Cold Vs. Flu
I really get irritated when people tell me they have the flu yet they are sitting on the computer or on the sofa. I also roll my eyes when people say the would take their chances with the flu than take a shot.
These type of people just don’t understand how painful and serious the flu can be and they mistake having a common cold for the flu.
I’ll tell you right now, if you have the flu, you are not getting out of bed.
Here is a chart I found from Tamiflu website.
| Symptom | Cold | Flu |
|---|---|---|
| Fever | Fever is rare with a cold. | Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu. |
| Coughing | A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold. | A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough). |
| Aches | Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold. | Severe aches and pains are common with the flu. |
| Stuffy Nose | Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week. | Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu. |
| Chills | Chills are uncommon with a cold. | 60% of people who have the flu experience chills. |
| Tiredness | Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold. | Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu. |
| Sneezing | Sneezing is commonly present with a cold. | Sneezing is not common with the flu. |
| Sudden Symptoms | Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days. | The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains. |
| Headache | A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold. | A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases. |
| Sore Throat | Sore throat is commonly present with a cold. | Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu. |
| Chest Discomfort | Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. | Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu. |
I had the flu once. Never again. I never want to go through that EVER again. It was bad because I had just gotten over a stomach bug, which caused my immunity to go down. I got the flu not much later and had a hard time with it. I was stuck in bed for 7 days straight, throwing up, getting high fevers, waking up with sweat only to pass out again with drugs to help reduce my fever. I hardly moved while I was in the bed too and started to get sore spots on my bottom and back. I couldn’t take any of the flu medication because it hurt my weak stomach. The flu is hell.
I’m not saying a cold is something to laugh about, but it just isn’t the flu.
Oh yeah, and Hay Fever is not a cold either. You sneeze once doesn’t mean you are coming down sick. Stupid anime shows! LOL
This entry was posted on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 9:22 am and is filed under Rant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Tammy November 22nd, 2009 at 6:45 pm
I can’t say I’ve had the flu yet either and luckily, I haven’t had too many encounters with people complaining that they’re dying with the flu when it’s really a cold.
Although I will argue that I still wouldn’t get the shot because of other reasons, rather than gambling with the chance of getting it.
From what I’ve heard before, there’s always the possibility of the virus mutating, so you’d have to nearly take the shot yearly. On the other hand, it’s not that I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It’s certainly helpful for people with a poor immune system caused by various reasons (ex, elderly, people with certain conditions, etc).
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