As many of you know Ains has had many health issues. She began having febrile seizures when she was about 9 months old. Thankfully, a febrile seizure does not cause damage to the brain but we still try to prevent them because it is a very scary experience.
Our bodies use fever to fight infection. Sometimes it's simply a virus and others times it can be bacteria. Treating a low grade fever can actually prolong an illness so I only give the kids Tylenol or Motrin if they have other symptoms like aches and pains or a headache. If the fever lasts over 48 hours I call the doctor, usually just to check in to see what's going around in our area and to see if they want us to come in. All of those rules went out the window after Ainsley's first seizure.
A febrile seizure is caused by the rate at which their temperature rises and not their actual body temperature. Some children can have a seizure with a fairly low fever because of the sudden rise in temperature. Other children, like Ainsley, have seizures at higher temperatures. We have been able to determine a pattern with Ainsley. Her body goes into full on fight mode with any little virus. A cold that would make us feel a little crappy causes her to run an insanely high fever and her white count to shoot through the roof. She has been admitted several times over what turned out to be nothing but a little cold. She doesn't normally feel bad when she is sick. Many times I don't know that she has a fever until it gets fairly high because she never acts like she feels bad. We have noticed that her seizures normally happen around 104 degrees. Again, it's not the temperature itself that triggers the seizure, it's triggered by her body temperature rising so quickly.
We now have a list of rules especially for Ainsley. If she acts the least bit sick we start checking her temperature every hour. If she has a low grade fever we remove her clothes and lay a luke warm towel on her. If her fever rises to 101 we start rotating Tylenol and Motrin. She has never experienced a seizure if we break her fever before it gets to 102. Once she gets to 102 her temperature rises so fast that she normally has a seizure before the medicine begins to work. We are very strict, no medicine at 100.9 and no getting to 101.1 without meds.
As you can see I depend on having a very reliable thermometer. We tried using a product that is a sticker that reads their temperature for a 24 hour period. Since her skin is so sensitive we had to remove the first one early because she developed a horrible rash from the adhesive. Until recently we relied on a digital thermometer that we used under her arm. It was never an easy job. She absolutely hates having her temperature checked. When you combine a sick 2 year old with an angry 2 year old with PDD-NOS that is the size of a 6 year old because of Sotos Syndrome you can imagine that getting a thermometer under her arm becomes a family event. One holding her, one holding her legs and one holding her arms. I hate to force her to do it but it's one of those things that has to be done.
Normally I like to have a product and use it for at least 14 days before I review it. I want to have a chance to really use it and make sure that it works as it should before I write a review saying that it does. I read reviews before making purchases and I depend on the information to be correct so I never want to post anything that is not 100% true. Good or bad I want to share honest results because you never know when someone will be buying a product just because you said it is reliable. This case was different. I received my Braun VoxBox from Influenster yesterday. I've had it for about 24 hours but I have already used it more than most people would in a year.
It was perfect timing. Ainsley started running fever Tuesday evening. We started our hourly temperature checks around 5:00pm. Needless to say the rest of the evening and night were not pleasant. Every hour was a fight to get an accurate reading. With her fighting it can take several attempts to get the thermometer placed just right and to keep it in that one spot long enough to get a reading. We did this all evening and throughout the night...and the next morning. That is until the mail carrier arrived with my VoxBox. I was excited and hopeful that my day was going to get so much easier.
Since a reading of even 1/2 a degree off is a big deal for us I wanted to be completely sure that the Braun No Touch Thermometer gave an accurate reading. For the first 4 uses I compared the reading from it with the reading from the digital thermometer used under her arm. I have not used a no touch thermometer in the past and I wasn't sure of what to expect as far as accuracy. The largest difference in the readings that I saw was 0.2 degrees. I was very pleased with that. I have received readings that close using two digital underarm thermometers. You have to keep in mind that having a shirt on or a thin blanket or just laying against you can cause a change in temperature that small.
The first few times that we used the Braun thermometer Ainsley wasn't feeling it. She did NOT like it. We had the usual kicking, screaming, fighting, etc.. Before bed last night something happened. She brought me the thermometer and said "hot" and stood there for me to take her temperature. No fight, no screaming..nothing. She even smiled with the light came on.
Last night was the first night that I was able to wake up to take her temperature every hour without waking her up and upsetting her. I could simply roll over, get a quick reading and go right back to sleep. (She sleeps with me when she has a fever because I worry that she will have a seizure in her room alone while we sleep). It was amazing!
Ainsley woke up this morning with no more fever. YAY!! but we have checked her temperature every few hours, at her request. She giggles at the light shining on her forehead and when I tell her she doesn't have fever she says "no sick baby" and runs off to play.
This product is really a must have for parents. It only takes seconds to get an accurate reading which is much faster than checking it under the arm. When the thermometer is powered on a small light shines on the forehead so you are certain that you have it aimed at the correct location. The screen lights up which is excellent for reading it during the night. The exact temperature is shown on the screen with a green light for no fever, a yellow light for a low fever and a red light for a higher fever. This was very nice at night when I was half asleep. I knew she didn't have any fever if the light was green. I'm sure all moms know how hard it is to figure out what a normal temperature is at 3 in the morning when you aren't even sure if you are awake or just dreaming about taking their temp.
I'll certainly be sharing information about this product in all of my mommy groups, especially the febrile seizure groups that I am a member of. It has certainly made my days and nights much easier.
I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
Disclaimer: Figuring It Out As We Go received this product for free or at a discounted rate in exchange for providing an honest and unbiased review. The opinions stated are those of Figuring It Out As We Go and do not reflect the views or opinions of the sponsoring company, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Instagram, SnapChat, YouTube or any additional sites that may host this review. All products reviewed by Figuring It Out As We Go are tested and reviews contain an honest opinion of the results. Figuring It Out As We Go makes no guarantees on any product and is not liable for any results you may experience. Figuring It Out As You Go does not offer medical advice. Any medical related reviews posted are strictly the opinions of the writer. Our opinions should not be considered medical advise. All medical questions should be discussed with your physician. You should consult your physician before starting any medication, supplements, exercise program and using any medical devises. You may contact Figuring It Out As We Go with any questions or comments at figuringitoutaswego@gmail.com
There are several types of thermometers in the market and each of them has its own set of advantages and shortcomings. The latest type of thermometers to enter the market are forehead thermometers.
ReplyDelete