How do you know if you have cold or flu?

Answer 1

My doctor once told me the way to tell if you have a cold or the flu is: If you see a £50 note flying past your window & you rush out of the house to get it you only have a cold, if you let it fly away you have flu. I have only ever had flu once in my life & it was horrible I spent 3 solid days in bed simply because I could not get out of bed because of the aches. Hope this helps

Answer 2

I never know either. I always think I've got a cold, but I'm begining to suspect that I've had flu a couple of times in one winter!

The first time my "cold" only lasted 3 days, but I could barely sit up. I felt so groggy and out of it. But because I had blocked nose and sore throat I assumed it wsa "just a cold" and I'd get over it. Thing is, recently I've seen friends with colds, and my husband had one recently and they seem fine, maybe a little tireder than usual, and a bit snotty, but that's all. They could keep going to work, albeit with a lemsip to take, but they could carry on.

I guess if you genuinely feel lousy, instead of a bit under the weather it is flu.

Answer 3

You feel like you are going to die with the flu, really! A cold you can take some stuff, feel a bit grotty and go to work. With the flu you can't even move. It's a bit like the difference between a headache and a migraine, you can only know the difference if you experienced both.

Answer 4

No the cold weather doesn't cause cold/flu. You are right in that they are viral infections. However, the cold and flu are more common in winter because the germs have a field day indoors where we have the heating up full blast - this provides optimum conditions for them to multiply faster and therefore meaning they can multiply faster than your immune system can get rid of them!

Answer 5

you don't feel very sick from a cold, just a bit rubbish and weak but not sick. when ylou've got the flu however, you often will feel sick, neausia and stronger headaches can come along with it. however, if you have a very efficient defence system, your body will get rid of the infleunca virus before you feel very sick, so in that case you might think you've got a cold when in fact you've got a flu. then again, as the flu usually comes hand in hand with fever, you might notice it by that distinction!
so if you feel like you've got a cold, but you feel like you wanna throw up and you've got a fever, then you've probably got the flu!

Answer 6

http://www.healthynewage.com/cold-and-flu-season.htm

Answer 7

I have the flu at the moment and trust me if you have it, it'll let you know. I've got a sore throat, ear ache, massive head ache, muscle pains so much that I find it hard to even sit up and an awful chesty cough.

It's no holiday.

Answer 8

Cold comes on slowly and although you feel lousy you can still manage to go about some normal tasks .... FLu comes on very quickly, gives you severe aches and pains, and leaves you usally bed ridden.

Answer 9

if you have flu, you simply have a temperature. You feel worse and your whole body aches. When you have a cold, you just cough and a few sniffs.. bit of a runny nose etc. nothing serious.

Answer 10

If you have a classic flu you'll feel hot and cold, you'll develop a fever, your muscles start to hurt and you could have a headache.