How do you know if you have pneumonia?

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JTR357

JTR357

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OK,Saturday morning I woke up & I had that "all too familiar" feeling like I was getting a cold.So I did what I always do,eat a healthy breakfast,work out for about an hour,& go to work.The workday's not so bad.My head's a little fuzzy is about it.I drink a lot of water throughout the whole day.
Next day Sunday.I get up.I feel worse then yesterday,got the sniffles/sneezes,coughing...etc.I eat breakfast,shake it off & go to work.
By the end of the night I was literally dragging my feet up the stairs of my home.I felt like total crap.Every time I coughed or sneezed it felt like I was getting punched in the ribs...HARD!
Monday morning came & I did NOT want to get out of bed.My lovely wife took my temperature & it was 103F.I said "give me some aspirin so I can drop this fever & go to work" She said "No Way"(deep down,I knew she was right,I just hate missing work,because of a little bug)So,I called out of work (begrudgingly:grumpy:),& relaxed all day,eating chicken soup & saltines & drinking lots of fluids.Went to sleep around 9pm.That's very early for me.I work nights & usually don't hit the sack til' around 3-4am
Tuesday comes around,the fever's back with a vengeance!103.3F...I'm dizzy!Well,I knew what I was gonna have to do now.Something I don't like doing unless I'm at death's door,missing a limb,or gotta tire iron stickin' outa my head...well you get the point.I gotta see the Doc.I gotta get checked out & prescribed some serious pharmaceuticals.
So the Doc did all that & sent me off to the pharmacy to get my "all better" drugs.One was antibiotics & the other was some kind of cough syrup.
I started taking them as suggested as soon as I got home.Within a few hours my fever was gone,but I still couldn't breathe too well & every damn muscle & joint in my body was aching.I also felt as weak as a day old kitten.
Wednesday comes..I'm feeling about the same,no fever though,but still very weak & shaky.Also having a hard time breathing.I can only take short breaths.If I inhale too deeply,I start coughing & hacking to the point where I feel I'm gonna pass out.I worked all day.The whole 12hr shift(it felt more like 16hrs)Then I came home & decided to ask all your opinions.

I've never had pneumonia before.Have any of you?

It feels like there is a 50lb weight sitting on my chest all the time & I get winded doing the most minute things.Do you think I should be worried?

:yawn:I gotta hit the sack,got work tomorrow.I'll check back in on this thread in the morning.

Thanks for any tips or real life experiences you may or may not share.:thumbup:
 
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If you're doing all of that, and posting a thread, my unprofessional opinion is that you do not have pneumonia.
You may have pleurisy which is its slightly less potent cousin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurisy

One thing, from experience I will suggest is if those anti-biotics dont start having a more rapid affect on your illness, seek a 2nd opinion.

I was prescribed a set of common anti biotics which ended up pissing off the virus even more, and hospitalizing me.

Good luck, and I hope you recover fast.
 
Doesn't sound like flu due to the slow onset. Doesn't sound like your everyday cold due to the high fever. The fever went down after taking antibiotics so it sounds like a bacterial infection rather than a virus (antibiotics have exactly zero effect on viruses). Continue taking the antibiotics until they are all gone - do NOT make the mistake of discontinuing them simply because you start to feel better.

Go back to the doc if you start to feel worse or the fever comes back.
 
Gotta go with mycroftt on this one. Bacterial infection is what I'm leaning towards. Being one who gets sick quite often, I've gone through colds, fevers, flu, and pretty much any other common illness that's transmitted through germ-ridden children (working in apparel sucks). It sounds like you got sicker by putting your body through excess stress as it's trying to fight off that infection. Get some rest and make sure you go through ALL those antibiotics.
 
Sounds like swine flu to me. Sorry dude, we'll miss you. :p

JK


Pneumonia is generally diagnosed by x-ray. It's nearly impossible to tell exactly which bug people have, but pneumonia often causes difficulty in breathing due to fluid in the lungs, which shows up on x-ray. Your best bet is to see your general/family practitioner if symptoms worsen or persist for very many days.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone.:thumbup:

I got up this morning & my breathing is a lot better.I guess the antibiotics are working.I'm guessing it's an upper respiratory bacterial infection.

