what do I have?

November 17, 2011 1:08 PM

Sore throat, no fever, what do I have?

For three days I have had a sore throat. Not a horrific one, just sore enough that when I swallow I realize I have a sore throat. I do not have a fever. I also have a kind of dull ache in the front of my head. I have shoulder and neck aches. My left ear feels a little achy. I do not have a runny nose or congestion. No coughing. I feel dull and tired. Basically, I am sick enough to feel sick, but not sick enough to go to the doctor.

I think I have a flu. I did get The Flu shot. I don't have tonsils. So what do I have? I could go to the doctor, but asking MetaFilter is so much more interesting.

posted by wandering_not_lost to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

This sounds like a cold. Probably not influenza, since that's much more severe than what you're describing and is typically accompanied by a fever.

You have a cold.
posted by mr_roboto at 1:11 PM on November 17, 2011

I had a thing like this recently - it felt like a cold that was developing, but never really got going. I drank a lot of tea and slept a lot and felt better in a few days. I took ibuprofen for the achiness.
posted by rtha at 1:15 PM on November 17, 2011

Sinus infection? The left ear and front-of-head aches tipped me off. The sore throat could be caused by postnasal drip. Any mucus production?
posted by supercres at 1:16 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]

I can tell you that the cold making the latest rounds among my friends last month or so started with a sore throat although that quickly went away (within a day or two) when it was replaced by a runny nose and congestion. You could also have so some of sinus related problem and the sore throat could be a result of post-nasal drip.
posted by kaybdc at 1:16 PM on November 17, 2011

Yeah, not the flu. If you had the flu, you would feel Sick with a capital S.

You've probably got a common cold virus. Rest a lot, stay warm, drink warm fluids, avoid sugar and alcohol. Hot water with honey and lemon will soothe your throat.
posted by Specklet at 1:17 PM on November 17, 2011

could be a cold. could be strep. I like chloraseptic-type spray, I think it helps.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 1:17 PM on November 17, 2011

Actual Influenza™ brand flu is characterized by high fever and chills [cite] so it's unlikely that you have flu. You probably have a cold, though seasonal allergies can cause postnasal drip, which can also cause a sore throat with no fever.
posted by workerant at 1:17 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

My bronchitis two years ago started with an innocent sore throat - I never had a fever. I didn't think "oh, this is more than just a cold" until about a week to ten days into it, when the coughing and copious amount of phlegm kicked in. Yellow and green phlegm like you wouldn't believe. I didn't think that amount of phlegm was possible. Like several tablespoons worth, every morning. Sorry--TMI. You may just have a cold. But if you get a lot of coughing combined with lots of phlegm, it may be bronchitis. I never went to the doctor for it - symptoms lasted about a month, but it was a pain in the ass and left me badly sleep deprived from coughing all night. Watch out for the phlegm.
posted by raztaj at 1:17 PM on November 17, 2011

Everyone in Atlanta has this. For one friend, it turned into a sinus infection. I used a neti pot once a day, and was fine within 3-4 days. Claritin also helped.
posted by runningwithscissors at 1:23 PM on November 17, 2011

Around this time a couple of years ago, I had a sore throat without a fever. Went to the doctor, he said it was a cold and to go home and rest. I thought it was weird because I had no congestion/runny nose/nothing to do with snot of any sort.. but hey, Doctors know more then I do.

A week later my throat hurt so very much and my chest felt tight. Had a panic attack and went to urgent care. Walked out with steroids and inhaler. Diagnosis? Asthmatic bronchitis which caused adult onset of asthma.

Take my word for it, if doesn't go away, go to the doctor.
posted by royalsong at 1:27 PM on November 17, 2011

IANAD. You have viral rhinitis with associated pharyngitis -- aka a cold with a sore throat from post-nasal drip. If your teeth hurt you might also have a sinus infection. I've had the Actual Flu two or three times, and it's like being run over by a truck which then parks on top of you; when I had H1N1 I was so sick my husband had to take a week off work to take care of me.
posted by KathrynT at 1:27 PM on November 17, 2011

I have often had bad sore throats which turned out to be ear infections.

Moral of the story: it could be anything. Even lupus! (It's never lupus.)
posted by Madamina at 1:32 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Like rtha, I had this two weeks ago. I like to think of it as a baby cold and that my body kicked ass and beat it before it could grow up.
posted by Swisstine at 1:36 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

What you have is a need to go to a doctor.
No one. NO. ONE. can conceivably diagnose what you do or do not have from the three or four sentences that you posted. What people can do is give a variety of guesses any or all of which likely have no basis in what your actual problem is.

TLDR: Internet diagnosis of medical conditions are worthless.
posted by Poet_Lariat at 1:45 PM on November 17, 2011

You probably have a nascent cold. You don't always get a fever. Take it easy over the weekend, stay hydrated, gargle with warm salt water to break up any gumminess in the back of your throat, take some Tylenol or ibuprofen according to the directions on the bottle, take a decongestant if you get stuffy. If you get worse or don't get better in a few days, call a doctor.

It kind of doesn't matter what you have at this point, because unless you have a health problem or a compromised immune system, the treatment will be the same--manage the symptoms while it runs its course.
posted by elizeh at 7:36 PM on November 17, 2011

No fever? It's probably a cold. The 'flu can have similar symptoms but is usually more severe and has an accompanying fever. It could also be a sinus infection or an ear infection, but both of those can have a fever with them as well.

My vote is that is a cold. I had similar symptoms a week ago and that's what my doc voted (I was there for something else).

Do what elizeh recommended.

I hope you feel better soon!
posted by deborah at 11:04 PM on November 17, 2011

I am in the same boat, and I have an amplifying question: if I take OTC medication to treat the symptoms -- because I am always told that nothing cures it, only relieves those symptoms -- am I actually extending the duration of the cold or merely easing my passage through the same cold I would have had without the drugs?

(Also, hot lemonade is my sovereign remedy for a sore throat. Drink it, then climb into bed while your throat feels good and your tummy is all warm.)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:06 AM on November 18, 2011