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Original poster

Breathing difficulties after pneumonia

29 replies

dirtyfabulous · 29/06/2015 20:37

I'm so hopefully of some positive stories here...
I was hospitalized with a typical pneumonia 7 weeks ago. One week of IV antibiotics+ 1 week of oral antibiotics (x2)

I had been feeling generally ok up until last week. I found/ find it difficult to take a full deep breath. As a child I had asthma,hardly ever bothers me as an adult but my GP suggested the use of inhalers thinking this was the issue. They didn't help. I returned and got steroids which helped for a day or two and then back to square one.

I had my hospital check up today. X Ray totally clear. Respiratory Dr says the problem is not asthma.

Why can't I breathe then? She says its just 'sensation'.
I didn't have breathing difficulties when I had the pneumonia. This is new.

Can anyone please offer any reassurance or advice. I feel I have nowhere to turn now. I have small children and can't be feeling like this.

Thanks for reading

OP posts:
morethanpotatoprints · 29/06/2015 22:36

Bumping for you op

I had pneumonia when I was 16 and also Asthma as a child, it was quite chronic.
My breathing was tight for a while after the pneumonia as it weakens you.
You should go back if it doesn't improve.
I would take some satisfaction from the clear result.

Hoping somebody else with actual quals comes along for you Thanks
Get well soon x

hellomynameis · 29/06/2015 22:44

Can take up to 3. Months for all the gunk produced by a pneumonia to clear up.

Ifcyou smoke then stop.

Gunpowder · 29/06/2015 22:45

I had pneumonia recently (not as bad as yours and wasn't admitted.) I found it hard to breath deeply for about 3-4 weeks after finishing the course of AB's. I sing in a choir and found it really noticeable then as I had to breathe in the middle of phrases I'd normally sing through. I think it took about 6-8 weeks to get over the illness completely and feel really 'well'. Brew for you. It's horrid.

Gunpowder · 29/06/2015 22:46

Breathe not breath stupid autocorrect.

Original poster
dirtyfabulous · 29/06/2015 22:49

Thank you both so much for replying.
Morethanpotatoprints its helpful to hear your experience of it. Hopefully it all sorts itself out.
Mynameis I don't smoke.
Thanks again

OP posts:
Gunpowder · 29/06/2015 22:51

Meant to say, my breathing felt better initially and then worse again, (was doing too much) but wasn't sudden change for the worse and it did then get gradually better. I don't think YWBU to go to GP and ask for second opinion.

MonstrousRatbag · 29/06/2015 22:52

Oh, it can take ages to get full function back. try and do some walking or other gentle exercise to speed things up.

Original poster
dirtyfabulous · 29/06/2015 22:52

Thanks for that gunpowder. Glad you're out the other side. It feels as if I'll never be back to normal sometimes, its such a long recovery.

OP posts:
Mulligrubs · 29/06/2015 22:56

It took me about 6 months to a year to recover from pneumonia. After my course of antibiotics I felt better but my lungs just did not feel the same. They weren't awful, but definitely did not feel as though they were working properly IYSWIM? After 6 months there was an improvement, after a year my lungs felt pretty much fine. Am hoping this will be the case for you too OP, it is horrible to recover from. Keep on at your GP though for a second opinion

Gunpowder · 29/06/2015 22:57

Yours sounds much worse. Flowers And sympathise with the small children bit. We lived on sandwiches, pasta pesto and CBeebies for two or three months. Hope you feel better soon.

hellomynameis · 30/06/2015 08:12

Keep on at your GP though for a second opinion

Why?

Recovery is going as expected.

anotherdayanothersquabble · 30/06/2015 08:27

Osteopathy can help. I see it more obviously with my children but after chest illnesses the muscles and ligaments contract.

If the osteopath can release everything it can help. I had pneumonia earlier this year and it did take a while to recover, plus I was left with back ache which also took time to clear up.

When my son has asthma, croup, coughs, I take him and I can literally see the difference in his breathing before and afterwards. With adults, our reactions are slower so it may take a number of treatments.

