When Should You See Your Doctor About The Coronavirus?

As the coronavirus is becoming more of a problem, most of us have started to learn more about the illness. How countries are dealing with it, but also what sort of symptoms we can expect from the virus.

A runny nose, cough, sore throat, some aches and pains, flu-like symptoms and a fever.

The problem with all of these symptoms is that these can be associated with the common cold or the flu as well. And the thing is, we’re still technically in the flu season.

So how can you be sure that what you’re experiencing is flu or common cold and not the coronavirus? Well, there are plenty of doctors that you can turn to and we’ve put together a list of advice from doctors pertaining to the coronavirus and what to do.

Know The Difference Between Severe And Not

Testing for coronavirus has started to become more available for people, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go in and test. Before even considering, it pays to look at how severe the symptoms are.

According to doctors, severe is based on a lot of factors. Whether you’re young, staying healthy, or if you are older and have pre-existing conditions.

Broadly speaking though, severity for coronavirus is based on whether you have shortness of breath, a persistent and high fever, and are unable to eat or drink anything.

Look For Other Signs

The severity mentioned above is of course bad and if you are at that stage it is smart to go and see a doctor. That being said, there are some other signs that can indicate the coronavirus.

First one is making note of your breathing. Coronavirus is first a respiratory disease. It’s why doctors ask about your breathing first before asking about anything else. But every person’s “normal breathing” is different.

For example, if you’re a smoker, your lungs are already going to be damaged and your breathing isn’t going to be as good as that of non-smokers. On top of that, if you are someone with anxiety and you often experience shortness of breath during those attacks, that’s you panicking and not having the coronavirus.

Point is, if you’re climbing up some stairs and you’re running out of breath, that’s pretty normal for people. However if you’re struggling to say a single sentence without having to take an extra breath, that could be a sign that you have trouble breathing and could warrant testing.

On top of that, you can also look for worsening symptoms. Again, we know the symptoms and they’re associated with common colds or flu. If you know your body, you know it takes a day or two for you to see signs of improvement. Make sure you’re resting up and getting plenty of water.

But if the symptoms are getting worse despite those efforts, that’s where you should be more concerned.

Taking Other Measures To Get Better

Since we’re in that weird time where there is a cold and flu going around, it’s important that we take our usual measures of recovery. If we have a cold, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water. Same goes for the flu too.

Not only that, but making sure you are washing your hands regularly and are reducing contact with other people.

The other key thing is to listen to your body. Some doctors like to ask whether you are concerned about the symptoms you’re experiencing. This is important because we can kind of gauge whether this is a cold we’re experiencing or whether it is the coronavirus.

And the last measure to take is to go about this in a calm manner. Yes, a lot of people have been panicking about this issue, but at the end of the day, the symptoms are no less severe than of flus and colds.

Most people will overcome these things, so long as they make smart choices and make good decisions. This becomes hard to do if you’re panicking – that virus is going to kill you. Instead, doctors encourage us to remain informed and exercise some caution.