I have one more day of work today,then I have tomorrow off.I'll be sure to get plenty of rest tomorrow & try & kick this bug's ass.;)

Pneumonia scares the crap out of me.A friend of mine had walking pneumonia one time & went to the hospital for something else(think he needed stitches).They admitted him immediately & said if he didn't show up when he did,he could've dropped dead within a day or two.
 
JTR357 said:
Thanks for the replies everyone.:thumbup:

I got up this morning & my breathing is a lot better.I guess the antibiotics are working.I'm guessing it's an upper respiratory bacterial infection.

I have one more day of work today,then I have tomorrow off.I'll be sure to get plenty of rest tomorrow & try & kick this bug's ass.;)

Pneumonia scares the crap out of me.A friend of mine had walking pneumonia one time & went to the hospital for something else(think he needed stitches).They admitted him immediately & said if he didn't show up when he did,he could've dropped dead within a day or two.
Click to expand...

Glad you're feeling better. Once again - take all the antibiotics - No slacking off just because you feel better. ;)

A few years back I went to the hospital wth chest pain and pressure. After some tests the doctor says, "The good news is you're not having a heart attack - the bad news is you have a rip-roaring case of bronchial pneumonia. We're admitting you." :eek: So I spent 3 or 4 days on IV antibiotics before they released me. Funny thing was that, besides the chest pain, I never felt sick - a little run down maybe, but never sick or feverish.
 
Thanks,Yea I learned my lesson a long time ago about finishing the antibiotics.It seems like it comes back with a vengeance when you don't finish them.
 
When I had pneumonia, it felt like I had liquid at the bottom of my lungs, and coughing fits rendered me breathless, red in the face, drool out of the corner of my mouth to expectorate the liquid. It made you not want to cough because of how spasmodic the episode was, and how sore your throat became. I was able to work, but it was not easy, I am like you, get up and go, and keep moving.... Glad you are back in your cat fancy ways.
 
I commiserate with the not wanting to miss work. For me the work just piles up so I'm not really missing anything, but only making my life more difficult. However, you gotta consider your co-workers. I avoid sick co-workers like they have the plague.

Glad you feel better.
 
pneumonia was the worst I think I ever felt. Every breath felt like getting stabbed in the chest with a big knife.
 
Pneumonia feels like you're breathing through pudding. High fever, chills, general shitty feling. Had it a couple of times. Once was literally forced out of my desk at work & made to go home- spent the next 2 weeks flat on my back. Sucks. Dangerous. Pay attention.
 
Rugger said:
Pneumonia feels like you're breathing through pudding. High fever, chills, general shitty feling. Had it a couple of times. Once was literally forced out of my desk at work & made to go home- spent the next 2 weeks flat on my back. Sucks. Dangerous. Pay attention.
Click to expand...

I could not explain it better than that.
 
had a high fever once, breathing was kind of difficult.
was immediately admitted and developed a full blown pneumonia within 48 hours.
this was confirmed by some x rays.
next thing i knew i was heavily sedated and had to depend on a respirator to keep the breathing going.
was out for a good 9 days before i came to.
thing is, i never expected that a little high fever could turn out to be so darn life threatening...
 
Due some things that occured years ago (forced to stay in a room filled with pesticide and later exposed to acid vapor) my lungs are pretty scarred and I am very prone to getting Pneumonia. Generally I get it at least once a year. I really hate it and resist staying home, which only makes it worse. The worst part is the feeling like you just went several rounds with someone beating your chest with a bat. Take your pills and rest, it takes me about a week to get my breath back after it starts to get better. Take care!
 
This is getting really aggravating!:mad:

Seven days later & still not much of a change,except minus the fever(which comes & goes as it pleases)
I'm taking my antibiotics as prescribed.I've been laying in bed & resting,eating right...etc,& I still sound like frickin' Darth Vader!
 
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