When you have pneumonia...

[Maddy McCall]

Does it hurt to breathe? Do you always have fever?

I had head conjestion, and then chest conjestion, and now it is a struggle to take a deep breath. I am rattling in my chest when I breathe in, and wheezing when I breathe out. Also have a dry cough. But I don't have a fever.

I feel weak and tired. And sleepy. I just started taking Robitussin with the expectorant.

I don't mean to be hypochondriacal, but this has been going on for a week and getting worse instead of better. At first I thought it must just be late-summer allergies, but the chest thing has me worried.

(I know some of you will say that I need to go to a doctor. I will visit the campus clinic on Friday...that's the earliest I can get in.)

Thanks for any responses to my questions.

[shoelace414]

1. When you have trouble breathing

you should wait a few days before getting a chest x-ray.

[fairfaxvadem]

2. In short, yes.

Could be what they call "walking pneumonia" also, can come after a bout of bronchitis.

Get thee to the doctor. May have to get chest xrays to know for sure about pneumonia.

But waiting until Friday is NOT a good idea. Can you afford to go to an Urgent Care place or tell them you can't wait??

[NMDemDist2]

12. me too, that's what i felt and the Doc chewed me out for not coming

in sooner

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Pneumonia is not always accompanied by a fever

you need a chest xray..that is how one diagnoses pneumonia

[blm]

4. Sound like pneumonia and YES...get to a doctor quickly.

The pain becomes too unbearable to do anything else, plus, you are increasing the chances of it becoming more serious and harder to knock out.

It usually takes TWO rounds of antibiotics, not just one round.

And don't rush back into a work routine. Heal. Or it will be back.

[NC_Nurse]

5. Depends...

Walking pneumonia (mycoplasma) doesn't necessarily have symptoms like fever. Could be lots of things. Glad you're going to the doc.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. Steam...

Use a vaporizer if you've got one. Put a towel over your head to get the max. benefit.

You can also use a pan of boiling water in the same way...just make sure the flame's off before you bend over it!

And see your doctor. ASAP.

Feel better! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[democratreformed]

7. My grandmother just had pneumonia.

You have described her symptoms. She even went to the DR. and was taking Z-PAC for bronchitis. Then, she just go worse and worse. No fever, really, for her either.

If you choose not to seek attention immediately, please be sure you drink plenty of liquids (and eat what you can - my granny quit eating b/c it made her sick) so you don't get dehydrated.

One day, she called me at work and said she needed to go to the ER. She's 78. I took her and she ended up in the hospital for four days.
She just went to the doctor for her follow-up yesterday. The doc told her it would take @ 6 weeks to get completely over it. She's still weak.

[Maddy McCall]

8. Thanks everyone.

I thought that since I didn't have a fever, I might not have anything to worry about.

I will go on to the doctor if I start feeling worse.

Again, thanks for answering my questions.

[fudge stripe cookays]

13. Are your joints stiff?

I had a REALLY fast acting one when it set in. 1990, really bad year for it.

The way that I knew that I was really sick and not just coming down with the flu or something....

I had come back from my break at work and was typing on my computer...tons of numbers on the number keypad, same as always. I started feeling chills and a little achey.

Head started swimming a bit. But THEN, my right hand started clenching on me. After a minute or 2, I could NOT make it type. It refused to. I told my manager I didn't feel well, wasn't sure what was up, that I'd let her know later...

and by the time I'd driven from South Austin to North Austin, I couldn't stand up. My mom had to hold me up at the doctor's office because I couldn't stand.

I was flat on my back for at least 2 weeks, weak as a kitten, couldn't do anything, and the cough hung in there for over a month after, lessening a little at a time. But I nursed a bottle of Tussi-Organidin every few minutes to keep the coughing at bay as much as possible.

Please take care of yourself! We need you in the fight!
FSC

[pscot]

9. See theDoc

They have drugs that will help, but you got to step on it early. Don't wait!

[bigwillq]

10. Please go to a doctor

and please take care of yourself.

Get well soon wishes!

[skygazer]

11. Sounds very like pneumonia

You should go to the doctor asap because if it is, you'll need antibiotics.

REST. Cannot say it enough. With pneumonia you often feel crappy but not so crappy that you can't get up and do stuff. DON'T. My first bout of pneumonia put me in the hospital for a week because I was trying to do too much (and I wasn't doing much). It left my lungs weak and subject to asthma. Since the asthma made it difficult for them to heal, I subsequently got pneumonia twice a year like clockwork for the next five or six years. I lost count of the number. Each time, I'd go immediately to bed and take my meds but it was awful. Since I moved from Vermont to California, my lungs have healed up and I rarely suffer from asthma and have not had pneumonia since 1998. I was only in my mid 30's by the way and very fit.

If you really can't go till Friday, rest until then. Seriously. Pneumonia can still kill.

Good luck. NOW GO TO BED!!!!!!!

[AlCzervik]

14. I had it 3years ago on Thanksgiving

had a temp of 104f, chest hurt and wheezy. My husband had to take me to the emergency room on thanksgiving day because i was in denial right up until the chest xrays came back. Dont screw around, go to the doctors. BTW, because i waited so long to go, it took me 10 days in bed to recover.

[liontamer]

15. it sounds like pneumonia

get to a doctor and till then, it's dumb that I have to say this but : don't smoke (anything) for awhile. It really makes things much worse. A friend of mine almost died this way

[amazona]

16. don't recall having fever but people die of this, incl. young people

A friend lost her cousin because he was, ironically, too healthy. He thought he had a cold or flu, by the time he knew it was pneumonia and got to an ER, it was too late to save him. Age 34.

I've had it twice, can't remember having fever or especially severe pain when breathing either time.

This is nothing to play around with. Go to an ER or a "doc in a box" if you continue having difficulty breathing. "Doc in a box" takes credit cards and will usually see you right away. Robitussin is completely without merit.

[Rainstorm]

17. You need to get to the doctor

I don't think it is pneumonia because everytime I have had it(3) I was in bed in a short time. Each time it hit me like a frieght train. You may have walking pneumonia. Best thing to do is get to a doctor quick.

[VOX]

18. Not always fever with pneumonia; could be severe bronchitis...

Nevertheless, you should see a doc. You probably should get in sooner than Friday, but no later than that.

Somthing's going around -- I have what feels like a flu right now, but no fever.

Take it easy, and be sure you do go to the doctor!!!!

[Nikia]

19. I hope you feel better

From the ages of 10-16, I got bronchitis at least once a year and pneumonia once. I had a high fever with pneumonia but not much of a cough, but some people have pointed out that you don't necessarily have to have a fever. When I had bronchitis, I was coughing all the time and my lungs hurt. I was usually coughing up stuff though.
Having trouble breathing is a really bad thing. You should see someone. I don't know anything about your campus health center, but is it possible that you could talk to a nurse or something tomarrow? You might even want to go to the ER, especially if you don't have people there with you to keep checking up on you.

[SarahB]

20. I had it once.

That's how I felt when I had it. Get thyself to a physician and get a chest x-ray a.s.a.p., Ms. Child. If you have enough trouble breathing, go to the ER. If you have it, you'll like get antibiotics plus either an albuterol inhaler or a nebulizer for the albuterol. I hope you feel better soon. :hug:

[UrbScotty]

21. WARNING! My grandfather died of a heart attack triggered by pneumonia.

He had so much trouble breathing that it triggered a heart attack.

[commander bunnypants]

22. go to the doc

had walking pmonia in June. Robutussin aint gonna do it.

Albuterol and antibiotics

DDQM