ok pneumonia, I'll give you today, but that's it

[susandennis]

I'm beginning to think that maybe this pneumonia is really something more pernicious. Although I've tried to be hopeful, honestly, I don't think it's that much better than it was last week. I still have an involuntary cough where breathing is coughing and when not coughing, I have so little oxygen, that breathing takes a lot of effort. I'm not happy.

Normally, I do not get sick and the rare times I do, I heal quickly. I respond quickly to all medications.

This time I am not healing, the medications are not helping. (Although that disgusting cough medicine did give me some nice sleep last night - that you, horrible stuff.)

Today, I'm going to lay low. Stay quiet and breathe.

Comments

[kyrielle]

Could be, or could just be what you got is resistant to the medication they tried and they'll need to try a different one....

[susandennis]

That's a thought. To be honest, looking at all the bad lung options on the internets, it does look like pneumonia is my best bet, so your theory would be good. :)

[horizonchaser.livejournal.com]

Doctors all tend to prescribe the same things unless you shake them up and have them look for other options. ughugh, definitely stay home and rest!!

[susandennis]

I just hate going back but, if this doesn't get better soon, I will. I do love my doctor, I just hate having to go see him!

[egg-shell.livejournal.com]

So sorry to hear you are still sick. I wanted to believe you last week when you said that it would be all over by Thursday! I hope you get well soon...

[susandennis]

Thanks. I hate missing deadlines :)

what was better than the yucky red (?) syrup

[henare.livejournal.com]

for cough relief, last time i was plagued by this sort of thing, something called benzonatate was more effective (and non-narcotic).

what horizonchaser said is spot on--especially for this sort of thing that might seem "routine" to the doc, even if it's not routine for you. shake 'em up!

[sea-weed.livejournal.com]

Pneumonia can take quite a while to get over. Give it time and patience (haha boring I know).

[laciann.livejournal.com]

Codeine in one form or another is a great cough suppressant. It doesn't cure the problem, but it does makes the wait a little easier.

[mixter11nm.livejournal.com]

My daughter has it too. She is on antibiotic, prednisone, inhaler and cough medicine. Her coughing is NONSTOP. Sure hope you're feeling better than she is.

[susandennis]

Ha! misery does love company! do you know... when she uses the inhaler does she feel something different - like easier to breathe or something? I'm still not sure I'm doing it right. When I use it, I feel no difference at all. None. But, then I'm not sure if I'm supposed to.

How long has she had it? How long has she had it since she started taking the drugs?

Oh it's so nice to know I'm not the only one.

[kyrielle]

Depends on what kind of inhaler your doctor gave you. If he said it should be taken when having coughing problems to help with them, most of those should make a measurable difference within a short period of time (minutes).

If it's a "take X times a day" thing, such as a steroidal inhaler, then it's meant as a preventative/long-term process and the times when you use it shouldn't be much different than the time around them (but it could be helping you, and you don't know it).

Either way, it's definitely time to call your doctor again and find out what is what, what's expected, etc. And explicitly bring up the walking/swimming and ask, in case you also need to take it easier.

Re down-thread: if you don't like hot tea, just drink hot water, hot chocolate, hot...anything hot will help. Tea will help more, but anything hot will help.

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Did you get a Z-pack? That didn't work for me when I had it. I hope your cough goes away soon. Do you like tea? The tannin in hot tea will help open the bronchial passages. I tend to drink pots of ta when I have a cough. Extra bonus is all the exercise from going pee!

[mixter11nm.livejournal.com]

She has no idea if the inhaler is working or not because she said the only thing it does is give her a funky taste in her mouth. However, she is still using it every four hours when she is awake.

She started feeling crappy about a week ago this past Friday. Went to the doc that Sat. and was given 850 mg. of amoxacillan to take twice a day. After six days she was still running a fever and coughing even worse. I sent her back to the doc on Friday morning and now she is on levaquin, 500mg once a day as well as all the other meds. She had a chest x-ray yesterday which confirmed the pneumonia and has to go back to make sure it's all gone when she finishes the antibiotics.

Feel better!

[susandennis]

oh that is so helpful!! (for some reason i thought a hit on an inhaler was supposed to fix stuff instantly)

i have no fever and haven't had so i'm guessing she feels way worse than i do. so sorry. I hope she's better soon and me, too!

thanks for the info. it does really help to hear.

[mixter11nm.livejournal.com]

Glad to help. Hope you feel better too. FYI, she is having a lot of difficulty breathing and gets winded quickly by walking up the steps. Not sure if she has bacterial pneumonia or viral but I'm guessing bacterial since she is on so many meds.

[susandennis]

I'm impressed she can even walk up steps!! I get out of breath even thinking about it!

I'm so amused at myself - how much comfort I'm getting from hearing someone else mirroring what's happening to me.

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

A good rule of thumb is that if you're on antibiotics, and it's not noticeably better after 5 days, then go back and get rechecked.

Did they do a chest xray last time?

[susandennis]

Thank you, I didn't know that about the 5 day thing.

The doctor said if I wasn't better in a week, to come back. I totally expected to be cured by then! A week will be tomorrow. I think unless a miracle happens by lunch tomorrow, I'll be calling him :)

And, yep, on the chest xray. I got to see it! I'd never seen my lungs before.