Pneumonia

[ArtfulOwl15]

Hi everyone, my very first post, hoping for some advice!

I was diagnosed with pneumonia on Sunday after 5 days of a very high temperature and feeling unwell, but nothing else. Started taking antibiotics at Sunday lunchtime.

The doctor told me to go straight to my GP if I wasn't feeling better in 48 hours. I didn't think about it at the time, but what exactly is 'feeling better' supposed to mean? I wouldn't expect to feel better after only two days!

I don't have a temperature now, just feel absolutely exhausted and breathless (a new symptom since yesterday) with a slight cough.

So, have any of you had a similar experience with pneumonia and would you bother going back to the GP now, or at least wait until the course of antibiotics is over?

Thanks in advance!

Two days into antibiotics you should be improving (not necessarily better). If no improvement you may need a different type on antibiotic as the one you're on May not be effective against the bug you have. If you quite seriously ill, worth getting on to an effective drug sooner rather than later.

hope you feel better soon
i developed asthma after pneumonia so continued breathlessness might need steroids/inhaler
go back if you are seriously concerned - no harm done in double checking - but it does take a few days for antibiotics to kick in

Thanks - I don't think I'm seriously ill, so will give it until the end of the course and see. Would love to know how I got it though - I'm never ill, haven't even had a cold for 12 months!

have you had a blood test/xray to confirm it?

No - all done off history + chest sounds. Doctor said I only needed xray if the antibiotics didn't work.

I didn't feel better on steroids and antibiotics, went back and ended up with different antibiotics and more steroids and it finally cleared
Lots of rest

hope you feel a bit better today

Pneumonia is a strange illness,i ve had it 3 times each time different symptoms, twice ended up being admitted.
the first time i had it -rattly cough,exhaustion ,heavy feeling on chest when lying down and nausea. Took antibiotics for 5 days started getting confused,more breathless ,had the shakes .
went to a&e and was so ill kept in for 8 days.

Second time i just knew ,gp agreed started on abs ,this time they worked.

last time ,(last feb)it came out of the blue .
friday -freezing cold ,shivering -took paracetamol -felt fine
saturday-aching all over -took paracetamol -felt fine
sunday- woke up feeling like id been hit by a bus -slept all day
saw ooh gp - chest was clear ( i had no cough)oxygen 99%
but i had a temperature/fast heart rate ,started on abs ,he thought i had an infection somewhere but nothing serious.
tuesday- its a blur,,i know i managed to phone my parents who found me collapsed and took me to a&e - i was confused , had wet my self and my temp/heart rate was dangerously high - again oxygen was fine and no strange sounds on my lungs.
xray and blood tests confirmed pneumonia, admitted again.

i would ask gp to do blood tests and xray ,
as i found out ,some strains of pneumonia dont respond to oral abs and its a disease that can rapidly change for the worse even in healthy adults.

Three Sundays ago I knew I had picked up a foul cold. Was taking two days off anyway. Hot, shivery etc. Went away and then realised I had pneumonia, had hsd It before. Dr gave amoxycillin and told me to come back after the weekend if not feeling better. Had to go away for two days and felt increasingly worse, not just lack if voice and still fever, though lower, but still poor breathing and ache in back. Went back to Dr who prescribed more stronger abs and basically said either I sign you off or... I compromised on working at home, which she disapproved of, because she said I needed abs, fluid, sleep and to do nothing. And that was despite my oxygen having improved. But the lung infection was at the same level and so was the breathlessness.

So unless you are feeling significantly better, go back.

Hth.