High Fever

I got a fever. And the only prescription is more... TMS thinking?

Seriously though, I do have a fever and I'm wondering if it is a mind-body thing. The fever is verifiable (102 degrees on the thermostat). I woke up with chills this morning. If it is mind-body, it could be from the fact that I scheduled a date with a girl. It's been a while, and perhaps I was anxious.
I didn't necessarily feel anxious - but I was overthinking things some. I had to cancel the date!

The last time I got a fever was about six months ago, when in Rome! It had been at the top of my bucket-list destinations for basically my whole adult life (I'm 41) and the whole five days I was there I had the fever! (what a time to develop it - I didn't crave pasta or pizza at all!) Again, I didn't feel anxious about going really (if I was going to be anxious I'd think it would have been for the 500-mile Camino hike I did immediately before Rome). Have you heard of Freud's (or was it Jung, or both?) experience with Rome? If I remember correctly, he had put off going there for most of his life because of the grandeur, history, and culture of the place. As if Freud being Freud he would have to come up with some
theory after arriving to encapsulate it. This overwhelmed him and on the way to the station, he was overcome physically with an ulcer or something (mindy-body/TMS, of course) and
he couldn't go! Now, I'm no Freud, but was this a "Rome Fever" I experienced?

Oh, and have you seen the film Jerry Maquire? In the beginning, after realizing what a cut-throat he was in the sports agent world and being disgusted with himself, he develops a fever (and writes that mission statement). Now, later in the movie he references eating two slices of bad pizza and grew a conscience as the reason for his developing this fever. But was it not simply the latter, and that he had grown acutely aware of his place in the world as a money/success-obsessed businessman that caused the fever?
I am interested in your thoughts. I did just check Dr. Sarno's Mind-Body Connection book for mention of fevers but found none.

Is a high fever potentially mind-body?

 

IMHO, looking into something like a fever (which for the vast majority of situations is a normal physiological response to an infection) to this degree is just neurotic. You have two cases spread 6 months apart, you could easily have just gotten sick with something both those times. If it keeps happening then you should see a doctor. Being in a chronic fight or flight is going to make us more susceptible to illness.

I think it’s good that you’re recognizing your emotions and anxieties, but that’s where this should end. Even if this were mindbody, you shouldn’t be around others and risking getting them sick so I’m not even sure what comes of this? In either case (infection or psychosomatic) it should pass, I can’t Imagine the brain keeping up a fever going for no reason. Its whole job is our survival, a moderate grade fever is not doing anything beneficial for that goal. It has a whole host of symptoms it can choose to generate to keep us ‘safe’ without risking harm to the body,

 

Agreed - I think there's an allure to think if X is TMS then everything can be TMS, and we can get to the point where we never have symptoms or illness (or this is just driven by fear), but it's not true.

Like @Rabscuttle said, I don't think the fever has been consistent enough, two six months apart is consistent with it just being viral or bacterial - now if you were getting a fever every second week that would be a trigger to investigate further - but if you do a TMS deep dive every time you get ill then you'll drive yourself mad (it is always good to be aware of your emotions, however).

I would definitely be treating it the old fashioned way (via the medical model) and take comfort in the fact that it's normal