It is always a bit of a dilemma.  Call the doctor or sweat the flu out at home? It is always frustrating to drag your sick self to the doctor’s office, wait 15 minutes, get poked and prodded only to hear, “It’s probably a virus; go home and rest.”  And for that you have to pay 100 dollars. So when is the time to pick up the phone?
Are you having trouble breathing and/or coughing? If there is a chance things have moved into your lungs, and you are feeling heavy, you should go see your doctor. There might be a chance that you have pneumonia instead of the flu. If this is the case, it is better to start treatment earlier rather than later.
High fever for several days?  If you have a high fever for many days, it is time to call the doctor. If taking over the counter medications doesn’t bring down your fever, you should call as well.
Sinuses that just won’t unclog?  If you are continually stuffed up, long after your flu or cold symptoms have started to die down, call a doctor. You may have developed a sinus infection and could use antibiotics to speed recovery. If you have a headache and green colored mucous, you may have an infection.
Are you getting worse instead of getting better? While the first few days of the flu or a cold may get progressively worse, if the progression continues until the end of the week, check with your doctor about evaluating the possibility of infection.
DO NOT TAKE ANTIBIOTICS JUST IN CASE!
If you have a simple cold or flu, you might be tempted to just take some antibiotics because  there might just be a chance of infection, and why not? Why not for many reasons.  If you don’t have an infection, you don’t need antibiotics. Taking antibiotics kills a lot of the natural bacteria in your body that help you combat infection without medication. Destroying these while your body is already fighting infection will not help, and it may cause some symptoms to get worse. Many people develop yeast infections and stomach issues due to antibiotics. Also, taking antibiotics when they aren’t necessary only leads to increased antibiotic resistant bacteria. This means it gets harder for everyone to treat simple infections.
If you suspect you simply have a cold or flu, take it easy. Get rest. Take Zinc. Drink tea. Take care of you.
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