How do you know if a chest infection is pneumonia?

[mummytopebs]

DD has been poorly for a week now. She started with a dry cough and a high temp of 40 last week, got admitted to hospital overnight and sent home saying viral.

Her temp continued to be high with cough getting worse and a crackling sound on her lungs when she laid down. Back to doc sun night said still viral and crackles were mucous.

Temp went back to 40 last night and she is short of breath so back to gp today who said there is a lot of noise on her lungs, said it is a chest infection and gave antibiotics.

My concern is is this just a chest infection or pneumonia? Do lungs crackle with a chest infection. DD has health issues and is on prophaltic antibiotics anyway so am concerned she has picked this up

Pneumonia can be viral or bacterial. Both crackle. Not sure about a chest infectin.

I had bacterial pnuemonia last year and felt very ill very quickly. I was very short of breath and unable to finish sentences, and just going from my bedroom to the kitchen was enough to have me sat on the floor to recover.

A chest xray can diagnose this. Can you get your GP to refer her?

Hope she is feeling better soon.

With pneumonia she'd be very unwell, she'd be very pale, sleepy and vomiting. Small children's conditions do change very quickly, I've known a baby have no chest infection one day and a raging one the next. The crackling sound is sputum. The doctor would have heard different sounds when listening with a stethoscope, there's a huge difference between a healthy chest and an infected chest, I can't explain how though. Illnesses can worsen in any child, whether usually healthy or otherwise. If it persists or comes back then I'd ask questions though.

I've been following your other thread about your DD. I know that you do get crackles with a chest infection but I don't know how to differentiate between a chest infection and pneumonia. I would just keep going back/go to out of hours etc.. Given the troubles you and DD have had in the last year, they will not be at all bothered to se you even if it's only reassurance that is required. Thinking of you.

I had no vomitting with bacterial pnuemonia btw.

If she only got the antibiotics today I would give it 48/72 hours or so the see if there is an improvement and if not go back to the GP. If she gets any worse go straight to A and E and they would x ray if they think it is needed.

Hope she is better soon.

She is much quieter than usual and off her food and sleeping more but not what you would say ill, however dd has a strange condition and they are unsure if she feels pain - 3 weeks ago she had a kidney infection with a 41 degree temp and was still laughing and playing.

The doc did listen for a while so hopefully she would know if needed the x ray, it just would have put my mind at ease more to have one.

Ds had bacterial pneumonia when he was 8 months and he was very unwell. He was feeding but vomiting straight away and his cry sounded weak.

I will just watch and wait, hopefully she will start to improve

The antibiotics that the GP's prescribed should help.

My ds had pneumonia at age 2, one of the main symptoms was his temp going up at night (very high like your dd) and crying, this is due to fluid collecting whilst lying down. He was actually ok in the day, little washed out in the morning, quite lively mid afternoon, then tired. Because he was ok'ish in the day I was starting to think I was imaging things were bad at night.

He got worse over a period of 5 days, on the fifth he was so sleepy we could barely get a response from him and took him to a&e (after 2x previous diagnosis of 'just a virus'. He was kept in for a few days on iv antibiotics and took about 6 weeks to get up to speed. The dr said it was very difficult to pick up and being health professionals ourselves, dh and I viewed the x rays and understood where he was coming from...didn't make it any easier mind you!

Hope she gets better very soon

I take my comment back. Just reread posts of when i was ill. I did have vomitting with bacterial pnuemonia in the first 24 hours.

Pneumonia symptoms - high temp (esp at night), horrible cough, off food, rapid breathing.

I've just spent a scary 9 days in hospital with DD (4) who has had scarlet fever and pneumonia. The pneumonia caused her left lung to collapse. She needed an op to sort things out (thoracotomy and empyema debridement to be technical), and has been on IV antibiotics for over a week. Now on 2 weeks of oral antibiotics.

What made me realise something might be wrong (given that she was already poorly with the scarlet fever), was her rapid breathing (60 breaths per minute) and because she was totally off her food (2 spoonfuls of yoghurt a day).

Hope you DD is feeling better.

Thanks everyone she is still having coughing fits and getting out of breath but her temp has gone down. She finished her antibiotics today so will just wait to see if her temp goes back up. I think it has been it has been a bad chest infection, but I dont think it has gone yet as she is still sucking in her ribs when breathing and crackling on her lungs.

Pneumonia is a chest infection. Pneumonia is just the medical terminology for it.

Pnuemonia is an infection or inflammatory/respitory condition of the lungs. It can be bacterial or viral. Bacterial tends to be the most potentially serious form.

mummytopebs how is your DD now? i hoe she is much better!

watching your thread with interest as my Ds2 is quite ill too and the antibio dont seem to make him better...

sorry!! it should be mummytopebs