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Reason For Pain And Swelling In Legs And No Body Temperature After Fall?

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Posted on Mon, 17 Mar 2014
Question: My mother, age 93, fell on Friday and landed on her face. she has a broken nose and lots of bruising, but other wise seems ok. When she went to the hospital they couldn't get a temperature on her. they tried every way possible and nothing. When she returned to her Assisted living home, they took it and also got nothing. Then under her arm they got 93 degrees. She has lots of swelling in her legs and they are painful, but she's had that for a while. Is there something that we are missing? Today they had the same results, no temp.
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Answered by Dr. Chobufo Ditah (1 hour later)
Brief Answer: It is a very strange observation Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query I am so sorry to hear about the fall your mother sustained and the swollen limbs that she has. It is strange that the hospital didn't get a temperature measurement reading for her. The only possible explanation for this is that she may have a lower body temperature out of the range of the thermometer used. Most clinical thermometers can only measure temperatures from 95-107.6 degrees. I will suggest that they check this out. However, it would be rare for a client to have such a suboptimal temperature and not present any signs of hypothermia. Even the temperature obtained at the nursing home is grossly below the normal limit and should prompt for further measurements. How does she feels to touch? Is she that cold or feels normal? In all, she needs some form of heating to raise her body temperature. Let the doctors try using a thermometer with a wider range that includes lower temperatures to see if she has temperatures more in the lower end. I hope this addresses your query fully. Thank you so much for patronizing our services and please do feel free to ask for follow up clarifications and information if need be. I wish her the best of health. Dr. Ditah, MD.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Chobufo Ditah

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 6321 Questions

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Reason For Pain And Swelling In Legs And No Body Temperature After Fall?

Brief Answer: It is a very strange observation Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query I am so sorry to hear about the fall your mother sustained and the swollen limbs that she has. It is strange that the hospital didn't get a temperature measurement reading for her. The only possible explanation for this is that she may have a lower body temperature out of the range of the thermometer used. Most clinical thermometers can only measure temperatures from 95-107.6 degrees. I will suggest that they check this out. However, it would be rare for a client to have such a suboptimal temperature and not present any signs of hypothermia. Even the temperature obtained at the nursing home is grossly below the normal limit and should prompt for further measurements. How does she feels to touch? Is she that cold or feels normal? In all, she needs some form of heating to raise her body temperature. Let the doctors try using a thermometer with a wider range that includes lower temperatures to see if she has temperatures more in the lower end. I hope this addresses your query fully. Thank you so much for patronizing our services and please do feel free to ask for follow up clarifications and information if need be. I wish her the best of health. Dr. Ditah, MD.