Sigh

[mamagotcha]

Julia is sick and out of sorts, and picked a fight with me about not having a thermometer. I did finally go get her one (although I've somehow managed to keep all four kids alive for nearly two decades without one so far), but I suspect she has been bitching about me in her LJ. Since a number of people read both of our journals, I wanted a chance to represent my POV (especially since it was clear that she wasn't hearing me about my reasoning... she was twisting some of my words into strange ideas, and calling it "hippie shit").

My philosophy regarding fever is pretty well expressed on the web page below.
http://www.attachmentparentingdoctor.com/fever.html

One thing is clear: she wants to have more control over her health decisions, and I agree with that. She's got her insurance card; if she wants to see a doctor (or dentist, or optometrist), she is free to schedule an appointment with one and we will pay her co-pay and schlep her there.

Comments

[kenoster.livejournal.com]

I agree with that philosophy about fevers. Nowadays people want drugs or treatments for everything, they have a pipe dream of living in a bubble were there are no germs and no disease and they will be young and beautiful forever. They don´t realize how capable our bodies are at dealing with a lot of stuff.

It reminds me of all the antibacterial stuff in supermarkets now, a terrible public health hazard.

OK im going to stop, I don´t mean to ramble.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that antibacterial stuff is NOT a good idea! Thanks for the understanding note.

[lauradi7.livejournal.com]

Knowing how high your fever is can still be useful, if only diagnostically. (you probably won't have a fever with a regular sore throat, you probably will with strep, etc).

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

Agreed. A thermometer is just a tool for determining temperature, not a means of treating it. Myself, I have never owned a thermometer as an adult. If I feel sick, I make chicken soup and go to bed. If I feel fine (even if I'm hot) I go about my life. That said, having some information about what your body is doing can be helpful. If nothing else, it can make you feel like you have some control/knowledge about what's going on.

[rightkindofme.livejournal.com]

I have never taken anything to treat a fever, but I have a weird compulsion about wanting to know what my temperature is. So maybe she isn't necessarily going to *do* anything about the fever, but knowing is still interesting.

[palecur.livejournal.com]

Mild fevers are a nuisance. High fevers are life-threatening. Mere symptomology is a poor guide to which is which. A thermometer is a useful device for separating 'I feel crappy because I have a mild fever' from 'I feel crappy because important proteins are starting to curdle in my body, from the heat.'