Symptoms of a cold vs symptoms from the flu???

starryeyedtiger

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Could someone explaine the difference between symptoms resulting from a cold vs. ones resulting from the flu???

I got my flu shot back in October but i know it does not cover every stran of the flu. About a month after i got my flu shot, i got a VERY bad cold that lasted several months and resulted in bronchitis and a severe sinus infection. I went to the doctor several weeks ago and got a humidifier, antibiotics, and medicine for it and it seemed to go away. I had been feeling fine up until a few days ago and started to get sick again.

For the past three days though i've some down with something else- sneezing, coughing (i sound like i'm barking
), sore throat, chills, fever, exhaustion, congestion. Is that the flu or a cold?

My sister, her two kids, and one of my friends is sick too with similar symptoms- so i'm thinking it's something different from what i had a few weeks ago. Any ideas?

I called my docotor and told her i had some medicine left from the last time i was sick so she said i could take my cough syrup, mucinex, and my inhaler and keep the humidifier going and see if that helps.I'm TRYING not to get stressed out as i know stress totally doesn't help - but with the upcomming wedding, moving recently, and stress at work that's a little difficult. I'm hoping things slow down a bit soon. I've been taking ecinacia (sp?) and a multivitamin but i'm not sure it's helping at all.
 

luvmy2cats

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Well, usually with a cold you get sinus congestion or runny nose, sore throat, cough. Those are the main symptoms. Flu is body aches, chills, fever, lethargy. Now it is possible to run a fever with a cold but not likely. I doubt you have the same thing as before. Just remember to rest and get plenty of fluids. Hope you feel better soon.
 

strange_wings

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You have to remember though - both will affect you slightly different then most people.
It doesn't matter whether it's the flu or a cold when DH gets sick, it always tends to affect his airways/lungs more because of his asthma.
 

lunasmom

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If my body aches...I'm talking aching in weird places like my wrist or my thigh or something...then I know I have the flu. That's my trigger.

Normally I get severe colds that "act" like the flu, but it's not. Like Luvmycat1 said, very rarely do you run a temp with a cold...but it can happen.

Your symptoms sound like something both B and I have had (lucky me I had it twice), some other people I work with had it, and friends in Michigan and Illinois have had it. Basically that severe cold is going around the country.

Get plenty of rest and keep calm! Forewarning too, my first round with it I had the cough and stuffy/runny nose for about a month after the rest of the symptoms went away.
 

lillekat

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"For the past three days though i've some down with something else- sneezing, coughing (i sound like i'm barking), sore throat, chills, fever, exhaustion, congestion. Is that the flu or a cold?"

That sounds much more like a cold to me - I usually run a fever with a cold for some reason, so it is possible. If you've had bronchitis and a sinus infection after the flu shot, is it possible that you've been susceptible to a chest infection? Some sort of infection in your respiritory system sounds likely to me... and if you don't normally get a fever with a cold, that would offer a possible explanation. It's worth going back to your doctor and being checked out again, I would say.
 
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starryeyedtiger

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Thankyou for the answers everyone. I called my doctor today and asked if i needed to come in and she said if my symptoms don't get better by the end of the week to go ahead and come in- she thinks it's just a cold though but is monitoring me closely since i just got over the other gunk i had not too long ago. I have asthma so it seems like every little thing turns into a lung issue for me.

I'm feeling a little better today though so that's definitely a blessing!
I'm just trying to rest up a little bit.
 
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