Cold v. Flu: The neverending conundrum

I woke up Monday morning feeling under the weather. My stomach didn't feel right, my body ached, nose ran, and overall icky feel had come over me. On Tuesday morning, it was worse. I spent the majority of my day in bed watching TV; I was so tired that instead of getting up and doing something, I watched a Lifetime movie, now that's bad.

But as I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself, I began to self-diagnose myself. Do I have the common cold, or do I have the flu? EEK!

In case you are in the same boat this winter, here are some ways to distinguish cold from flu.

Fever is rare in colds, but 80 percent of people with flu have fever. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.

A mucus-producing (lovely isn't it) cough usually comes with a cold, but a non-mucous producing cough comes with the flu.

Slight body aches come with the common cold, but severe body aches accompany the flu.

Stuffy nose goes with the cold but not the flu.

The chills go with the flu but rarely with colds.

Tiredness is mild with cold but severe with flu.

Sneezing common with the cold but unusual for the flu.

Headache is not usually associated with the cold, but is present in 80 percent of flu cases.

Sore throat is common with the cold, but it's not common with the flu.

Chest discomfort is mild with cold but severe with flu.

Lastly, the common cold develops over a few days so you know it's coming. However, the flu has a rapid onset of 3-6 hours and brings sudden symptoms such as high fever and aches and pains.

After examining these symptoms, I believe I have a cold. For now, I'll keep drinking my orange juice and trudging along with general ickiness.