Elevated temperature

[AmyIsHere]

I normally have a slightly below-average normal temperature of 97.7 F. I can normally tell when my temperature is higher than my normal, even by a little bit, and I started to notice that it was happening a couple weeks ago.

I've been taking my temperature when I've felt this way, and it's usually been ranging between 98.3 and 99.0.

I realize temperature can vary throughout the day, reaching it's peak in the afternoon, usually. But what I've read says it is usually +/- 0.5 degrees throughout the day.

I normally wouldn't worry about being in the high 98s, especially since no one would consider that a fever. However, I haven't seen MY normal temperature in a few weeks. And I feel warm to myself. (I've always been a good judge of this in the past.)

Is it possible that I just have a new normal? Is a change in temperature a preliminary symptom or sign for anyone? I'm not overly concerned or worried -- more curious -- but is this something I should be paying attention to? If so, at what point would I reach out to my doctor? (It seems silly, to me, to call and say, "I may or may not have an issue because my temperature has reached the average." :ybatty

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Like you I always have a lower than average temperature. At the height of my abscess at its worst my temperature would often be only 99. The doctors didn't take me seriously till I got to 103 even though I insisted something was wrong.

If you have chills too, you could very well have an infection. I'd keep an eye out and report to them your normal if you develop other symptoms.

 

[InkyStinky]

Have you recently had any labs? CBC, CRP, Sed Rate, etc? If not, I'd probably request them to see if something's off.

You know what's "normal" for you, so if you feel something needs investigation don't hesitate to speak with your GI/nurse, ask for labs, etc. :ghug:

 

[AmyIsHere]

Like you I always have a lower than average temperature. At the height of my abscess at its worst my temperature would often be only 99. The doctors didn't take me seriously till I got to 103 even though I insisted something was wrong.

If you have chills too, you could very well have an infection. I'd keep an eye out and report to them your normal if you develop other symptoms.

Thanks! No chills, but some mild night sweats. And two weeks ago everything I ate was causing gas, bad cramping, urgency and some D, but that only lasted about 5 days and then I was back to normal.

I think I've only experienced one flare, and that was 3 months before surprise resection/7 months before diagnosis, and I just thought it was the stomach flu (which I had never had), so I didn't pay attention to everything that was going on at the time. So I'm not sure what signs my body will give me if something is wrong.

I did have low grade fevers (99-100) and bad night sweats before my resection, but that was accompanied by RLQ pain and the beginning of a loss of appetite. I'm, luckily, pain free right now and no problems eating.

 

[AmyIsHere]

Have you recently had any labs? CBC, CRP, Sed Rate, etc? If not, I'd probably request them to see if something's off.

You know what's "normal" for you, so if you feel something needs investigation don't hesitate to speak with your GI/nurse, ask for labs, etc. :ghug:

Last labs were done towards the end of December. CBC was all within normal ranges (first time for my hemoglobin and hematocrit - yay!). CRP was high, but had come down from 2 months prior.

I'm scheduled for labs again mid-March. If I'm still feeling uneasy about this temperature thing, or if something else changes, I'll give my GI nurse a call and see if I can move them up. Thanks!

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Night sweats are also a concern for an active infection. I'd discuss it with your dr.

 

[AmyIsHere]

I spoke with the NP at my GI office yesterday. I think she thought I was a little paranoid, but she had me come in for labs today.

 

[lookame]

When i feel feverish - like 99 degrees it usually means I'm going into a flare/have some inflammation going on or recently c-diff (but my temp was reaching 102 with an active c-diff infection, it did start around 99 degrees and as the pain got worse my temp rose).

 

[Nancye50]

Glad you're being vigilant and had those labs done. Sounds like you've got some simmering inflammation sending you signals. Hopefully you can fend off a flare!

 

[AmyIsHere]

Thanks for the reassurance, everyone! I was starting to feel a little paranoid. My GI office has been great, but since my Crohn's diagnosis came 4 months after my resection (mostly due to the granulomas found by the pathologist during the resection), sometimes they blame the resection on my appendix (whereas the surgeon blamed the inflamed appendix on the inflamation in my intestines), and they have treated my pre-surgery symptoms (fever, nightsweats, etc.) as symptoms of appendicitis -- even though I didn't have the MAJOR pain people have with appendicitis, and the inflammation was present on two CTs 3 months apart -- and claim those aren't related to Crohn's. (Sorry for such a long, poorly structured sentence!)

For the most part, even pre-resection and pre-diagnosis, I didn't have any of the more "normal" Crohn's symptoms, so in my mind, this is all I have to go by.

I'm hoping to hear from the GI officer early this week, and I will provide an update then!

Thanks, again!

 

[izzi'smom]

Dd often has slight temp elevations when not feeling well crohns-wise...She hovers at 99 normally. Hoping you get answers from labs!

Another thought is thatrt your temperature spikes a tiny bit when you ovulate, and increases more if you become pregnant. Not something you would generally notice but if you are sensitive you might!

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Don't apologize to the nurses for taking care of your health. That's their job to check you out. Who cares if they think you're paranoid. Better safe than sorry.

 

[AmyIsHere]

Dd often has slight temp elevations when not feeling well crohns-wise...She hovers at 99 normally. Hoping you get answers from labs!

Another thought is thatrt your temperature spikes a tiny bit when you ovulate, and increases more if you become pregnant. Not something you would generally notice but if you are sensitive you might!

Thanks, izzi'smom! I did consider this (the ovulation, not the pregnancy), but after tracking if for 3-4 weeks, it didn't show much difference at any given point.

On a possibly bright note, it was normal (97.7) when I woke up this morning. And I've only seen that temp one other time in the past month. So hopefully that's a good sign. Hoping the GI office will call soon!

 

[AmyIsHere]

Don't apologize to the nurses for taking care of your health. That's their job to check you out. Who cares if they think you're paranoid. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for the reassurance, noguts! They did say, "You know your body better than anyone else", so even if they do think I'm a little paranoid, at least they've conceded that point.

 

[AmyIsHere]

I have an appointment with my OB/GYN next month, so I think if my labs come back within range from the GIs office, I'll ask my GYN if she'll check hormone levels, as that's been suggested to me with the night sweats and whatnot.

My main concern is trying to figure out my body's signs, as I have no clue what to expect with Crohn's, but might as well investigate everything, even if it isn't related.

 

[AmyIsHere]

I heard back from my NP at the GI's office on Friday. My CRP is up from last time I had my labs done, towards the end of December.

December 2014: 14.4 mg/L
February 2015: 22 mg/L

Reference range: 0.0 - 4.9 mg/L

She said everything else was good -- hemoglobin, hematocrit, vitamin D. She was not concerned at all and suggested that perhaps I was maybe sick or something. She suggested follow-up with my GP, but I'm not even sure what I'd say to him.

The GI's office decided that because my normal 3-month labs were going to be done in mid-March, that this was close enough, and now I don't need to go in for more labs until May. They said to call if I have any "GI symptoms"...

...even though I've never had those.

I haven't noticed my temperature being elevated as much over the past week or so, and the night sweats have waned over the past week, as well. I guess for now I'll just keep track of everything and wait.

 

[Nancye50]

That's frustrating that they're making you wait for GI symptoms. Glad the other stuff has improved.

 

[BuzzyBee]

Excessive iron supplement can cause hot flushes. It's also pretty bad news for your bowels.