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Fever / cold and flu Questions

Do I need an antibiotic? For the past ten days I have had a sore throat, cough, hoarseness and loss of voice on and off, as well as a low-grade fever of 38. I have been taking strepsils, cough mixture and paracetamol but just can't shake it off. I am beginning to feel a little light-headed. I cannot take time off work as I am a tutor and have nobody to take over. I have no other ailments or conditions. I have been eating well and getting plenty of liquids.

What is wrong with me? I recently had a bout of cold that has left me feeling very unwell. I have good days and bad days. Some days I feel fine and on others I feel conjested and have aches and pains similar to those you get with a bout of flu. I constantly feel tired and I struggle to get through my daily routine. It has been three weeks now and glands are still swollen, my breasts are lumpy and tender and my joints ach. What is wrong with me? and why do I feel so rough?

oximeter I recently went to the doctors with long standing post nasal drip, and slight breathlessness which i ve had for a month. She used an oximeter on my finger and said everything was good, but it was all very rushed , and she didn t explain what that really does, and what they can tell from the reading. Could you for instance tell things like blood disorders etc from that reading, as i don thave a spleen, and recover from infections slowly sometimes. She did say my chest was clear as well, but i ve been feeling a bit weak as well , so im still completely baffled as to what could be wrong, as nothing was really mentioned

Sore throat Hello, I have been suffering from a sore throat for ~1 month. At the time it started, there was a lot of bugs going round (e.g. the cold) and I thought nothing of it. However, when it did not go away (and I kept on feeling the need to drink more fluid) I started to wonder what it was. I went to my doctor last Tuesday and she performed a visual inspection of my neck and looked at my throat (just by shining a torch and seeing what it looked like). She could see that the back of my throat was looking a bit red, but did not seem too concerned. She asked whether I had been having any sinus difficulties (my sinuses have been slightly bunged up lately, but nothing more than usual) and thought that it could be a minor infection and she gave me a course of Amoxicillin (x3 per day for 7 days). My throat is still playing up a bit and I am wondering what it could be? I do have the sensation of phlegm at the back of my throat still, but I am unsure what this means? Additionally, I should point out that I have had one enlarged lymph node at the back of my neck for about 4 years and at the time, I was given a blood test and the results were normal. As for the phlegm which I have been experiencing lately, it is usually clear, but it did start off slightly yellow. I am unsure how best to proceed? Many thanks

Lupus Anticoagulant/Swine Flu Jab Hi, I was diagnosed as being lupus anticoagulant positive in June 2010 and am taking a baby (75mg) aspirin every day as treatment for it. My wife is pregnant and I would like to get the new combined seasonal flu/swine flu jab but in the small print of the vaccination leaflet it states possible side effects of: "temporary reduction in the number of certain types of particles in the blood called platelets; a low number of these can result in excessive bruising or bleeding (transient thrombocytopenia), temporary swelling of the glands in the nexk, armpit or groin (transient lymphadenopathy)." Please can you advise if it's safe for me proceed with the vaccination or if it poses any risks to me? Also, due to this condition, am I open to any further complications/side effects if I was to have the jab? Thanks, *****

bad cold i am 74 year old male. i seem to have a constant bad cold which keeps coming back. my question is, as i never go out, live alone and nobody visits, how do i get these colds ? thanks **** ******

cold for two weeks with woosy head i am 74 years old. i have had i think a cold, sneezing etc. for about two weeks. is it possible a cold can last this long? i also have a woosy head at times. is this due to the cold ? **** *******

Not healthy since November Hi! In November 2009 me and my husband were in sushi restaurant. In the evening I started vomiting plus stomach pain plus fever. He followed me on the next day also in the evening. As our toddlervomited the day before me we thought it was a vomiting bug but maybe we were wrong. I spent 2 days in bed with fever, vomiting and aches, then recovered... to get foot, hand and mouth a few weeks after. And since then I have sore throats, fevers, vomiting bugs (2 more -February and July), actute tonsillitis (March), 4-5 weeks ago I started coughing like never in my life - deep cough, and it was hard to stop it to breath in, like if it was a spasm. I took Klaricid XL for 10 days, once a day, as GP said it's an infection in my right lung. After 10 days it still was there, much smaller, but he could still hear it and he prescribed me co-amoxiclav for a week, 3 times a day. Now lungs are clear (did X-ray), but I have white spots in my throat again, no pain in my throat but terrible headache for the 2nd day plus a bit of a cough and fever 38. My husband since November also had sore throats and orchitis, we both suffer from something repeating all the time. All answers we had are "you're just very unlucky" and "it's a virus!" but were were healthy till November - maybe a couple of mild colds 2-3 times a year. Now something is ruining our health and careers because how can you work when you are so exhausted? My weight in November was 81, now it's 70 and I changed my diet just a bit - I was losing weight during vomiting bugs mostly. I seldom go to doctors - at least, it was so before, so I'm not one of those patients enjoying spending time in clinics and complaining. :) Maybe those GPs wait till our health deteriorate so much they will be obliged to find out what's wrong with us. :) Forgot to mention that on previous Tuesday I had a terrible pain around the chest and back, to breath in was painful, it lasted for 2 days. 2 days ago, no matter how funny it sounds, I had pain in both buttocks - no chest pain anymore. :) Yesterday and today I have pulsating pain in my head - the peak is when I move my neck or body. Blood test before the 1st antibiotic was fine, showing only (sorry forgot the exact phrase) that liver probably reacts to a virus in the body. Thank you. *

Is this a cold/infection or something else Early this month I had a cold (I had a blocked nose, green snot all day). Now I only get green snot in the morning, but it is only some mornings. Wednesday no, Thursday no, Friday yes Saturday no Sunday (this morning) yes. I will only have green very first thing in the moring, I will blow my nose and that will be it no more green snot. If I blow my nose then I will get clear/white snot. What do I have? Is it a cold, should I be worried as I have had it so long, would this mean I have a weak imuine system? I dont smoke.