How long is a flu or cold going to last

How long is a flu or cold going to last

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Cold symptoms usually last for about a week. Flu symptoms improve over 2-5 days, but it’s common to feel run down for about a week

Related Questions Answered on Y!Answers

Sick with Cold/Flu… How long does the Sweating last?

Q: Ok so I’ve been sick for about a week now. It started off as a cold then after 2 days turned into the flu. I’ve been sweating like a mad woman for the last 3 days. I cant take this crap anymore! Im sick of being sweaty all day and night.Im not sure if I have a fever or not, Im going to send the hubby out to get me a thermometer. I just want this crap to go away.Any ideas for how long the sweating usually lasts?

A: NAUSEA:*Sip room temp ginger ale. Nibble some ginger snaps. If you can get powdered ginger into your guts, that’s the most effective natural remedy. I sometimes put it in capsules & swallow it, or I mix some in with applesauce. It doesn’t taste great, but it works. You know you’ve had enough when you burp & taste ginger.*Room temp, FLAT cola. Or coke syrup. Emetrol is the same type of stuff if they don’t have coke syrup at the store. I have even gone to the McDonald’s drive-thru in a pinch & asked for coke syrup. They gave me some!*When I’m desperate & I have nothing else at home & do NOT feel up to running out to the store, I take a Dramamine (meclazine). It will help you sleep a few hours & take away your dizziness & nausea for a while.*Clear liquids for now. Tea & juice at room temp, not cold. Cold will further shock & upset your stomach. Drink only 1 or 2 ounces at a time.*FOOD: only if you can: eat light carbohydrates in small amounts- toast or crackers. As your tummy de-nauseates, graduate to light protein, like chicken breast or fish. Fatty foods are the last thing to add to your diet.*ACUPRESSURE POINTS: Apply pressure to the webbing between your thumb & index finger on either hand. Use firm, deep pressure & a rapid massaging movement for several minutes. I don’t mean caress it. Using the same kind of motion & pressure, rub with your thumb or thumbnail on the top of your foot between the tendons of the second & third toes.*The last option is to go ahead & allow yourself to vomit. This does not mean MAKE yourself vomit. That is not recommended.SINUSES, NOSE, THROAT, AND LUNGS:Boil some salty water in a pot on the stove. Turn off the burner. Blow your nose & cough out some phlegm. Make a steam hood by draping a small-to-medium-sized towel over your head & the pot. Breathe the salty steam in your nose, out your mouth several times. Breathe some in your mouth & out your nose a few times as well. Blow your nose often. Keep this up until the steam stops. You can do this trick a few times throughout the day until you feel better. Salt is great.OVER THE COUNTER MEDS TO TRY:**Sinus decongestant: Phenylephrine 5mg. You don’t necessarily need all the extras it’s often mixed with.**Expectorant: Guaifenisen (Mucinex is the brand name, but it’s way cheaper at dollar stores. Always read ingredients!!) liquefies your mucus so it’s much easier to expel. But you have to drink TONS of water or it won’t work, & you must be near a bathroom because it makes you pee a lot. (yet causes constipation… another reason to stay hydrated!)**Pain, inflammation, body aches, headache, fever: Ibuprofen (Advil) should be alternated with Acetaminophen (Tylenol).IMPORTANT! IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPPORT:-Stay home. (even one day can make a difference. plus, you’ll keep your germs to yourself.)-Sleep!!-Drink plenty of water. (8 8oz servings a day=bare minimum!! pee out those germs & flush ’em away!!)-Take vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea.-Eat garlic. (sorry, but it really is great for your health! and it will give you a good reason to stay home. hehe)-Wash hands well & often. Moisturize skin to keep from cracking your hands to bits.-Avoid milk & chocolate, which thicken your mucus and make your fight that much harder.-Moderate exercise helps too!NOTE: the meds and garlic are harsh, so don’t take them on an empty or upset stomach. COUGHING FITS:>DAY: Mucinex and water. (generic is fine, and cheap!) Cough it out while you’re awake.>NIGHT: Delsym (cough suppressant, DEXTROMETHORPHAN). Get some restful, coughless sleep.HOMEMADE EXPECTORANTS: Mix very hot water, cayenne pepper, white vinegar, and honey. >GARGLE & SPIT OUT!!!!!!!<Or drink hot water with lemon and honey.NOTE: I am not a doctor or nurse. Consult a medical professional to tailor any of the above suggestions to your particular circumstances, especially taking into consideration your weight, age, health, whether you’re pregnant or nursing. FEEL BETTER SOON!!

Gastric flu, how long will it last?

