It Seems Have a Pneumonia….

This is an old post from 2016.

I went to the doctor and requested a chest x-ray.

It showed an opaque shadow on my right lung.

What prompted me to go to the doctor was a creeping sense of fatigue…

And a kind of breathlessness that I’ve never had before.

The good news was that it isn’t cancer….

The bad news is that it’s pneumonia.

I was in denial at first because I felt mostly OK …and thought of pneumonia as a kind of triple x-rated cold.

I did not know that pneumonia begins without symptoms.

Today I have the symptoms of nausea, headache and a passionate urge to sleep.

I will do my best to keep up with comments but it may take me a couple of days to go through them.

If you have the following symptoms get thee to a doctor.

The symptoms are mild at first but they quickly worsen in older people or in people with compromised immune systems.

C. pneumoniae:

• Gradual onset, which may show improvement before worsening again; incubation period is 3-4 weeks.

• Initial nonspecific upper respiratory tract infection symptoms lead on to bronchitic or pneumonic features.

• Most of those infected remain quite well or are asymptomatic.

• Cough with scanty sputum is a prominent feature.

• Hoarseness is a common feature.

• Headache affects the majority of symptomatic sufferers.

• Fever is relatively unusual.

• Symptoms may drag on for weeks or months, despite a course of appropriate antibiotics.

• Where it causes significant problems, this may be due to secondary infection or co-existing illness – eg, diabetes.

Right now I have blinding headache…and I’m taking a course of Empiric Antibiotics because we aren’t sure which type of pneumonia I have….but given the onset my guess is C. pneumoniae:

 

 

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105 thoughts on “It Seems Have a Pneumonia….”

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      5. Yayo

        Soulful, your SFO. I’m glad you found your sanctuary, home. Thank you for the link; bookmarked. Sleep tight, sweet dreams.

      1. Stephanae V. McCoy

        Yes, which is why we do the work we do to enlighten people. I’m so happy to belong to a community of interested, compassionate people because ultimately these folks can be our best advocates.

      3. Stephanae V. McCoy

        Oh my goodness, sometimes I’m such a twit. I was going to ask you how you were feeling and then I realized I replied with the wrong comment to your reply if that makes sense. How are you feeling?

      4. robertmgoldstein

        Oh I’ve done that — and it makes perfect sense.

        Sometimes the software hiccups and if I’m composing a post in the reader (a mistake I keep repeating) I drop into the next comment and don’t know it.

        I’m feeling better which means awful but conscious….which is definitely an improvement, although I’m about to let this sad old rag of a body go to sleep. Thank you for asking.:)

  8. windowcolquhoun810

    Sorry to hear Rob. Do take care of yourself and I’ll say ‘a little prayer for you!’ ( now that would make a great song title). 😉 You don’t want a relapse so make sure you do REST. I’d ordinarily send you a little Aussie sunshine but it’s overcast today. ☂☁️

    1. robertmgoldstein

      LOL…on “I’ll say a little prayer”…and we can use some of that Aussie sunshine here in San Francisco. It’s cold and we are getting inches and inches of much needed rain. I hadn’t considered the possibility of relapse. That would be wretched…(scratch the hike I had planned for today)

  10. sirslittledarling

    Sleep!!! Your job is to take care of yourself. You will be better soon. I am sending health fairies to watch over you. They will keep you warm. They helped me recover more quickly. ;).

      1. sirslittledarling

        I saw a new therapist today and I told her about big and little and protector. I think you have a positive influence on me. Thank you. Sometimes fairies drop glitter making you sneeze- forgot to mention. 🙂

  12. joey

    Good grief! It’s hard to like this post, as I certainly don’t like that you have pneumonia! I hope you feel better quickly!

    1. robertmgoldstein

      I don’t like it either. I hate the fact that I had to drop the blog just as it seemed I was getting somewhere with it…and then of course there is the physical misery of physical misery…but on the bright side if I do everything right the bugs will go away and I’ll live to blog another day. 🙂

  14. laurelwolfelives

    That’s commonly called “walking pneumonia.” I had it…it left scars and I will forever have “shadows” on my chest x-rays.
    Take care of yourself.

    1. robertmgoldstein

      Thank you–I am taking care of myself. The doctor would not even have ordered the x-ray had I not requested it. I looked like I was in perfect health.

      1. laurelwolfelives

        So did I. It was my request also that prompted the x-ray. One lung was completely full and the other one was half full. Had I not been young, and demanded an x-ray, I might not have made it. Sometimes, the doctor isn’t the smartest person in the room!

      3. laurelwolfelives

        Exactly. I always told my children and Loser….make those doctors listen to you and answer your questions. If you have to…remind them that they work for you….not the other way around!

    1. robertmgoldstein

      Thank you…anything that I would have blogged on the 22nd would have like mental pancake dough. Today I’m feeling a little better. A couple of days ago I was so miserable all I did was sleep. It’s good to see you…Thank you for your good wishes…:)

    1. robertmgoldstein

      When it started I had no symptoms; the symptoms came on full force on Wednesday. I’m on a course of antibiotics and it’s the fourth day and I’m feeling better. It’s like having a nuclear flu. Thank you for your good wishes…:)

      1. hooklineandinkwell

        Ah, that;s how it comes, creeping up and taking the wind out of you. Happy to hear that the antibiotics are working and that you are feeling better. Here’s to a speedy recovery 🙂 You are welcome!!

    1. robertmgoldstein

      Thank you, Dave.

      They seem to be working for me.

      I just got a call from my therapist who advised me to remember that Pneumonia is not like the flu even if it feels like it is. I have a hard time just laying around — I suspect I will not be back to my normal energy levels for another week or two. Thank you for the hugs…they are most welcome.

      2. Robert Matthew Goldstein

        Thank you for asking…I thought I was doing better but today I slept until 2 PM and my chest feels congested and heavy. If it doesn’t get better I will call an advice nurse.

  25. 1jaded1

    Aww. Hope you feel better. Take care. Get rest and fluids. It’s going around Chicago too. Tempted to buy a box of surgical masks. Thanks for the list of symptoms. Had no clue about most of them.

    1. robertmgoldstein

      A box of surgical masks makes sense. I had no clue either, and it makes the flu feel like a tickle….I am feeling a bit better but for the past few days I’ve mostly slept.

    1. robertmgoldstein

      Yeah…I hate it more than anything…I’m a work horse and tend to feel guilty when I’m not doing something..thank you for your good wishes…

  30. Josh Wrenn

    Well, if I could beat pneumonia with relative ease last month with all I have going on, I’m sure you’ll be just fine. Remember to breathe deep despite any pain, and don’t be afraid to cough (cover your mouth). Don’t miss those antibiotics and get well soon!

    1. robertmgoldstein

      Thank you Josh — I really didn’t start feeling sick until yesterday. I’m glad I requested the x-ray because based on my blood-work I’m in excellent physical health..so the doc would have missed this entirely…

      I expect that with the medicines on board it will be mostly resolved in a week or two…thank you for leaving a comment…:)

    1. robertmgoldstein

      Thank you, Linda. It’s nice to read your comment…I’m going to take my first dose of azithromycin and curl up and watch a good bad movie…

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