Things You'll Need:
- Thermometer
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Step 1
Watch for fevers. Feelings of intense hot and cold can be signs of a fever. Feelings of disorientation or outright delusions or hallucinations can indicate a medium or high grade fever.
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Step 2
Take your temperature. A temperature of 100 For below is nothing to worry about. A low grade fever runs from about 100 to 102, a medium grade fever, from 102 to 104, and a high grade fever, from 104 to 107. If your temperature is above 102, you may have a serious condition.
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Step 3
Pay attention to your breathing. It is normal to have quite a bit of congestion with a cold, but if it gets too severe, it could be serious. Wheezing, violent coughing fits and a feeling of choking or suffocating are all signs that you should go see a doctor.
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Step 4
Pay attention to what you cough or sneeze out. Thick yellow or green mucous is a sign that your cold has turned into a sinus or respiratory infection. Usually, these infections will go away after your immune system fights off the cold, but occasionally they require additional treatment.
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Step 5
Notice whether you are getting better. Bad cold symptoms can sometimes take a week or more to go away entirely, but you should be starting to feel better within a few days, and ready to go back to work by the end of the week. If you keep getting worse, or don't improve at all, you may have a flu or some other disease.
