Being sick is a pain in the behind. It’s not someone anyone wants to deal with, and to be honest, who has the time to be sick these days? There is so much to do and take care of that it’s a massive inconvenience every single time we start to feel that familiar feeling of illness. But, there are different levels of illness ranging from the common cold to something a little more severe. It can be hard to tell though, whether you are experiencing the typical virus or if there is something else afoot. It’s important to be able to tell the difference though and that’s where we come in. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look down below at some of the facts that you need to know, so keep reading if you would like to find out more.
Pain in Your Sinuses
The first thing that you are going to need to look out for is pain in your sinuses, or your sinuses feeling as though they are blocked. For some reason, we seem to have decided that this is indicative of a common cold, when this is not the case at all. If you have a basic cold, your sinuses should not be affected at all, and that’s one of the quickest ways to tell if it’s something else.
If you can feel your sinuses, if they hurt, if you are struggling with the way that they are feeling, then you can look into getting some help. It’s likely that you have a sinus infection, and these can be pretty painful. While they will go away on their own, you may decide that contacting a specialist service like telehealth sinus infection is the best course of action so that you can get some antibiotics. This is what we recommend anyway just so that it clears up as fast as possible.
Prolonged Symptoms
If you have cold-like symptoms, it’s reasonable to think that you have a cold. But, the thing about colds is that they last a couple of weeks, maximum. If you have a cold or cold symptoms for over three weeks, there is a chance that there’s a problem and you need to get checked out by your doctor. We understand that you do not want to be someone who goes to the doctor for a cold, but in cases like this they don’t mind because you never know if it’s just a very stubborn cold, or it means there’s something else going on.
It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially if you are experiencing prolonged symptoms. If the symptoms are changing, that’s something else entirely, and you’re likely picking up new viruses that should pass soon.
Highly Contagious
The common cold is highly contagious. If you have a cold or you have symptoms that lead you to believe you have a cold, then it’s best if you stay at home and rest until it passes. This should only take a week or so for most colds, and it’s important to keep yourself hydrated and as comfortable as possible. We know that seems impossible when you can’t breathe through your nose, but do your best. The reason you need to stay at home is because every sneeze and every cough can spread the virus, causing more people to become sick.
If you live with other people, if you have been around other people regularly, and if none of them are getting whatever it is that you have, this might mean that there is something else going on here. Look for symptoms such as a chesty cough rather than a dry one, and pain in the chest when you breathe as this is more indicative of a chest infection rather than a cold. These are less contagious than a cold, and could explain why others aren’t catching what you’ve got going on. You will need antibiotics to clear this up, so get an appointment with your doctor asap to get them.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now have a more solid understanding of when it’s just a common cold, when it’s something a little more than this, and you need to worry or see your doctor. The most important thing that you can do in situations like this is keep calm, no matter how stressful things get. Stress can exacerbate your condition and make you feel worse, which you don’t need!
