Flu or Cold?

We've been hearing a lot about this year's flu season. It has been worse this season and has caused a number of deaths.

I came down with a cold or flu a month ago during the fires in and around the San Fernando Valley. I went to the doctor and the prescribed medication knocked it off in short order.

Last night, I was having bouts of sneezing and coughing, which continued on today. I don't know if this is another cold or flu or the same one from a month ago that decided to come back.

Fortunately for me, I have ten day's worth of Montelukast tablets left over from last month's bout. I started taking them last night.

If this is a new cold/flu, I suspect it came from when I went to the market or U-Haul last Friday. This came abruptly and at the wrong time since I have a lot of packing to do.

What's the difference between a flu and a cold? According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC):

Flu vs Cold

Signs and Symptoms	Influenza	Cold
Symptom onset	Abrupt	Gradual
Fever	Usual; lasts 3-4 days	Rare
Aches	Usual; often severe	Slight
Chills	Fairly common	Uncommon
Fatigue, weakness	Usual	Sometimes
Sneezing	Sometimes	Common
Stuffy nose	Sometimes	Common
Sore throat	Sometimes	Common
Chest discomfort, cough	Common; can be severe	Mild to moderate; hacking cough
Headache	Common	Rare

Flu Symptoms