Is this allergies or a cold? I’m going insane.

[aanns_GAD]

Hi all! So, last like Wednesday I had a mild sore throat. I woke up with it and it was like a 2/10. It was more raw than anything. I was able to sleep it off mostly and in two days I thought it was gone and I was better. Well. I then started getting like facial pain and feeling pressure in my sinuses and my head and then started sneezing off and on. I also had some body aches but in between all this last week I went to the gym twice so it could have been a mix of sore and achy. Anyways. I was feeling better and then we went out to a bar last night and drank and had a good time and I got home and my throat was so irritated and raw and so much lost nasal drip. I was able to sleep the short time that we had before having to get up for a family thing today but all day it’s been so bad. On and off sneezing. Post nasal drip that makes me feel like I’m going to puke. I breathe in through my nose and can feel that raw feeling and that tickle. I took Allegra and Flonase this morning thinking it was allergies but now idk. Could I still have a lingering cold? I’m sitting here at 1am almost sobbing because I’m so tired and worn out and all I want to do is be able to sleep and I can’t because I wake up once I nod off feeling like I’m going to throw up everywhere. Normally when I get a cold this stage comes after the super bad sore throat and all the congestion and if this is a cold it’s just been really mild. Will this all go away soon and will I go back to normal?

[ankietyjoe]

Sounds like your worrying over mild cold symptoms is bothering you more than the symptoms themselves. Comparing a symptom to what it's usually like is just a waste of time and the road to anxiety over nothing.

If you're well enough to go out drinking and working out, I'm sure it'll pass in another week or so.

Even quicker if you don't work out and go out drinking :winks:

[ErinKC]

It sounds like the long, lingering cold that my whole family got. I think it's just something going around this year. I had a mild cold and mild sore throat just like you, then felt like I got better only to get a horrible sore throat that kept me up at night and post nasal drip that was gagging me. I finally went to a clinic on day 7 of the sore throat to make sure I wasn't ignoring strep since I'd never had a sore throat for 7 straight days and it was all clear. Then like 2 days later it was just gone. The weirdest cold virus I've ever had.

All said and done I think I was sick for 2 weeks. It was a pain in the ass, but just resolved on its own. Try to get some rest, drink a lot of fluids, and take some anti-inflammatories for the throat pain.

[Carys]

It doesn't even sound like a 'long' cold virus to me - if it was last wednesday the sore throat started and you are on and off feeling off colour, thats really not that long. A week is the standard cold 'fighting off' time and they can last up to 2 weeks, with a cough lingering longer.