help me figure it out

[notmyself]

hi, can someone help me understand how can we differentiate the flu like symptoms that come with this illness from an actual viral infection?..is the cough a good indication that is actually a viral respiratory infection, or the runny nose?or both can be present as part of ME/Cfs..thanks

 

[Wonko]

It just feels different, but, in general, ME symptoms come with less messy stuff, and there is no pre alert of infection from the back of the mouth/throat/tonsils area, so, all things being equal, runny nose is an indication it is viral, but a cough is not.

 

[Wishful]

There are other causes of runny nose: allergies, cold air. My nose runs when I go outside (it's -20C out there). I don't know whether that's an eye dryness issue or a nasal issue, but it's not viral or an allergy.