How to Tell if You Have the Flu

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Do I have a cold, a virus, or do I have the flu? Getting sick during the winter months is certainly a mystery. By the time you realize whether or not you have had the flu, you have often had it long enough to spread it to others. These tips will help you figure out if you have the flu or just a regular virus or cold.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Thermometer
Observation

Step1

Check for fever. When you begin to feel ill, the first thing you should do is check your temperature. A normal temperature is between 98.2 and 98.9. You have a fever if your temperature reaches 100. A person with the flu can easily have a temperature of 104. Try to take your temperature before you medicate yourself so that you can get a true temperature reading as many cold and flu medications lower a fever.

Step2

Determine if your cold symptoms are really cold symptoms. A cough, sore throat, and a runny or stuffy nose can signal that you have a cold, but they can also mean you have the flu. If you have just one of these symptoms, you may be safe, but if you have all of them, you could have the flu.

Step3

Determine if you have virus symptoms. If you have diarrhea, vomiting, and are too tired or weak to function normally, you definitely have a viral infection. If these symptoms are compounded by a fever and cold symptoms, you could have the flu.

Step4

Go to the doctor. While a doctor may not be able to do anything for a cold or flu, they can certainly diagnose it. By having your doctor diagnose the flu, you will know that you need to stay away from others so as not to spread it to your boss, your kids, or your classmates. Also, the doctor's note will allow you to stay in bed for a week guilt-free. If your flu symptoms are prolonged, there is a chance that your symptoms have led to sinus or respiratory infections. Your doctor can treat you for that.

Tips & Warnings

It is better to take the day off than to spread the flu to everyone.
Be aware that some flu symptoms can also be symptoms of a more serious problem such as asthma, pneumonia, or heart disease. Do not self diagnose.