Now most of us will not
know the difference between common cold and flu, but these needs to be
understood at the same time is not easy to differential when it is a common cold or when it is a flue. While common colds can leave
you drained and feeling unwell for the most part, which cause nasal congestion,
fever, and is over in a few days, they are rarely medically serious.
Flu, on the other hand,
can actually, sometimes be very serious, and come on quickly. Symptoms of flu include sore throat, fever,
headaches, your lungs are affected to a greater extent, especially for those
who are already vulnerable, in addition to above, those suffering from flu will
also experience symptoms like sweating, feeling shivery, more severe muscle
aches and pains, and dry chesty cough, loss of appetite and will make you feel
quite ill for a few days to weeks, and may also lead to further complications
like pneumonia and hospitalizations, particularly the young and the elderly or
people with lung or heart problems. If
you notice shortness of breath, you should know your doctor immediately. Just like the cold viruses, flu viruses also
enter your body through the eyes, mouth or nose. Every time you touch your hand to one of
these areas, and other places, you could be passing these virus to yourself as
well as others.
When you cannot take the
onslaught of attack by the virus in case of flu, the headaches, fever of more
than 101, you will naturally go to a hospital.
The doctor will prescribe you medicine to alleviate the symptoms
associated with the flu. The doctor
might even prescribe you antibiotics which should be used only rarely and never
forget to take the complete dosage as per the doctor’s advice. Never stop taking antibiotic half way
assuming that your flu symptoms are gone and that you are cured. More on this in next episode.
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Nowadays, most of us do
not keep a record of common cold, but keeping record of when you got the
cold/flu and what medication was taken, what test was done, and the results of
the laboratory test, come in handy sometimes in the future. I can understand that in some countries, the
medical records are not given to the patients but at least keeping a track of
those records that can be tracked might be useful at a later stage.
