# Would you go to see a doctor for a case of the common cold? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2013, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006 "2013-04-06T11:12:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/21 "2013-04-06T15:54:49Z")
> [@CatherineZeta](#): > > I voted for “I don’t believe a doctor could do anything to help,” although I also think a cold is usually trivial unless complications set in. This. I did not choose ‘unless there are complications’ because in that case I would not be going to a doctor for a common cold; I’d be going for the complications. I did not choose ‘I’d be embarrassed’, though I would be. I don’t believe a doctor could do anything anyway. It’s a virus, and there’s nothing to do but treat the symptoms until it passes. OTC for that. I have a sure cure for the common cold. Take a long, hot shower. Go to bed and wrap up in a very warm blanket. Now here’s the key: Drink as much bourbon as possible. In about a week or so, your cold will be gone! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/22 "2013-04-06T15:58:37Z")
I wouldn’t go for a cold. I put “I don’t think they could do anything to help.” I would go for bronchitis, an ear infection or strep. But to me that’s no longer going to the doctor for a common cold. That’s going for bronchitis, an ear infection or strep. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/23 "2013-04-06T16:07:31Z")
it is bad to unnecessarily spread diseases, so people going there cause other people problems. nothing can be done by the doctor anywho because it is viral. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/24 "2013-04-06T16:18:17Z")
Only if I had complications or felt like I was at death’s door. I’d have to have a serious concern that it was more than a cold. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/25 "2013-04-06T17:19:34Z")
Only if I had complications. At my age and health status, I can’t afford to just ignore things like that. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/26 "2013-04-06T17:24:46Z")
Yes. I have Lupus so something that I interpret as a cold can turn very ugly. Also, I’ve usually met my deductible. Now that I’m no longer working though, I rarely get a cold. I guess it’s that I’m just not getting exposed to it much. ---
**Author:** ![anontanijat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@anontanijat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anontanijat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/27 "2013-04-06T17:36:43Z")
I’m in Raleigh, and I would only go if I had complications. I am on a pretty hefty dose of prednisone so my docs like to keep an eye on such things. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/28 "2013-04-06T18:32:06Z")
I went to the doctor with my last cold because I was concerned I had strep. I didn’t, but I did have an ear infection. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/29 "2013-04-06T18:47:59Z")
A doctor’s visit for a cold would be free for me, but I still don’t do it, unless I develop bronchitis or something. Just because you _can_ do something doesn’t mean you _should_. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/30 "2013-04-06T19:27:14Z")
I should think by a certain age, any owner of a human body should be able to distinguish a common cold from something more concerning. No matter how bad my cold, I’d wait a week or ten days before going to a doctor. Experience has taught me it will run it’s course, and that the best thing is sleeping, staying warm, eating and drinking wisely, maybe an aspirin, etc, taking it easy will prove the most helpful. Also where I live we have Telehealth, so you can call and speak to a nurse 24/7. Very handy for those, ‘Should I go to the doctor?’, moments! ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/31 "2013-04-06T19:51:15Z")
If I felt like I was at death’s door I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t think it was just a common cold. I didn’t really think of it until **PurpleClogs** mentioned it - I’ve been working alone for several years and since that change I get far fewer colds. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/32 "2013-04-06T19:54:20Z")
My answer, before reading the list of choices, was “Are you f’ing kidding? Is there _anybody_ who would answer yes?” Given that going to the doctor is time-consuming, annoying, possibly scary, and could expose you to the more dangerous germs of other people there; and given that, even if insurance pays for it, a doctor visit still costs somebody something; and given that there’s nothing a doctor can do for a common cold that I can’t do for myself—why on earth would anyone but a hypochondriac go to the doctor for a common cold? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/33 "2013-04-06T20:42:01Z")
In retrospect, maybe I ought to have gone to the doctor for the cold I had in December. They can’t cure the cold, but maybe I could have gotten something for the cough that only let me sleep 2-4 hours a night for a week; nothing I tried OTC helped in the least. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/34 "2013-04-06T21:25:43Z")
That’s one reason I went to the doctor - I had a cough after a cold that would not go away. My doctor gave me some inhalers to clear it up; they’re the same ones that my husband uses for asthma, so I don’t go back when I get it again - I just do what I did last time (and it keeps on working - I’d go back if circumstances changed). ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/35 "2013-04-06T21:40:08Z")
Maryland. I have health insurance. How can I be sure it’s just a cold? If it’s sneezing and coughing and stuff, then no, I wouldn’t go see a doctor. But if it came with a bad cough or a fever or bad sinus congestion and lasted more than 5 days, I would consider seeing a doctor to rule out something worse. It depends on the severity and duration of the symptoms, really - if it’s the sniffles, I’ll suck it up, but if I can barely get out of bed, I’m going to the clinic. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/36 "2013-04-06T21:54:10Z")
I have in the past, embarrassed as I was to do so. Not that I thought they could help, but I’ve worked some places with draconian attendance policies. So you’re sick, know you’re contagious, don’t have the energy to drag yourself into work but you’re going to get in trouble without a doctor’s note? Because some places can’t allow adults discretion over their own sick time, so yeah at times I’ve wasted my money and their time for just a common cold. ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/37 "2013-04-06T22:32:32Z")
A couple of things tie in together: I’d only go see a doc if complications set in, because a doctor can’t do a thing about a cold except tell me what I already know. I have a certain number of sick days per year without needing a medical certificate, so that covers that. ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/38 "2013-04-06T22:58:34Z")
I chose complications. For a regular cold, I wouldn’t see a doctor. I wouldn’t bring my kids in for a cold, either. I would start to consider it if any of us had a high fever for a few days or more than the usual amount of cold-related lethargy or discomfort. In other words, if I suspected the cold had morphed into something different. I’m in Florida and we have health insurance. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/39 "2013-04-06T23:00:20Z")
Connecticut. See a doctor for a cold? Ridiculous! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006/40 "2013-04-06T23:03:51Z")
I know my body pretty well. I can usually tell when the cold has turned into a secondary infection. If that happens then I go to the doctor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-go-to-see-a-doctor-for-a-case-of-the-common-cold/655006.md?page=3)