h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This thermometer is useless. apparently now I'm hypothermic. looking online, any comments about it I've found say its inaccurate, and just so randomly variable as to be of no use.

hurrah. as far as I can tell, its about the only vaguely accessible, talking one availible to me, only, of course, looking now, seems they've discontinued it.

great. a month of chemo, left. and I'm dead within an hour if I get an infection; a thermometer, and getting to hospital within an hour of being above 38 to get IV antibiotics being my only option...
and, measuring my temp is the only way I can tell I'm ill, and having an infection; without an immune system, I don't get 'other' 'normal' signs, that I'm actually ill.

OH... bottoms. Guess I'll just try not get an infection then.

Cool Old Guy on top
"I wil stay away from you then, got a case of the flue.
Any thermometer for body temperature I have is only accurate to 0.4 degrees C.

I prefer to touch someone to check their temperature (as well as calibrate mine) .

Is it not possible to use some of these fitness gadgets for the phone to make them speak your temperature? "

Can you maybe get a thermometer that beeps if you have a high temperature? You could pick one of them up from a local chemist, I would think, and it would be better than nothing.

Otherwise, just call the paramedics if you feel in any way unwell. Better safe than sorry.

Deb

I feel perminantly unwell! that's the problem; with no actual immune response (worse case synarmio; depends on hwo my blood s happen to be); its the immune response, you body does, that makes you feel the 'unwell' from an infection; I won't actually feel ill, necessarily, from the infection, so have to use teh temp as teh only way to know I've potentially got an infection....

oo... good idea about ones that might beep though; depends what they're set too, as a high temp, - I've been told its 38 C, for me, soon as I hit that, or highger I'm ment to call this special 24 hour line, which gets me to a nurse though up in the oncology ward I'll talk to oncologist about it, anyhow, Thrusday, when I'm at clinic see if they've any ideas.... - was looking about, most of the talking thermometers I can see, look, basically even cheaper, and more rubbish than the one I've got; more gimiky than 'real' ones, basically I think; the main two potential sources I can think of as obvious, who make stuff in the UK specifically for teh blind; both of them seem to be 'slagged off' for the accuracy of the thermometer, and, wll, one of them is the one I alreayd have; which is now discontinued - ya know... blind people geet ill too seemingly not

maybe I shoudl try fix the one I've got..... ; where's me hammer

In other words - you need a thermostat.....

Cool Old Guy on his head
"Thermostat even got more hysteresis.

Still tinking about these fitness gadgets, they connect to phone over blutooth, must also be somthing available for your computer. "

yeh! actually; I mean, I've a laptop, the PC downstairs, the Android phone, surely there is asome kinda data probe thing, I can get for one of them, that's like properly accurate, for measuring body temp? err....... that oughta just be such a simple tech solution... err.... if only I could think of what it might be called, or .. how to find such......... hmmm..... - its moments like this, when having a chemo-brain that's wading through thick treacle isn't helping much damnit... I used* to be able to think now; making a meal.... is like a serious cognative challange.... so not me...

Cool Old Guy in his armpits
"And the wearable thermometers have an even larger error.

Some companies present them as child fever alarm thermometers but reference thermometer proof they are way off

Even though such absolute error such device may proof usefull if you can reference it often enough. Just add .. degree.

At 8.5 dollar for three it still may be worth to test. "

yep! I was looking at some.... and got the idea, they're more gimicky things.... - found a few, but aimed at being sold to well, hospitals and private clinicks really; with vastly huge price tags to match!; bet they'd be accurate.... but given the pricing.... way beyond anything affordible or... realistic for such asimple task really.

I may have another solution... sort of there is a suggestion... that.... I might wanna try cleaning my ears.... then attempt use the thermometer again too sleepy an tired to have energy to do that, now, really but its on list of my chores for tomorrow. along with the daily sweeping of my bedroom floor (I might still have hair.... but I'm most definatly still loosing it ; swept in here yesterday.... and it so( needs doing again ), other chores include, kitchen cleaning, maybe bathroom, cleaning... organising myself for another lush, Lush bath bomb/melt bath melt bath and... err... sure there were other things

- yeh. I know. whilst my brain is so useless, and brain-fog from the chemo-brain/fog.... I should* actually like write lists and stuff, but... ya know... I've never written lists in my life, I've just always been able to rely on my memory. heck... I'd deliver long talks/presentations when at uni, an never have to be so vulgar as to have to carry notes in my hands.... I mean... if I'm ment to know about soemthing, then I know about it... i don't need no bluddy little reminder lists.... but.... now... its ... brain just not worky which is... kinda scarey really -

Oh... canny recall if I mentioned earlier,;

