To think that many people say they have the flu when really they just ahe the cold?

[OhFFSWhatsWrongNow]

I hear it quite a lot, especially from colleagues. "I shouldn't have come in today, I've got the flu", or "I can't stop sneezing, I have the flu"

I have only had the flu once in my life and I literally couldn't move from my bed. These people may have a horrible cold (and I do have sympathy for them, it's not nice) but they are able to walk, lift their heads, eat etc. i couldn't do any of these things.

I realise I a may be generalising here and basing this on my own experience and am prepared to be told so, but Aibu to think that the sniffles, sneezes and a runny/blocked nose is not the same as having the flu and the flu is much, much worse?

there is such a thing as a 'mild flu-like illness' is there not?

I think that's GP code for "go away and stop wasting my time - you're clearly going to get better on your own so I'm not going to spend twenty quid of my budget on testing to find out exactly what chickenshit excuse for a disease you've got" Suzanne

YANBU

Flu when a cold
Migraine when a headache
Depressed when having an off day
Chest infection with a cough
Ligament damage for a sore ankle/elbow/knee etc

Sheeeeesh!

Worra, broke my heart laughing at you thinking you had gone blind! So funny.

My EXH (complete twat) has had the flu about 7 times a year every year for the past 20 years that I have had the misfortune of knowing him. Funnily enough he can go driving, go shopping and do pretty much everything when he comes down with the flu. Amazing really.

I had it once about 12 years ago and honestly thought that I was going to die.

I once mentioned to him that if he had the flu he wouldn't be able to get off the floor and he flipped the lid. If he had the actual flu he wouldn't have had the energy to flip out. Total complete self obsessed twat.

Worra, broke my heart laughing at you thinking you had gone blind! So funny.

My EXH (complete twat) has had the flu about 7 times a year every year for the past 20 years that I have had the misfortune of knowing him. Funnily enough he can go driving, go shopping and do pretty much everything when he comes down with the flu. Amazing really.

I had it once about 12 years ago and honestly thought that I was going to die.

I once mentioned to him that if he had the flu he wouldn't be able to get off the floor and he flipped the lid. If he had the actual flu he wouldn't have had the energy to flip out. Total complete self obsessed twat.

Remember swine flu a few years ago?

During the containment process in my country (schools were closed, etc), some people who'd been exposed were tested, and those found to be positive were isolated - basically they had to go home and stay there. Many of them had a cough and a few sniffles, some had no symptoms, some felt lousy but were not sick enough to be hospitalised, or to have any treatment, really.

So they DID have the flu. But many weren't very sick. So I've changed my mind on this one. You can't really tell if you have the flu or not. But you can tell if you feel lousy.

I'm sure some feel lousier than others, I'm sure some people 'talk up' their symptoms. But they might just have the flu. It's impossible to tell.

I feel like a bit of a wuss now with all these reports of Swine flu with mild symptoms.

I collapsed outside my flat in the snow, luckily I was on the phone to my Mum at the time because my bastard ex wouldn't come home to help me with the kids, at that point I felt strange and feverish

I was feeling fine when I woke up that morning, fine when I took DS1 to nursery, then within the space of about 2 hours I collapsed and woke up (properly) 3 days later feeling like death couldn't come sooner.

Most of the Italians I know get flu every winter often 2 or 3 times. A cold is flu and the mentality of many is still antibiotics cure everything. MIL inclided.Dh had flu once and dd1 had a milder version - possibly . he couldn't get up, he slept and he looked like death warmed up. Towards the end he went down with a chest infection / tonsils and he coughed for ages afterwards. I recall having to walk to the doctors with 2 month dd in the sling as it was snowing and ice on the ground to get his doc certificate for work as they wouldn't fax it- never been so fucked off with a doctor in my life... Then dd2 got huge temperatures and almost stopped drinking . Not something i would like to repeat so I just raise my eyebrows when they say they have infuenza .....

I used to get flu every year when I was a child, then a long break, then I got it the day before DD1's second birthday. DS1 was 3. I was nearly falling asleep in the armchair trying to keep an eye on them and had to ask then DH to make jellies for DD1's party because the thought of it was making me feel sick. A while ago I thought I had flu but it only lasted 24 hours. I still don't know what that was.

I remember reading somewhere that if the symptoms are confined to your head and airways then it's a cold, but if you feel them throughout your body then it's flu. This may be bollocks...

I think people say they have flu because a cold is seen as a minor illness that shouldn't prevent you from going to work or getting out of bed, whereas actually a bad cold can make you feel really, really shit. So I think people tend to exaggerate to get the sympathy and rest that they actually need but probably wouldn't get if they tried phoning in sick with 'just' a cold.

