[SecretGarden]

How do you distinguish between a cold and allergies. I have been sick about 6 or so days now... going back to bed in a moment. Some say it could be allergies.

Now... how do you determine if it is a cold or allergies and wow to allergy sufferers have to feel THIS bad?

[Wants2Fly]

Are you in a situation where you are able to see a physician for a diagnosis?

[Zen888]

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/common-cold/AN01229 Cold or allergy: Which is it?

[SecretGarden]

Thank you both...

I tried to call a doc yesterday morning but the office was closed. I will call in the morning.

Will take my temp too now.... feel toasty but not officially. thanks again.

I would not hope anyone with allergies to feel this bad.... and have to work with this.

i get sicker with allergies than i do with a cold. and i didn't have allergies until i moved to Texas. i take an OTC med from the local grocery chain. it works great. kills the pain and the runny nose and works for 8 hours........

when i first moved here, i thought i had the worst cold ever. and had a DX and found out that i was allergic to oak, mold, ragweed and one other tree. i can't remember what it is.

good luck.

quite often doctors aren't quite as interested in making diagnoses as they are in assessing the pros and cons of a variety of treatments. oftentimes a doc doesn't have a precise diagnosis but the doc doesn't need one in order to assess that antibiotics are likely to help with minimal side-effects. so they prescribe those... and if the patient comes back then they will have to have a bit more of a think. (of course patients quite like diagnoses so they often tell us what is most probable)

> Treatment of a cold may include rest, pain relievers and over-the-counter cold remedies, such as decongestants. Treatment of seasonal allergies may include over-the-counter or prescription antihistamines, nasal steroid sprays and decongestants.

the main treatment difference is antihistamine. you could take antihistamines... then after a week or so of being better... you could stop taking the antihistamine. if you stay better then that doesn't tell you for sure that it isn't an allergy (you might not be exposed to the allergin anymore) but if you get worse then you will know it is some kind of allergy...