House calls are rare these days. There may be nurse practitioners in your area that do this. If you’re plugged into a home health agency, they can often send a nurse out urgently. Your doctor has to write an order for home health.
Urgent care centers are another convenient venue, but you have to physically go there. If things occur during regular business hours, I always suggest calling your primary care provider’s office first.
I agree 100% with Nikki. When you have ALS, your system is a lot weaker and you can not throw off a cold as easily as you could in the past.
Especially if there is a fever of 100.5 or greater, there is more risk of it becoming serious, such as pneumonia. It’s important to watch these closely and have a low threshold for seeking help if it seems to be getting worse. Sometimes that entails going to the hospital emergency department.
Unfortunately telemedicine doesn’t replace a trained health professional listening to your lungs and doing a general exam.
Dugan, you started this thread by talking about cold hands. Have the cold hands been coming on over days or weeks, or did they just develop within a day or two of the fever and sore throat? If it’s the latter, then it suggests the cold hands may be associated with the current infection, and that could be more worrisome for a serious infection. Be vigilant and have a low threshold for getting it checked out.
For sore throat, there are all sorts of lozenges and sprays you can get over the counter. Keep well hydrated. Sore throats usually improve within a few days. It’s coughing, breathing, and phlegm issues that are more of a serious concern.