Original poster
dirtyfabulous · 30/06/2015 10:30

Mulligrubs thanks for taking the time to reply. It really helps. One Dr suggested it was psychological which made me question whether I was imagining it!
One day at a time.
Gunpowder I'm taking it very easy with the dcs- a bit more TV than usual won't kill them!

OP posts:
Original poster
dirtyfabulous · 30/06/2015 10:59

Anotherday another squabble thank you for that suggestion. I will definitely look into it.

OP posts:
Mulligrubs · 30/06/2015 16:57

I mean keep on at GP for a second opinion if OP thinks there is something out of the ordinary going on - her recovery sounds normal to me compared with my own but I am no doctor and OP is obviously very worried.

OP what a delightful doctor! Of course you're not imagining it at all - I was worried I was too for a while! I hope you start feeling much better soon. One thing that definitely helped me was exercise, just walking at a nice pace once a day to get some fresh air into my lungs.

Finola1step · 30/06/2015 17:03

I had pneumonia last year. Like Mulligrubs, it took at least nine months for the lungs to feel back to normal. Some days were better than others. I found that either v hot or v cold days were the worst. If you are in the UK, take it easy over the next week or so as weather is forecast to be very warm.

Hulababy · 30/06/2015 17:21

I was hospitalised with pneumonia a few years ago. It took months before I felt properly fit, and even more months after that until everything felt normal, though still got tightness over my chest/breathing at times, especially in weather extremes.

I was given an inhaler for a little while to help things.

Hulababy · 30/06/2015 17:26

Infactm just did a quick MN search of when I was ill - and I posted a thread complaining of cough and tightness/breathing issues in the December - I had been ill with pneumonia the January before - so some 12 months later.

7 weeks is still early. It takes time I am afraid.

mypussyiscalledCaramel · 30/06/2015 18:04

I am in the process of getting over pneumonia. I still wheeze and cough and still have pain in the infected lung. I've had 3 lots of antibiotics. My Dr did give me a run down of how the symptoms disappear but I can't remember what he said. I'm in my 5th week.
What I hate is being breathless just walking to the next room.
I'm finding that voicemail is my friend, I take it when I can't cope with the coughing and also before I go to sleep

574ejones · 30/06/2015 18:36

When I had pneumonia, I was given physio exercises to do to ensure I was using my full lung capacity. At first I found this really hard, because it hurt so much but it did get easier over time. It was something like the deep breathing you do in yoga.

Original poster
dirtyfabulous · 30/06/2015 19:17

Thanks again to everyone for sharing your experiences. It really does help.
Mypussyiscalledcarmel I really sympathize. The antibiotics alone knock you for six. I hope you start to feel some relief soon. Do take some probiotics as well if you can. I remember sitting on the couch one day wanting to get up and I just couldn't muster the strength to do it. I thought I would never be the same again.Energy levels will start to come back, its s slow process.

Today my breathing has been better than it was yesterday.. I'm trying not to focus in on it too much, which isn't easy. I'm so aware of it all the time.

OP posts:
wfrances · 01/07/2015 15:26

ive been hospitalised with pneumonia 3 times,
last time was feb 14 ,i still have breathless tight chest attacks.
ive had to have another chest xray in jan 2015 and the pneumonia scarring is still there.
and the lower lobe from earlier pneumonia is still scarred.(13 years ago)
i guess the lungs dont fully recover or it takes many years .

Misslgl88 · 01/07/2015 15:45

I had pneumonia 6 years ago at 20 years old but was in the high dependency unit with it and was in hospital for 2 weeks in all with IV and oral antibs. Unfortunately to this day I need an inhaler more so when walking long distances or using lots of stairs/hills

Original poster
dirtyfabulous · 01/07/2015 16:53

Wfrances andMisslgl88 thank you for your replies.
How unlucky you got it 3 times wfrances..constant tight chest must be terrible.
Misslgl have you developed asthma as a result of the pneumonia?
Nothing was mentioned to me about scarring on my lung... Is this always the case? I must contact Dr to ask about this as it never occurred to me

OP posts:
Misslgl88 · 01/07/2015 21:25

I don't think it was diagnosed as pneumonia it was a brown inhaler I was given not a blue one. I've heard of the scarring on the lungs but not sure if it's something to do with how badly you had it? I think the doctor told me it had affected 80%of mine