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Whether youre dealing with a sudden wave of chills and aches and pains, or you just feel *a little* hotter than usual, the desire to know if you have a fever ASAP is understandable. After all, a fever tends to serve as an indicator that your body is fending something off (like a virus or a bacterial infection) and trying to return to its normal, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But if you dont have a thermometer laying around, or the only one you could find was buried deep in some bathroom drawer and youre not sure just how long its been in there, you might be wondering: Is there any legit (or at least somewhat legit) way to gauge whether your temperature is above normal without a thermometer?

Read on to learn what to do if youre feeling feverish, no matter your thermometer situation, with insight from immunology docs.

The only way to know for sure that you have a fever (meaning a temp above 99 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.2 to 37.5 degrees Celsius) is by taking your temperature with a thermometer, confirms David Erstein, MD, an allergist and immunologist based in New York.

Unfortunately, your chances of accurately guessing whether or not you have a fever without a thermometer are fair at best, he says. Case in point: Patients who self-reported feeling feverish at a rural teaching hospital in India had a 58 percent chance of *actually* having a fever, according to a study in Tropical Medicine and International Health.

If youve managed to dig up an old thermometer, digital and old-school glass thermometers alike should do the trick (as long as theyre not damaged or out of juice), says Robert Eitches, MD, an allergist-immunologist and fellow of the American Board of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. But if theres any indication that your old-school thermometer is cracked or broken, wrap it up in a Ziploc bag and throw it away. Mercury (a silvery white liquid still present in some household thermometers) could leak out, and its toxic.

Of course, before you pop a thermometer under your tongue, youll want to clean it. Here's how to clean a thermometer properly: Lather up some soap and water in your hands, scrub down the part of the thermometer you put in your mouth for 20 seconds, and rinse it off. After that, if you have rubbing alcohol on hand, wipe down the thermometer applicator with a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol to sanitize it, then rinse it off again to remove the alcohol, advises Dr. Erstein. If you dont have any rubbing alcohol at home, no worrieswashing it off with soap and water is absolutely fine (as soap alone can break down and remove bacteria and viruses, including the novel coronavirus), he says.

If you dont have immediate access to a thermometer but youre feeling, well, warm and icky, there are a few ways you can make an educated guess as to whether or not you actually have a fever.

Both digital and old-school glass thermometers are fine to use to measure fever.

Again, though, the only way to be totally sure your temperatures off the charts is to use a thermometer.

If you feel ill and youve got a moderately high fever (think: above 102 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.9 degrees Celsius), thats your cue to call a doctor to figure out next steps, says Dr. Eitches. Otherwise? In general, if youre experiencing fever associated with other symptoms such as shortness of breath, a rash, or confusion, its probably best to seek medical attention, he says.

Link:
How To Check Your Fever Without A Thermometer, According To Doctors - Women's Health