Table of contents:
- Flu or cold signs and symptoms
- Sinusitis signs and symptoms
- Flu can be cured only with water and rest
- Treatment of sinusitis usually requires antibiotics
Watery eyes, sneezing, and a stuffy nose can all be signs that you have the common cold or even sinusitis. So how do you tell the difference?
Flu or cold signs and symptoms
If you only have the common cold, you usually need to be friendly with tissue for just a few days. In general, colds will go away on their own after ten days or less.
Here are the signs that you have the flu:
- Sore throat
- Coughs
- Headache
- Nasal congestion
- Sneezing
- Limp
- Runny nose
- Swelling of the nasal cavity
- Fever
The flu usually starts with a sore throat, which usually goes away after 1-2 days. Nasal sounds, runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing or coughing usually go away after 4-5 days. In adults, the fever that accompanies the flu is usually rare. It's a different story with children, usually children get a fever accompanied by a cold.
When you have a cold, your runny nose is filled with fluid from nasal secretions for only a few days. After that, this liquid will thicken and become darker in color. This thick mucus occurs naturally. Keep in mind, thickened mucus doesn't always mean you have sinusitis.
Sinusitis signs and symptoms
So, if it takes more than ten days for your cold not to heal, check with your doctor. It could be that you have sinusitis. Sinusitis is a disease in which your sinuses (the opening that connects your nasal cavity and skull) become infected. This infection is quite difficult to cure. There are various causes for sinusitis, ranging from viruses, bacteria, or even allergies.
Keep in mind that a cold is usually not what causes sinusitis. However, it is possible that your habit when you have a cold can cause sinusitis. For example, when you have a cold, you may touch your nose a lot, where it is possible for the bacteria on your hands to get into the sinuses. Since your sinuses can't filter out these bacteria, they stay in your nose and multiply.
In general, here are the signs that you have sinusitis:
- Feeling of pressure in the sinuses (behind the eyes and cheeks)
- Runny nose that lasts more than a week
- Headache that feels worse
- Fever
- Coughs
- It's hard to breathe
- Thick yellow or green mucus in your nose or in your throat
- Fatigue
- Reduced ability to smell
Flu can be cured only with water and rest
The cause of flu is usually a virus. So, treating colds with antibiotics simply doesn't help. However, type drugs over-the-counter (over-the-counter medications) may make you feel better. The treatment you are taking should be targeted to relieve specific signs of health, for example to relieve your headache, relieve nasal congestion, or relieve your fever.
In addition, you are advised to drink lots of water and rest. Well, resting is what might be a bit problematic. Most people don't want to leave their job just because of a cold, so they continue to force work and don't get enough rest. You may also find it difficult to sleep at night due to discomfort due to difficulty breathing due to a blocked nose.
Sinus irrigation also could be an alternative method of treatment. With this method, the fluids in your nasal cavity will be helped to drain with the help of a mixture of clean water and salt. Usually, people who catch colds will feel better after going through this process.
Treatment of sinusitis usually requires antibiotics
If you think you have sinusitis, then you need to see a doctor. Usually, this infection will go away on its own or after you take antibiotics. Apart from that, you can also use methods sinus irrigation as a healing alternative. This method can help you alleviate the troubling health signs while the antibiotics work to kill the germs that cause sinusitis. SteroidsNasal congestion relievers, or over-the-counter medicines can also help you manage your condition. However, if your sinusitis doesn't go away after taking antibiotics, go to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.
Some people get sinusitis many times. Usually the risk of sinusitis increases if you have allergies, or if you smoke. In serious cases (although rare), acute sinusitis can become chronic if not treated properly. If it is in a very serious case, where antibiotics or other medications don't work, then you may need sinus surgery.
