First month temping, thermometer acting funny?

[calicostripe]

This is my first month temping - I bought a brand new BBT thermometer - the "Easy@Home oral digital" one.

However... I feel like it's been acting funny. I keep getting readings of 97.57 exactly. So I'm beginning to question my whole month's data, and my sanity

Here's a timeline of things:
BBT Thermometer arrived in the mail one week into my cycle, so I started temping on CD 7
CD 10 - 97.57
CD 13 - Positive OPK
CD 14 - cramping
(note - this is consistent with the 3 months I've been using OPKs, but I quit testing once I got a + so perhaps my LH surge lasts more than one day?)
CD 15 - 97.57
CD 16 - 97.57
(at this point I'm freaking out, having assumed I was ovulating on the day of cramps. Where's my temp spike? What's wrong with me?! etc)
CD 17 - temp finally spikes (relief!) and stays elevated through CD 19, at which point FF gives me a dotted crosshairs putting O at day 16, later than I assumed.
CD 18 - 97.57 again. FF takes crosshairs away. Freaking out again, til I google and figure it could be an estrogen surge
CD 19 - temps go back up (relief), crosshairs come back
CD 20 - I wake up at 4:30am and get 97.57 (I'm a terrible sleeper, so if I wake up and think I've had 3+ hrs, I go ahead and temp, then temp again at my normal waking time). At 7:30 I get 98.36.
CD 21 (today) - wake up at 4:30, get 97.57. It finally "clicks" in my brain that I keep getting 97.57, so as an experiment, I immediately test again and get 97.89. At 7:30 I get 98.76.

I feel like I'm going crazy
The dang thermometer is brand new - do you think it's defective? Or could I really just be 97.57 a lot? Since it's my first month temping, I don't know what is normal for me. And then it seems like my temp is just shooting up crazy high these last few days, and this huge discrepancy between 4:30 am and 7:30am that I'm losing all trust in my thermometer. ARGH!!! This is so stressful! Or could my inconsistent temping times have that much effect? I'm such an insomniac - doing the best I can to get a decent reading, but I often toss and turn and lie awake so it's tough.

https://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/6217b2/

 

[2ducks]

Your thermometer is most definitely defective. If I were you I would get a new one. Many women recommend MABIS which you can order from Amazon. Your current thermometer is favoring temps. Keep testing with it to keep in the habit while you get a new one.

 

[abennion]

It sounds like it may be favouring temps like 2ducks said, however another possibility is that you failed to O (the egg never released). That would explain the temp surge and then drop. Just keep testing, temps that stay the same pre-O are a good sign of good hormonal balance. Good luck!