To help save time and money, you will want to make sure that you are experiencing signs of having the flu before you rush to the doctor. After all, you might not want to spend time in the waiting room and spend the money on the copayment if you are not actually experiencing any symptoms of the flu. Here are some of the symptoms that you will want to watch for:

Body Aches

It is one thing to have one limb or a single muscle or two aching from sleeping wrong or even from being dehydrated. However, when you are experiencing symptoms of the flu, you are likely to find that the majority of your body feels extremely achy. You might find that a soak in a warm bathtub can offer some relief from the body aches, but possibly not for long.

Extreme Fatigue

Oversleeping happens to everyone once in a while, especially when you have been working hard and possibly not getting enough sleep every night. The thing is though, when you have the flu, even if you are not doing much of anything and you are technically getting enough sleep at night, you will still spend the rest of your day feeling extremely fatigued. It may feel as though you simply cannot keep your eyes open long enough to get anything done and when you are able to stay awake for a few hours, you simply feel too drained to do much of anything productive.

High Fever

Fevers can be a good thing when you are sick, as it is a sign that your body is trying to fight off an illness or an infection. Any temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit is considered to be a true fever. While you can take medication to try to keep your fever from getting too extreme, you will still want to keep an eye on it. If your temperature continues to increase, without seeing any break in it, you might want to seek help at your local emergency room, as extremely high temperatures can cause serious injury or even death. 

Persistent Cough

While a persistent cough can be a symptom of a variety things, when you have this along with the other symptoms, it is another good sign that you do indeed have the flu. Should you having existing breathing problems, such as asthma, you will want to get in touch with your family doctor right away. If you wait too long, not only will you be suffering from the flu, but you could find that you are going to experience dangerous breathing problems.