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Chills with low body temperature?

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
This past week I have been feeling feverish, alternating with chills. My doctor told me to take my temperature twice a day.
I thought for sure I had fever and was shocked that my readings were between 96.6 and 97.4.
Anyone have similar experiences?
 

ixchelkali

Senior Member
Messages
1,107
Location
Long Beach, CA
Every time I get "post-exertional malaise" and every time I get that flu-like feeling. I get all the symptoms of a fever, chills (with sweats when it "breaks"), aches, sick feeling, etc. My husband says my forehead even feels warm to the touch, and he can tell when my "fever" is up by feel. But if I take my temperature, it is often below normal. Actually, my temperature runs a couple of degrees low all the time, so I've wondered if maybe 97.6 is feverish for me.

I just call it a "pseudo fever" and figure it's just another oddity of this disease. I don't even mention it to doctors anymore, because it's one of those things that seems to convince them I'm a nutcase.

I hate the chills. It can be 88 degrees F (31C) out and I'm under 3 blankets shivering. Then it suddenly breaks and I'm drenched in sweat, clothes soaked, throwing off covers and sweaters. Yuck! I've been doing that all this week. I sure hope yours passes quickly. Sending virtual tea and sympathy.
 

Gamboa

Senior Member
Messages
261
Location
Canada
The same thing happens to me. In fact just yesterday I was alternating between feeling feverish and having the chills. I felt like I was coming down with something but then today I feel better. I have had these episodes for many years now and have figured it is my immune system going into overdrive.

I also have a lower than normal temperature.
 

Ocean

Senior Member
Messages
1,178
Location
U.S.
This past week I have been feeling feverish, alternating with chills. My doctor told me to take my temperature twice a day.
I thought for sure I had fever and was shocked that my readings were between 96.6 and 97.4.
Anyone have similar experiences?

I often have a fever. When it break, I do get chills too and I have a low body temperature when not having a fever.
 

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
I had that for so many years. I used to have to sit with an electric heater on me even in warm weather. One time, I remember my temperature reading 93 when I was in the ER, and I was shaking from it, I was so cold. And they didn't even care it was that low. I'm not sure if it's thyroid or lyme that does it, but probably one of the two.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
Thanks to all for replying to my post. I also have had this symptom off and on and just assumed that I must have fever. It's only now that the doctor told me t follow my temperature, that I was surprised to see how low my temperature actually is.

Thank you,
Nielk
 

Waverunner

Senior Member
Messages
1,079
Same problem Here. Chills but normal temperature. It's like the body tries to rid itself from an infection but gets stuck in the beginning and never finishes the job.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
Same problem Here. Chills but normal temperature. It's like the body tries to rid itself from an infection but gets stuck in the beginning and never finishes the job.

That's exactly what it feels like! Like a mto running on high speed in the idle position.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
I'm exactly the same but it does vary at times. I've noticed that my temperature actually goes down rather than up just before a crash (PEM) or with an infection.

Very confusing when I have a sinus infection and one of the reasons the UK doctors kept denying yhat I had an infection (finally confirmed by a cat scan). I feel hot, I can be hot to touch but my temperature remains around 35-36.

It can go up to 37 at times but that's when I get really bad and not often. Usually it's the chills and the low temp. Maybe these different results are a reaction to different things. When I got ME at the stage (and the first ten years) it was high temps and sweating alternating with the very low temps.

Also my daily pattern is reversed (as is my cortisol) with very low temperatures in the morning raising in the afternoon and the highest at night. Thryroid meds made no difference for me.
 
Messages
76
Location
Australia
I only get the chills and low body temp when I have a FM-like flare up. The rest of the time my body thermometer is too high and pass out regularly in temps over 25C.
 

Otis

Señor Mumbler
Messages
1,117
Location
USA
Dysautonimia

For me this is a facet of a hosed up autonomic nervous system. I get overheated or chilled to the bone with cold extremedies outside about a +/- 2 degree temperature range range. I can be in a cold sweat in 35 degree temps or chilled to the bone at 55 degrees. This comes along with POTS and is worse when sittng up or standing,

We really need docs focusing on this, it's a major problem because even for ME docs they throw up their hands.

Any ideas welcome... best wishees....
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
Just trying to "revive" this thread.
Lately, I constantly feel like I have a fever most of the time. The thermometer does not agree. Do you think that this is an immune issue?
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
Just trying to "revive" this thread.
Lately, I constantly feel like I have a fever most of the time. The thermometer does not agree. Do you think that this is an immune issue?


I had that for years. I thought it was viral reactivations or a low-grade chronic virus. I still think so, but I do better with avoiding allergens. I don't think it's because the allergens cause all of the symptoms directly, but they get my immune system overloaded so the viruses can reactivate. I have no way of knowing the truth, but I think many of us can tell the difference between symptoms caused by one factor or another.

Peanuts give me a fever, and dairy gives me chills and fever. I suspect some chemicals, or fruits and vegetables with pesticide residues, give me chills and fever. Bad mold also gives me chills and fever. Some buildings and supplements too. I have not done much detoxing but I think some would cause chills and/or fever.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
Feeling feverish can happen for me as part of PEM. I seem to have PEM today, which reminded me of that. Today I can't be sure it's from overexertion, or if it's a reaction to food, or something else entirely.

I don't know much about the biology involved, but there was the phrase "inflammatory cascade" related to our PEM. It seems right to me, the overexertion giving us system-wide inflammation which feels like a fever. Overexertion is hard for some of us to avoid.

And I do have low body temp usually, and mostly I show 98.0 - 98.6 when I feel feverish.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Yes, I have had that happen, feel hot, the get chills and if well enough take temp and find it is 96.5-98.1. A couple of weeks ago I was 99.1 at Drs office and I know they just dismiss this (ince I have so much else going on) but I usually feel pretty bad over 99.
 

roxie60

Senior Member
Messages
1,791
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Most times when I feel I have a fever the thermometer doesnt support....just another thing to make me feel crazy. Helps support the so called psychosomatic illness the docs try to label us with....sure wish when people judge us and say there is nothing wrong that they be required to live through just one week, just one week of the crazy we have to live with.....be a lot less judgmental folks I think
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
and I know they just dismiss this (ince I have so much else going on) but I usually feel pretty bad over 99.

Me too. I can feel bad at 98.6 or under.


Most times when I feel I have a fever the thermometer doesnt support....just another thing to make me feel crazy. Helps support the so called psychosomatic illness the docs try to label us with....sure wish when people judge us and say there is nothing wrong that they be required to live through just one week, just one week of the crazy we have to live with.....be a lot less judgmental folks I think


Yeah! Their profession is screwy to not consider people with different baselines.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Ive noticed recently that thou when I feel feverish during the day but the thermometre isnt showing an actual fever up.. I often then do end up with an actual fever which does show that night (irronically I may not be feeling that feverish or less feverish then I was feeling earlier in the day when it wasnt showing up).

Anyway.. going by feel, I can not tell when Im actually feverish or not without taking my temperature.
 
Messages
32
I get chills really bad from time to time, usually when I am in a Fibro flare, so likely immune related
 

JAM

Jill
Messages
421
This past week I have been feeling feverish, alternating with chills. My doctor told me to take my temperature twice a day.
I thought for sure I had fever and was shocked that my readings were between 96.6 and 97.4.
Anyone have similar experiences?
Yes! I felt like that frequently, but didn't spike a fever for more than two decades until I started taking OLE. My diagnosis is HHV-6 and EBV.