AIBU to be shocked at the potential recovery time from pneumonia?

[whyhere]

Mid-sixties, previously healthy female other than mild allergic asthma. Pneumonia came out of the blue two weeks ago - I just managed to stay out of hospital: SATs went as low as 89% at one point.

Everything I'm reading re the recovery time is horrendous - between one and six months!!

Any encouraging recovery stories please?

I had pneumonia about 5 weeks ago and am pretty much better from it now, and I have cancer as well so generally unwell anyway.

Hopefully it won't be too long for you op, it's really miserable.

Plenty of rest, and make sure you're keeping on top of your SATS for a while even when you feel better too.

I think recovery time depends on how many times you've had it. Each time you have it your lungs become more damaged/scarred and you may develop other related conditions, so recovery takes longer. I had my 6th bout of pneumonia 4 years ago and I'll never properly recover from that I don't think. I hope you feel better soon!

I had pneumonia in my 20's and it nearly killed me. For me recovery was harder as I'd been bed bound for 6 weeks.

In terms of lung recovery, hopefully you'll find you recover quite quickly if this is your first boubt and your lungs aren't too scarred.

I would hedge a guess at more like 6-8 weeks.

also, were you immunised? you will recover faster if you were

Ive had it twice, it can knock your lights out. A couple of months recovery each time

I dont know why you are surprised!

I havent had it since being immunised though, or if I have, not so badly that I would know

I had ‘walking pneumonia about 3 years ago, and was shocked at how long it took me to feel ‘right’ afterwards. Plenty of rest, decent food etc - and only do what you can manage - no more than that. Took a good couple of months to feel ok again, but then we had lockdown so I had enforced break from work which definitely helped me. Look after yourself OP, only you know how you feel x

Before I clicked on the title of the post, I thought, "I dunno, about 6 months maybe?" Serious illness can take ages to completely get over and fully recover from, or at least recover to whatever extent recovery is possible given the damage that's been done. Even just the effects on your muscles and things from being laid up can take months to rebuild.

Listen to your body. Rest and get plenty of fluids. Don’t rush recovery

Thanks so much everyone. Not vaccinated, as not quite old enough, but I'll certainly get the vaccine as soon as I can!

Re why I'm surprised, I suppose it's because I generally just shake things off....

Don't neglect your psychological recovery either — you've had a visceral reminder of your mortality, and of how quickly and easily an apparently robust state of good health can just disappear. I mean, obviously you knew serious illness could happen to you, but it can be different after you've experienced it. Be gentle with yourself but take care you don't become restricted, in whatever ways that might happen.

pneumonia is very serious

you can get a jab in boots for around £70 then the free NHS one later
Its one-off, not annual

I remember wanting to go to a spa town and be wheeled up and down the seafront as part of my 'convalescence'. I can see why the Victorians made such a big deal out of it!

Take it easy. I felt better a few months later but it actually took about 7 years before my lungs recovered. Until then I had recurrent asthma.

It goes up the older you get as when you get older you can’t fight off the infection quicker then someone younger. I’m in my 30s and it took me 2 months to get over it.

I had it one Christmas, was in my 40s and it honestly knocked me sideways. I think it was at least 4 months before I felt anything like recovered and around 8 to 10 months before I was fully back to normal. Listen to your body, don't overdo it as it then takes you right back again. I am diabetic but it's well managed.

I was vaccinated after about in my 20s. I have had it three or four times, including a mild bout last year.

the worst episode by far was the second one. I don't think there's any consistency. Mum's 80+ friend was just in hospital with it. Came out of hospital last week, went to the shops yesterday. That was more than I coukd have done after the bout in my 30s!

Expect recovery to take at least two to three months. If it ends up being less than that you will be lucky. Pneumonia is a very serious blow to the body. Also, as pp mentioned, the psychological impact can be serious too. Please - don't push it. That's the best advice I can give. If you're feeling tired, don't berate yourself, just rest. You will build up your stamina and strength slowly, but the important thing to remember and remind yourself is that YOU WILL RECOVER.

Wishing you all the best.

