A fever is the symptom that occurs when your normal body temperature goes above 98.6˚F (37˚C), and you feel discomfort, chills and ailment like muscle ache or headache. If your son or daughter has an exam, or doesn't want to go somewhere, or if he or she is not interested to go to the gym anymore, and suddenly comes up with a fever at the last moment, chances are that they are faking a fever. If you suspect that someone might be cheating you with a fake fever, here at oneHOWTO, we will tell you how to tell if someone is faking a fever.
Check medical evidence
If a person is in bed and is complaining of headache, chills or other symptoms of fever, touch his forehead and see if it is actually hot or not. Take a thermometer and check the temperature. Here, you will come to know how to take oral temperature. If it is too high as compared to the person’s behavior, then chances are that it is faking it. In most cases, temperature above 100.4˚F (38˚C) will make a person extremely dull and weak. Check fifteen to twenty minutes later to see if the temperature is still the same.
Look for telltale signs of faking fever
Usually, symptoms of fake fever do not stay for very long. You can tell if someone is faking a fever if the person is moaning one moment, and then talking non-stop to his friend on the phone. Kids with fever usually fall asleep while watching TV. But if your child is glued to a TV match wide awake, then it can be a sign of faking fever.
If you find none of the telltale signs mentioned above, we advise you to take a look at How to Reduce Fever in Children.
Pain traveling through body parts
Sometimes, the person may shift the pain from one part of body to the other. One minute, he may complain of pain in his head, and then the pain shifts to the stomach after a few minutes. This can hint a fake fever, but it's not foolproof, as the pain may sometimes be actually shifting or the person may have pain in many body parts at a time.
Fever related to an unpleasant event
Many people fake fever as a way to avoid an event for which they are nervous or anxious about, may it be it a test, sports event, performance, an unpleasant family gathering, etc. Some children fake a fever when they don’t want to go to school, possibly because they are being scolded by their teacher or bullied by their classmates. If you suspect this, it is better to communicate with the person and encourage him or her to confront the situation.
Watch his behavior
The person may have droopy eyes now, and may laugh uproariously 15 minutes later watching a TV show. He or she may browse through the Internet or play video games without feeling tired for hours. If your child is active enough and is not showing any signs of needing rest, then chances are that the person is faking fever.
Reluctant to take medicines or go to a doctor
Although most people hate doctor and medicines, they will often comply if they are really sick. If your person is constantly refusing to visit a doctor or turning down any medicines, then you can know that the person is actually making things up. Most sick people will change their mind and visit the doctor to get well as soon as possible.
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Tell if Someone Is Faking a Fever, we recommend you visit our Family health category.