Wednesday, September 17, 2008

what is a normal thermometer?

France, afternoon

I feel a bit better. Someone or something in my head is still hammering, but less. Maybe it is taking a nap. I don't know how, but in the past hours I have also been able to work a little. Amazing. I also went out a bit. My initial plan was to just go downstairs, enter into the pharmacy next door, buy a thermometer and come back to my cozy place.

Everything worked well till I asked to the pharmacist a thermometer. She got one and she said "5 euros". I looked at it before to pay and I asked her if it was the digital one that I can use under my tongue and she said "no, this is the normal one". "Ah, the normal one, so I have to use it under my arm pit". "No, a normal one, so a rectal one". "Do you have any other kind of thermometer?". "No, just this".

Beside this conversation happening in French, which I still don't master as a language, I never thought that a "normal" thermometer is the rectal one. I bought thermometers everywhere I have been living and I have always been able to chose which one to buy. Honestly, I don't like the idea of a rectal thermometer. I don't care so much how precise it is. I mean, I just need to know if I got fever or not and if it is high or low. That's about it. But sorry, the idea of sticking something in my rectum to take the temperature is too disgusting for me. Maybe because I don't have kids and so I am not use to these thermometers.
I felt really weak and so I didn't want to walk around to try every pharmacy to find the one that also has "a not that normal" thermometer. After a few attempt, I fortunately found one that had different kind of thermometers and so I got a multifunctional one, meaning that I can take my temperature in my arm pit, under my tongue and rectum too.

I would be curious to see what is considered normal in every different country, I am sure there would be a lot to laugh.....

PS. I got a fever, but not too high. But also, I don't know precisely what is my temperature since I measured under my tongue!

2 comments:

Piccola said...

Well, here in the States a "normal" thermometer is the one you put in your mouth. I think the average American would be horrified if the doctor told them to "bend over" to take their temperature. I would! haha! In June I had to go see my Oncologist (I had a cancerous tumor removed from my ovary last year, along with my ovary and fallopian tube, so I have to go see an Oncologist for preventative medicine purposes) and when she told me she was going to do a rectal exam, I cringed. I don't know, call me a prude, but I think there is only one direction in my rectum and that is out! I think I was traumatized as a kid because my Mom, who is from Mexico, used to take my temperature from my rectum and would then insert a suppository there. I hated it!! I hope I never have to have a colonoscopy!

I hope you are feeling better. Eat lots of caldo de pollo :) That's the Mexican remedy, and a suppository..yuk!

fromtheworld said...

I couldn't agree more on what you wrote. Yes, also in Italy it is common to take the temperature of baby from the rectum. And it is horrible enough. As adult, I can't think of taking it from there again. No way. Is it caldo de pollo something similar to a sopa de pollo? We (in Italy) use to get that when we are sick. When I lived in Germany, every time I was sick, the olandesino (my old boyfriend) was preparing it for me. It was so good! I actually like chicken soup a lot. So far, I only had tea and rice in the past days. Maybe this is the reason why I am still sick.
I hope that you are ok since last year and that you will not have to experience anything similar anymore!