Why is this cold taking so long?

October 14, 2007 4:30 PM

I have been trying to get rid of what I think is a case of the common cold for 13 days now and I am wondering why it is taking so long...

I only felt really sick (swollen throat, constant sneezing, feverish, headache) the first two days and for the past week or so I have hardly had any of the symptoms besides body aches and feeling very weak/energy-less the whole time. I still wake up feeling very warm (but not warm enough to qualify as fever).

I went to see a doctor last week to check whether it might be sinusitis (I feel an unpleasant kind of pressure around my eyes and nose) but she said there was no sign of an infection.

I am a healthy (lots of fruits, veggies and exercise, no smoking or drinking) 36 year old male so I don't quite understand why it is taking my body so long to fight this virus. Any thoughts ?

posted by dinkyday to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

I had a cold that got better except for nasal drip for two weeks, a symptom that other friends reported from recent colds as well. Sometimes a symptom just lingers for longer then the main part of the cold.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 4:33 PM on October 14, 2007

for what it's worth, i recently had a similar bout with a similarly persistent cold/flu. it's important to note that it might not be only one infection, it could be several, each with its own time course.
posted by fake at 4:37 PM on October 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'm on about day 9 of a nasty little upper respiratory infection... hang in there, take care of yourself, drink lots of fluids.....
posted by HuronBob at 5:08 PM on October 14, 2007

I had a cold like that recently too -- and normally my colds are gone pretty quick. This one seemed like it was almost gone after 5 days, then came back completely, then almost went away, then came back completely again. I don't think I was really over it for 3-4 weeks.

So...if that's what you have, you aren't going to die. You will, however, be sick for a while yet.
posted by SampleSize at 5:09 PM on October 14, 2007

Not a virus? That's usually what it means if it's not gone in a couple of days. Take vitamins D & C (for general protection) and get antibiotics (assuming you have health insurance or live in a civilized country like Canada)
posted by TeatimeGrommit at 6:38 PM on October 14, 2007

My colds routinely take two or three weeks at least to work themselves out. Maybe you've just been unusually lucky up till now?
posted by frobozz at 7:28 PM on October 14, 2007

If your main symptom at this point is fatigue, I'd say that's within normal range for a cold. There are quickies and there are hangers-on. This just happens to be the latter; it's one of the hundreds of rhinoviruses that your body just didn't have the antibodies for and your immune system is working overtime to clear things out.

You've already seen your doctor, but you can schedule a non-urgent follow-up. I'd keep on the rest and fluids and there's a good chance you won't need that appointment.

Unless you do feel you're actually getting worse, in which case there is a good chance you've developed an infection.
posted by dhartung at 7:37 PM on October 14, 2007

I don't know where you are at but are you sure you don't have some sort of allergy? This time of year there are a lot of weeds out there that can cause symptoms that seem like a cold or flu.

I was sick every October/November for five years straight. I finally gave some Flonase a try and, no shit, I was right as rain the next morning. Might be worth a shot.
posted by bkeene12 at 7:38 PM on October 14, 2007

My wife and I both had the same situation which only got better after takeing anti-biotics. I am convinced we would have died if we hadn't taken the anti-biotics......eventually. So does that mean we didn't have a cold after all? Maybe you have an infection of some kind.
posted by snowjoe at 9:50 PM on October 14, 2007

I'd go to the doctor again. The symptoms you describe could be, well, anything. If it really is persisting, a more thorough check up might be in order.
posted by slimepuppy at 9:28 AM on October 15, 2007