I went out today

hadn't been outside, since Thursday, and, well, basically the trip too and then return from hospital

felt so weak... but... felt so much better just getting out

walked up to sort of towards the centre, and W and I went to a couple of shops; got some batterys I needed, bought pain au levain, a ficelle and, some and a couple other things.... then walked back towards mine, and went into our new fav cafe, which we've discovered in the last two or so months; the little Chinese place, tucked away; for some reason, they do amazingly good double expressos, and, like at half the price, of the rubbish c****** at the big branded cafes they also do really cheap, gorgeous little cake things, but I skipped the cakes today hmm, kinda not sure why we didn't have cake actually

then popped into the shop at the top end of my road, got a couple other things... some of the surface spray disinfectant, I use every time bfore I do anything at the worktop/kitchen; i steralise the worktops, all the cupboard doorhandsles, fridge door, etc, each time bfore I prep/make any food basically (damn infection risk precautions) so I get through tons of that and tons of the disposbible cloths

then back to mine, to disgorge purchases....

feeling a bit.... wobbly by then.... so popped my afternoon first 1/2 hydrocortisone.... should hae probably quickly eaten something actually, but did't

then... tried to decide... and did, then went off out to the butchers (opposite direction from other shops)

got ... most of the way there.... but I was feeling a bit faint.... a bit... kinda.... collapsy.... and .... passing out-y.... so before it got too bad... stopped and grabbed an emergency snickers bar, and scoffed that... which seemed to kinda help

got to the butchers.... got bacon and eggs had a quick chat with butcher, and mentioned in passing, that his bacon must be good; I almost passed out in order to make it there to get some he laughed.... correctly at this... probably not, actually raliseing I wans't actually joking that* much

getting out makes such a differnce... some sun.... cold air... fresh air.... butcher's to try chat up... store staff to laugh at their inappropiate use of the words 'penny' and 'pence' and, of course, plenty of people for me to walk into down the street.... though sadly these days, I think they're more likely to knock me over...

oo... must nearly be time for more green tea ahh... and W got to take pic of me with my 5 ribbons in my hair really... very silly... it'll be epic when i put on the eigth, and final ribbon, end of next month for the final chemo session..... just hoping I've still enough pony tail to attach it to by then def more ribbon than hair...

Still need to decide what, to add, additionally, for each radiotherapy session.... there won't be any more room for big ribbons, i think.... and, not sure how many RT sessions there will be... probably at least 5 - reading more articles earlier, about balance chemo/RT, and pros/cons of balance, or skipping RT, to avoid sideaffects, like long term risk of secondary cancers, etc, ; all on balance, statistically looking like in my case RT makes sense more than skipping it, esp as I think they'll miss important thoraxic structures, when they aim at my armpit, so secondary cancer of lungs, oughta be low risk anyhow, and I think they oughta miss me heart too... if not.. I will have to reconsider evicdence for/against, once I've spoken to radiologist its a balance really.... enough, but not too much treatment, as both chemo and RT carry long-term risks of mortality from secondary cancer, heart disease, lung disease etc...

but ... for now... let the destruction and laying waste continue.... reconstruction can be considered later.... We've gotta distroy and break, to rebuild

Cool Old Guy keeping his head upright
"Eight and a half dollar for three gadgets, seems a fair price to me to play with


Now trying to decode the rest of this wordmesh (my eyes are not getting better over the years and this head does need a rest)

Tomorrow a big Day for HooToo "

yeh... that was a bit.... mushed and melted and melded up together.... along with many typos and spelling eagrets. and .... me missing words and mis ... getting words wrong and stuff; damn this stupid chemo brain!; I want my own stupid brain back! hmm.... I think it was moderaly improved on the current version

You could string beads onto your ribbons for each RT--bonus points if there are enough RT sessions to do so evenly

I'm just disapointed, that I'm going to be really unlikely to make it a nice even 42! err... yeh.... right.... because the idea of 42 infusions is so* appealing hmmm..... almost tempting enough just to get teh 'right' number though - mind, its gona be a struggle to actually get my little bit of remaining pony tail into the hair band, whilst its got all 8 ribbons on it, in a months time, let alone any more.... - I was maybe thinking beads too.... or perhaps lace; thinner matterial than the ribbon I'm using... (the ribbon is 3 f foot/1meter/1yard long, and 1" wide; though it doesn't hang down that* far, as I tend to tie each into a bow at the back)

not sure what colour ribbon to get for this time, we'll pop into the habidashery on Wednesday, before chmo Thursday, to pick up a new ribbon for that infusion luckily the habadahery is on the way to Lush, so can pop to Lush at teh same time, and ensure I've a fully suppy of gorgeous bath things, for after chemo - They should be availible on prescription, - the moment I drop into a bath, full of the scents and oils and stuff, and boiling hot water.... it really truely is the only time my body just.... stops hurting and muscles and joitns feel a little bit like they still actually belong to me