Please help with chest infection / pneumonia

[bobstersmum]

Sorry for posting here. I started feeling suddenly unwell on Tuesday with aches and high fever and a cough. I took regular paracetamol and ibuprofen but by Thurs it wasn't helping, my doctors was closed so I rang 111. My temperature was hovering around 40 even with the meds and my heart rate was over 100 at rest. They told me to go to my gp in the morning! Well the next day I rang the surgery and relayed all this but they couldn't fit me in. The receptionist told me to keep on with the painkillers. I was too exhausted to argue as I have three young dc to look after and dh works long hours. I had started having uncontrollable shaking /shivery episodes that were really frightening. Anyway I went to bed last night feeling awful and woke up at 4am I felt like I was on fire and like I'd been hit by a bus. I found the thermometer and my temp was 42.2. I was really worried so I tried to cool down and rang 111 first thing. After an hour on the phone they gave me an appointment. The doctor checked me over and said it sounded like my chest was getting infected but also both of my ears look infected as were full of fluid. He gave me amoxicillin 500 to take three times a day for 5 days. I was relieved that there was an apparent cause but I really have not felt this ill for a long long time. Would I feel so bad with such a high temperature with a chest or ear infection? Or is it more likely pneumonia? I coughed up some horrible green stuff earlier. I'm just so tired and worried.

I realise I'm talking to myself here but I am going to put it down in case it helps anyone else in the future. Dr rang this morning to say my blood tests show remaining infection. He said he won't get the results of chest xray or sputum until the end of the week at best, but he thinks it has been pneumonia from the start, he has given me a week of clarithromycin to hopefully clear the rest while we are waiting.
I have never felt so ill in my life as I have this last two weeks, it came out of the blue and wiped me out, it's been so hard with 3 little children and dh working long hours. I think it sent me a little bit mad in the middle of it. I am glad I'm getting proper investigation now but it's scary to think I was sent away twice before I got any proper help, it's only because of the people on here saying go back if not better that I did so thank you to everyone, I'm sorry I couldn't respond personally to everyone that gave advice I was in a haze last week. I really hope I'm on the road to recovery now, still struggling for breath though and feeling generally weak.

@bobstersmum.. I'm still here! Just seen your msg's. You have been prescribed the same as my DH had. He was sent for urgent x-ray and it scared the hell out of us both. It was pleurisy and after his experiences with the surgery and at A&E I'd never trust the NHS again. I remember hearing on the news about a man who presented at A&E with chest probs and was sent home where he passed away from pneumonia. Unbelievable that this happens. DH was v lucky. He was sent home the same day but thankfully got better eventually..it took months.
What you have sounds just like what he went thru. Take good care of yourself and rest up as much as poss x

@booseysMum thanks for your reply, I have just properly read your dh experience that must have been scary for you both! Was he feverish or coughing can you remember? Was the pleurisy pain just in his shoulder? I have a pain in my back that comes and goes towards the left side like in my ribs. Dr wants to see xray before he tells me any more, I can't help but worry its something else! My fever has settled and I feel OK I suppose apart from still coughing and easily out of breath, it's the white cells in my blood that are sending me to Google!

@bobstersmum..Yes he had constant coughing and feverishness for weeks before the shoulder pain started and that was sudden, developing in a matter of minutes. It was his left side. We thought it was muscular from his job. We just put it down to a chest infection..i had the same thing but i got better after about 6 weeks. His job made him develop the pneumonia. When we went to the docs he had no idea what it was. The paramedics guessed right. A&E honestly thought he was bluffing but eventually he was given morphine. It took him months to recover then he developed costachondritis and was made medically redundant. He now can't find work. It's a nightmare.
Anyway. .how long have you been like this now?

Wow that's awful! Can he claim any type of disability? It must be so hard for you. Was the pneumonia confirmed by chest xray? I am worried that as I've been having antibiotics they won't be able to see anything on the xray now. To be honest I've felt the best today that I have the whole time so must be on the mend, although I'm not right because my pulse not going below 100. I'm hoping this new antibiotic will shift the rest and I will be back to normal soon. Its two weeks today that it all started.

@booseysmum I had a funny turn this morning I think it was a panic attack plus hadn't eaten much, rang the surgery in a complete panic, and the nurse looked up my results from chest xray and it's all perfectly normal apart from little bit of remaining infection. She said to give these antibiotics a chance as I've literally only started them last night. I am feeling better already just hearing that!

@bobstersmum.. so sorry only just seen these msg's. The name was slightly wrong so didn't get the email. Anyway yes it was pleurisy confirmed by x ray. That's good news the infection has almost cleared. So was it pneumonia??