If everyone acknowledged that there are degrees of colds and that having one can make you feel properly ill, then there would be less confusing the two.

What Mrsfrumble said.

A lot of people say 'flu because there are numpties who think, and say, oh, only a cold. Having not had a cold for about three years I had three in eight weeks not so long ago. I felt shite, I can tell you. Yes, I took time off work and yes I said it was a cold, Having had 'flu twice in my life, I know difference.

Think of all those ads that show people battling into work against the odds.

And spreading the cold virus around.

You can get slightly milder flu. My son had swine flu. (Proven by swabs) but he was able to get out of bed and watch TV and only complained of a severe headache.

Yep, I've legitimately had the flu, strep, pneumonia and I've felt well enough to fool around watching movies, eating soup, and generally having a relaxing day off being lazy. Unfortunately, that also makes me a carrier because viruses don't affect me as badly so I go to work feeling just fine, but carrying the cold virus or a worse virus thinking I have a mild cold. Then a few days later my entire department is out for a week because I was feeling a bit "meh".

What knocks me on my ass are sinus infections. I can't deal with the pressure in my sinuses. No fever, nothing the doctor can do, and I can't focus on anything at work so I need a sick day for it. It's just miserable.

Never had flu but I thought I did once. TURNED OUT TO be meningitis. I suspect they're similar

When I did have pneumonia I was tested for swine flu as it was around that time. Nhs website diagnosed me with swine flu and sent me a script for tamiflu so I am part of those stats. But I just knew it wasn't flu and arranged to see the gp after hours. In hospital I was but in an isolation room and had everyone masked up etc. The tests came back negative for swine flu.

I do wonder how many people really did have swine flu - and I mean in general not people on here - compared to what the official stats were.

DS tries this every year. In fact I think we're due soon - he's picked up his sister's heavy cold and bad throat so I fully expect it in the next few days.. He gets told quite emphatically that it is NOT flu and to get out of bed
I had flu the year swine flu was about (negative for swine flu), I was actually working for a GP at the time and was so feverish that DH called my boss up on the Sunday evening to tell him that I wouldn't be in, he came out to see me and barred me from getting out of bed for a week. Apparently I tried to hug him
It took 2 months to get over it fully.

I had the flu once, followed by a secondary infection. Yes, it was diagnosed! I probably could have picked up a £50 note in the 4 hours a day I wasn't fast asleep.

There are definitely different serverities of flu.

YANBU

DD (15) had the flu this year in July (our winter), she was contemplating going to school as she felt ok in the morning just a bit feverish but decided to stay home. I left for work leaving her home alone thinking she'll be ok. Instead she got worse not long after I left, she slept most of the day and couldn't get out of bed for medicine, water etc and to top it all off the cow out the back wouldn't stop mooing which made her migraine even worse, lucky she managed to text me to bring some supplies home.

I came home at 5:30ish to find her bawling her eyes out as she was in absolute agony and sick as a dog. I had never seen her that way before, felt like an awful mother that day.

Can someone define the difference between flu and cold?

Last week I had a heavy cold, shivers and shakes alternating with being boiling hot and totally flaked out if I did anything. Just for extras I also had stomach cramps and runny tummy.

However I did manage to look after my two ill DCs at the same time. Was it just a cold then?

Bumpsadasie Could you get out of bed? If so, no, it wasn't the flu.

'Can someone define the difference between flu and cold?'

The only way to know for sure I guess is by a lb test to see what virus you are infected with.

Bumps sounds like a nasty bug on top of the heavy cold, which IME only ever happens when the DC's are poorly as well..

Sounds like it wasn't flu then.

I did have flu as a child. I remember being in bed and the days and nights all merging into one, massive fever and being half out of it.

like several people have said, its not as cut and dried as some people make out, there are loads of different sorts of flu, as many as there are colds.

sure you can say 'wouldn't get out of bed for a £50 note, then its flu" but i've had serious colds and chest infections that have left me that poorly.

the main way to tell, is if it involves a runny nose and sneezing, its more likely a cold. if its fever/aches/fatigue/dry cough its probably flu.

That doesn't mean that a bad cold can't completely wipe you out either.

I've had flu 3 times. The third time I was diagnosed by a GP all official like but I'd managed to drag myself out of bed, get the dcs to school and walk to the doctors. I felt absolutely horrendous but had no choice but to carry on.

It's not as simple as being unable to get out of bed even for a £50 note.