing, etc., would/will easily bring on flares. I don't get heat bumps anymore. When I did they were tiny blisters that pooled around my cuticles mostly. A few on my hands and around my wrist. I wear a long sleeve cotton shirt, wide brim hat whilst outside in the yard. In short, protect yourself from the sun. I find myself reaching for my sunglasses on cloudy days too. Haze hurts my eyes. I deal with dry-eye so that probably exacerbates it all the more. Good luck!

[anyothergirl in reply to Tessie62]

Thanks. I would just like a dx so we can start trying treatments ugh

[whisperit]

Hello anyothergirl,

Core body temperature normally varies throughout the day, and from day to day. It depends on an inbuilt circadian rhythm, but also things like where you are in your menstrual cycle, your activity, even exposure to daylight. Different sources seem to cite slightly different figures for normal variation, but I doubt that any medic would count the numbers you mention as a "fever". That's not to say that some of the changes might not reflect disease activity, just that they are too small to be definitely attributed to that cause. The wikipedia enry is quite informative. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human...

Hope you find some answers soon x