Why I bought a temporal artery thermometer for my mother

A few months ago my mother wasn’t feeling so well. She decided to visit her doctor and within a few days she received terrible news: cancer. Fortunately she was admitted in the hospital immediately and underwent surgery. That went very well, her doctor told her, although chemotherapy was needed as an additional step.

My mother is a very strong woman – both mentally and physically. So do not expect her to complain about how she feels or hear her grumble about the lack of energy she is suffering from. Her doctor even complimented her on how strong she was in this fight. But her doctor also wanted her to be very sensitive how she feels physically. Because with chemotherapy her immune system is not what it used to be. So every viral or bacterial infection could be a problem. When my mother asked her doctor what the best approach might be, her doctor told her: check your body temperature at least twice a day. Because a raised temperature or a fever is a very important early warning signal for a cancer patient. Because it might be an indication that you have an infection and need additional treatment.

When I heard my mom tell me this I decided to buy her the absolute best thermometer available. So I asked my own doctor and she told me: buy a temporal artery thermometer for your mom. Because it is very accurate but it is also non-invasive. Your mother can check her own temperature by gently swiping the sensor head of the temporal artery thermometer across her forehead. That is a very easy procedure and produces a very accurate and reliable temperature measurement. The thermometer is also able to store a number of measurements so she can track the development of her body temperature herself as well. 

So that is what I did. I bought her a temporal artery thermometer and my mom loves it. She never uses her old in-ear thermometer anymore because pushing the thermometer in her ear never felt good to her. So my mom is very happy with her new thermometer. And she even promised me to not be stubborn and immediately inform me whenever she discovers she has a raised temperature. So far that hasn’t happened, extremely happy with that!