Sorry if this sounds a bit woo, but take some heart in the springtime - the longer days, the warmer tempatures, the birdsong etc. - it all speaks of renewal.

My 85 year old aunt had flu and pneumonia between Christmas and new year, was in hospital for a few days on oxygen, antibiotics, tamiflu etc. She’s just this week started pottering to the supermarket independently

I was walking around with double pneumonia in my 40's and happened by coincidence have to pop into gp for a vaccination for one of my children and he didn't like my colour or breathing. He was very quick and called the nurse to take my child, put me on a nebuliser, called my husband and said he wanted me brought directly to hospital, double pneumonia and he was afraid of a clot.
I would never have believed my life was really at risk and I was in hospital for 9 days.

Pneumonia is a bitch, it can creep up very quickly and takes a huge amount of people very quickly.

I was left with pleurisy from it.

I mind myself carefully even though I enjoy tennis and a bit of golf.

Get yourself a good tonic like Floridix with iron. Be very wary of overdoing it, relapse is common.

Rest, fresh air (not very cold air though) good food and early nights.
Listen carefully to your body.
6 months is on the long side but you are vulnerable to a type of post pneumonia fatigue that can wipe you out.
I had this pre covid after a very bad chest infection and it wiped me for a further 6 weeks.

Mind yourself is all you can do.
Take it seriously.
I am a huge believer in soups made with a good thick chicken jelly broth made from bones, garlic, hers, onions.
Having a spinach soup every week made from a broth is really great for your chest during the cold months.
Similarly a mild curry, with lots of ginger, turmeric and garlic, with a broth added, lentils is a great dish to make.
Nourishment through food is vital.

Wishing you well.

Sounds silly, but walking pneumonia, how do you know it is this and not a bog standard chesty/ chest infection type thing ?
I am struggling to shake off a cough and rough chest, I don’t know when one needs to worry ?

Being able to work and see family and friends normally will take far less time. What takes time is not getting tired more easily and feeling well.
It takes a long time to recover from a serious illness, especially when you are older. It helps to know because when you are still getting tired more easily it can feel like you are always going to feel that way. But you just need to give yourself time to get properly better.

I've had pneumonia, the first time in my life in my early 40`s. turned out to be double pneumonia.

For the first week I thought i had got just a cold/chest infection, the second week I literally became more and more exhausted every day, monday after work I was shattered by friday I was dead on my feet every day by the time i finished work, at the weekend my neck was swollen and I was becoming drenched with sweats on and off for no reason literally drenching me. I had ignored the signs and put it off.

By the following week I pulled my arse to the emergency drop-in center at the hospital as I felt so bad, they were to put it in their words shocked and got me immediately transferred to another hospital, the doctor said to me that if he had not seen me walk in he would not believe it, I was on IV Drop and some serious antibiotics for weeks. It was awful. Luckily I got better in 2-3 months.

The last time I got it was a month ago, I knew the signs immediately and the doctor put me on antibiotics and I was back on my feet in a few weeks. If you suspect please don't put it off as others have said it honestly does creep up on you.

I’m late 20’s and had pneumonia in November 2022, I was bed bound for 2 weeks but mostly recovered about 6-8 weeks after. However, I’m still suffering from fatigue so I have to nap after any physical activity. I’m so fed up, especially with a 4 year old DD and a young, high energy dog too. Hope you have a speedy recovery OP 💐

I've never had it, but I'm going to caution taking things slowly and accepting that you need to allow your body time to heal. My dear friend, healthy and only 55 didn't, and it killed him. It is much more serious than many people give it credit for being.

I had pneumonia and pleurisy in my early 40s. The pneumonia took I'd say 6-8 weeks to feel properly better from, the pleurisy pain took longer and I have scarring on my lung from that so every time I get a proper bad cold it flares up.

But the pneumonia has never really come back, it was fine after it disappeared. Can take a while though! Dh and I both had it following an infection we picked up on a flight home from visiting friends in Venezuela. He took several months to feel right, though he got tests run by his doctor to check he wasn't going to pass it on (he's a GP).

This is why people do not think it is too bad, Being able to go to the supermarket or even work is very different from being recovered.
I used to come from work and go straight to bed I was so exhausted.