How to Tell if Your cold is serious

A cold is something that we all have to deal with from time to time, but a bad cold can turn into something far worse. Here's how to tell if your cold is cause for concern.

Things You'll Need

• Thermometer

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Instructions

• 1

  Watch for fevers. Feelings of intense hot and cold can be signs of a fever. Feelings of disorientation or outright delusions or hallucinations can indicate a medium or high grade fever.

• 2

  Take your temperature. A temperature of 100 For below is nothing to worry about. A low grade fever runs from about 100 to 102, a medium grade fever, from 102 to 104, and a high grade fever, from 104 to 107. If your temperature is above 102, you may have a serious condition.

• 3

  Pay attention to your breathing. It is normal to have quite a bit of congestion with a cold, but if it gets too severe, it could be serious. Wheezing, violent coughing fits and a feeling of choking or suffocating are all signs that you should go see a doctor.

• 4

  Pay attention to what you cough or sneeze out. Thick yellow or green mucous is a sign that your cold has turned into a sinus or respiratory infection. Usually, these infections will go away after your immune system fights off the cold, but occasionally they require additional treatment.

• 5

  Notice whether you are getting better. Bad cold symptoms can sometimes take a week or more to go away entirely, but you should be starting to feel better within a few days, and ready to go back to work by the end of the week. If you keep getting worse, or don't improve at all, you may have a flu or some other disease.