Cold or Flu?

[PotatoFan]

How do you tell if you have a cold, flu, or some other viral illness? Feel like what I’ve had is closer to flu than a cold, but know people get offended if you call a bad cold a flu! Saying I need more than a week off from a WFH job with a cold makes me feel like a wimp though!

Negative Covid test
Sudden onset
Fevers
Headaches
Hearing muffled
Sore throat
Dry cough
Runny nose
Muscle aches
No loss of taste or smell
Exhausted, still lay on couch on day 6

Haven't seen a doctor as never much point for something likely viral.

Does it really matter?
When I had flu, diagnosed by myself, I literally couldn’t get out of bed, but I must have gone for a wee. There was no getting on SM to say how ill I was.
I knew it was flu because, despite being very pregnant, I felt so bad that I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

I had this a few weeks ago, still lingering cough. I got on with it really apart from taking a weeks sick leave and a few extra hours in bed.

i thought it was flu but I had flu many years ago and I remember being in bed for 4 solid days doing nothing but changing sweaty bedsheets so just passed it off as a bad cold.

Main reason it matters is that i will need to report illness to work, and probably to GP as ill over 7 days. Social media on day 6 of the illness doesn’t seem unrealistic for flu.

Call it a 'cold & flu like virus'

When I think I’ve had flu, I literally couldn’t get out of bed, only getting out to go to wc, don’t want food or drink, just sleep, with a cold I am bad, but generally can get up and get drinks, food etc., In the past my DH has colds that usually only last a day, but he has a cold now and been ill for 4 days now, but getting slowly better, but is totally wiped out and it will be a few more days before he’s completely better.