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I have had a loud rattling cough for the last few weeks. I went to my GP the other day not about the cough but another issue, but was persuaded by Mrs YP that I should also mention the cough.
I had no choice as I was heaving across his office.
Quick check of the chest listened to the rattle and an immediate diagnosis of Pneumonia.
I was shocked, I'd been out running last week, out at the football over the weekend, I was just manning up and getting on with it. I thought I had a cold.
At that point I didn't ask all the questions I probably should have. I'm at home keeping warm and swallowing gobstopper sized antibiotics every few hours.
Someone on here must have had it. its obviously not serious as I'm at home, but I still have a cough that sound like a foghorn, slightly breathless and a chest that sounds as if there is a bag of spanners down there.
What do I do, other than keep resting?
You and everybody else.
Keep swallowing the pills and hope you don't get Pleurisy as well which is what happened to me (I thought it was an illness from the 1700's)
[url= https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pneumonia/ ]NHS pneumonia info[/url]
Unless you're an at risk group, or in close proximity of at risk groups the advice is pretty much take it easy and keep on top of your fluid intake.
Take it easy!
I had it 10 years ago, at the time it did not feel any worse than a wheezy chest, I was on a cycling tour, in the winter, camping!
Had a coughing episode and spotted blood!
Two weeks in hospital three course of antibiotics had me on my back for over a month, took a year to get over it!
Still have the odd chest pain from the dammage to my lungs.
Antibiotics also effected/triggered my immune system to give me other medical problems.
When you start to feel better, take it easy still, don’t rush your recovery, it’s not worth it long term.
Good luck btw
Its not fun at all is it?
I had it about a year ago - I thought I had flu and was in bed, but it was not getting any better after a week.
I was really short of breath - so much so that a visit to the toilet was a planned event!
I was admitted and put on IV antibiotics which stung as they entered the veins. After a couple of days of that I was discharged and have had no other issues since.
Be good to yourself and get the rest your body is probably telling you that you need.
Gently does it when you feel that the lungs are better!
Best of luck!!
I've had it twice, first time was really nasty - walked into an NHS walk-in clinic and the doctor was surprised that I walked myself in.
The 2nd time wasn't so bad (eg I couldn't feel my own lungs bubbling away when I breathed to anywhere near the same degree), it just when on for ages.
I had it a few Christmasses ago; not nice. Couldn't do a flight of stairs without needing a sit down at the top, but thought it was a cold and cough bringing on my asthma. Another +1 to the doctor expressing amazement I'd been at work and drove myself in.
Take it easy and don't overdo it, unless you have a compromised condition already you've got a <15%* chance of dying from it.
* 29,000 deaths in the UK annually; 220,000 individuals get it annually.
(I'm shitting you up a bit, not being totally serious - for a fair number of cases of 'dying of old age' it's actually pneumonia that is the final cause. Lies, damn lies and statistics.....)
Could be worse. My brother had triple pneumonia last year. Hospitalised for 6 months and comatose for a fair chunk of that with a machine breathing for him.
Still not really 'right'. Lesson is don't ignore it if it isn't going away.
Relative recovering from it now. Seems ok but he's the sort that will go and do too much and have a relapse of some sort. Which being in his 80s probably won't end well. Nothing much we can do about it except cross our fingers though...
Hospitalised for 6 months and comatose for a fair chunk of that with a machine breathing for him.
Still not really 'right'
At least he's still with you. They decided my dad was okay so took him off assisted breathing (and therefore monitoring). The next morning they found him dead in his hospital bed.
🙁
Technically it’s a chest infection until confirmed by X-ray
However - rest stay warm ie not out in the cold. Antibiotics should kick in 3 to 4 days. If after 5 no improvement back to the docs
My docs were shocking when I had it 6 yrs ago. Multiple courses of antibiotics 1 1/2 stone weight loss. Eventually taken to hospital about 6 weeks in where I was pumped full of antibiotics and steroid.
It’s taken me years to get over it and I now have reduced lung function.
So back to my original point of if it doesn’t start to improve quickly get on it
Had it in 2016, lungs were full of fluid and I was getting out of breath just walking upstairs, had to sleep in a sitting position...GP referred me to hospital, spent 4 days on IV antibiotics for the illness and IV diuretics to shift the fluid.
Should have been straightforward, unfortunately they think I developed a secondary infection of Myocarditis while I was run down with the pneumonia...this attacked the muscle of the heart and thinned the walls resulting in reduced pumping efficiency...i've now got heart failure as a result.
Take the meds, get plenty of rest and if your symptoms change or your general condition deteriorates in any way go back to the Doc...pneumonia in itself (provided you're fit and well) isn't too bad but the potential for Pleurisy, Endocarditis, Myocarditis and Pericarditis is there while you're run down...take it seriously.
Had a few years back - started off like a run-of-the-mill chest infection, ended up with me having waking hallucinations and getting hospitalised.
Sounds like you're doing the right stuff. Drink plenty, rest up and contact the docs quick if there is any significant deterioration.
I've had pleurisy (spelling) it wiped me out for a week and the antibiotics were worse than a bad bad Indian on my innards. Going forward it's made me extra wary when I get a bad cough.