Q: going on 16 days ago i started having cold and flu symptoms. Fatigue and a scratchy throat and sneezing. By the fourth day i felt better. i was also on my period at the time and took probably around 9 ibuprofen for cramps over 3 days. i had odd back pains that faded quickly but figured it was just my period, which i usually dont get pain until it starts but i figured with the cold i was extra sensitive. Then the evening of the fifth day of the cold when i was feeling better, after dinner i had a sudden bout of diarrhea. I thought at first it was my regular stomach problems that i have where my stomach burns and is usually relieved by going to the bathroom but this was epic. i went a few time after that until it was just stomach acid coming out and felt nausea but never vomited. i think stomach acid must have come up because my throat started to burn and my nose ran though i didnt feel any burning on the way up. Since that day i cant eat or drink without feeling full, bloated and crampy and occasional muscus-ee stools that need to come out with an urgency which makes me think i would still have diarrhea if i were still eating (i haven’t eaten solid foods in about 7 days). i took maalox the first 3 days after and was able to go to work (night shifts) though it was a huge struggle. i went to a clinic 2 or 3 days after the initial bout and was given omoxicillin which i stupidly took two of and felt worse. went to my family doctor 7 days ago and he said i have stomach flu or gastric flu and the omoxicillin probably exacerbated it since its for bacterial infections, and i had a virus and that with a liquid diet and some vitamin c and an acid reducer which hasnt worked (nexium) and of which he only gave me seven, im taking the last today, that i could turn this around in a couple of days. he poked at my stomach a little and said if i had an ulcer i wouldnt be able to stand that so i guess its not an ulcer. i went back 3 days ago when nothing improved and he basically just said stick it out, we dont want to over-medicate and that he could do a stool sample but doubted anything would come of it other than what he diagnosed already. I keep drinking gatorade, soups and gingerale. i took imodium after the second family doctor visit which left me sooo backed up for two days though i felt stronger which makes me think i may be having a malabsorption problem because once i started going again the weakness returned. I took tylenol when i first took the omoxicillin because i thought i had a fever i was so cloudy headed.since sunday i have felt fatigued, i have had no appetite, i have lost roughly 15 pounds i feel like im wasting away. i sleep in hour long intervals here and there but otherwise can’t stay asleep and i usually feel worse in the head when i wake up. my stomach feels bloated, hot and i eat even crackers and get acid reflux that makes me lose my voice which my doctor claims isnt acid but part of the virus but which i know is bull because it only happens before or after i have a bowel movement and there is a terrible taste in my mouth and otherwise my throat and nose is fine, not congested. and my gums hurt too. i just want to know am i ever, EVER going to get better or i have done irreversible damage to my stomach lining some how? should i eat even though i become EXTREMELY uncomfortable afterwards and that it’ll just come out an hour later in an acidic bowl movement? am i weak due to no food or because my body is still fighting the virus. i can find nothing online linking gastritis to reflux. i have NEVER been down this long with any kind of virus. i dont think im dehydrated because i still keep peeing. is the high acid in my stomach due to lack of food or because of the inflammation? someone please tell me this will go away im on the verge of a nervous breakdown and no one thinks i should go to the hospital and that i should trust my doctor please help! i am a hypochondriac but i KNOW i am not imagining the discomfort i still get with eating. and if this is a virus why has no one else in my family fallen ill (not that i would want them to because my brother is a type 1 diabetic and an addisonian). i have become obsessed it consumes my every day i need someone to tell me i’ll be all right. my doc claims its going around and that its all normal and can last weeks, am i being paranoid? how long can i go without eating so long as im keeping up my electrolytes without some horrible thing like organ failure or some shit happening?i also have mucus-ee acidic secretions from both…holes down belowhad three nosebleeds too

A: i wud say its gastric flu for sure so dont worry,these things can take weeks to go away so please just relax. I too am unwell at the moment with it and cannot hardly eat at all and also i have a really really bad cough that makes me wretch all the time. It does make you feel very sad and helpless but it WILL pass.

How long does the flu last?

Q: I got the flu about 3 weeks ago. I felt completely weak, tired, cold, achy (all of the symptoms) but it only really lasted about 1.5 days. After that, I think I caught a cold and had a stuffy nose, cough, and had greenish/yellow phlegm. That lasted about a couple days. It has been 2 weeks and now and although the greenish/yellow phlegm is gone, during the day, I still have a runny nose and at night, I get congested. Since this has been going on for at least a good 2 to 3 weeks, should I go see a doctor or should I just continue to drink plenty of fluids and do the regular home regime?

A: around 2-4 weeks at least or year if you not careful or you bad a bad immune system :)- plenty of fluids – vitamins- parasitamol or cold and flue table- see your doc if any didnt work