Do I have pneumonia?

[AVeryBigHouse]

I've had a dry cough since the first week of September. I started to feel ill 3.5 weeks ago with flu like symptoms and the cough worsened a lot. I went to the drs who disorganised a chest infection and gave me a course of amoxicillin.

I finished the course but I still felt awful (wheezing, very breathless and generally really rotten, the cough remained unchanged ) so went back. Dr said my chest was clear so queried asthma and gave me a peak flow monitor (readings very low-250-300) and sent me for a chest X-ray as a precaution.

I had the results over the phone a few days later. The receptionist relayed the drs notes saying based on the results of the chest X-ray, they were issuing two more lots of antibiotics due to ongoing infection.

I haven't spoken to the dr yet (have telephone appointment on tues to discuss) but was wondering if the results of the chest X-ray mean I've got pneumonia? It's been really frustrating not being able to speak to the dr about this.

It's quite possible that you do. Pneumonia just means that something has inflamed your lungs. The root cause can be bacterial or viral or even fungal:

Pneumonia

So if it's viral those additional antibiotics aren't going to do you a bit of good. Don't be shy about presenting at the hospital if you feel you need to.

Can you get vit c to bowel tollerance and allicin max capsules? And do go back if you feel awful...

I definitely feel better than I did. No flu like symptoms, breathing is easier and I'm not coughing as violently as I was. I'm only 2.5 days into the second/third lot of antibiotics so unsure whether they're going to clear the cough and deal with whatever they saw on the chest X-ray.

Sounds similar to what I had last year. First round of ABs didn't clear it and I needed a second course along with steroids. Peak flow similar to yours.
I had an xray and they said they could see something in my lungs, nobody used the word pneumonia but I suspect that's what I had

Yes probs.

I had a bug that turned into a massive chest infection, technically bronchiolitis but the consultant mostly referred to it as pneumonia so not sure if it's the same thing or if they sometimes use pneumonia as a generic term for serious chest infection? I had time in hospital, oxygen, 3 courses of strong antibiotics and then another course of ABs from GP after I was discharged.

Hope the new ABs do the trick for you but do go back to the doctor if you don't feel better when you've finished the courses. And rest as much as you can.

Hope you feel better soon.

technically bronchiolitis but the consultant mostly referred to it as pneumonia so not sure if it's the same thing or if they sometimes use pneumonia as a generic term for serious chest infection?

Bronchitis or bronchiolitis is characterized primarily by inflamed airways in the lungs and is usually caused by a virus. Pneumonia is most often caused by a bacterial infection and more fluid and mucus in the lungs, as well as the inflamed airways. With pneumonia you often see fever, headache and chills. It's considered much more serious than bronchitis.

Thanks everyone.

I'll be speaking to the dr on Tuesday to find out more about my results. I guess it doesn't really matter what I've had, I'm just curious I guess.

I have had pneumonia and you are so ill you cannot lift your head off the pillow. I lost an entire month with it and took me a long while to fully recover.

I had pneumonia 5 weeks ago. It's nothing more than a chest infection. Two types of chest infection pneumonia and bronchitis. Don't panic pneumonia panics everybody but like my doctor said I never tell people they have it I just say chest infection. So don't worry, hopefully the anti biotics will clear it up

Obviously different factors work in your favour when fighting it off, your general health, your age, smoking status. Obviously some people clearly get such a bad infection and it completely knocks them for six but hopefully you will fight this off fairly easy

I'm a young non smoker and I had pneumonia that put me in hospital for a few weeks on oxygen and a chest drain.

What characterised it as different from a chest infection was the speed it came on. I'd had a cough and temp for a week but I literally went outside, started shaking and sweating and came in and passed out. That was the start of a rough few months.

There are different types of pneumonia and like many other illnesses you get it in varying degrees.

I was in hospital with bacterial pneumonia, had 4 types of antibiotics over 5 weeks, and missed 7 weeks of work, and it took me far longer to fully recover. It was diagnosed official via chest X-rays at the hospital after the gp had listened to my chest via a stethoscope.

I was late 30s, fairly healthy and within (though top end at the time) normal limits of BMI, non smoker.

Just unfortunate. But a nasty case and it wasn't just your ordinary run of the mill chest infection. I was properly poorly, as my hospital doctor told me quite firmly, and needed to take time to recover fully.

It was October 6th and I'd been at my sisters celebrating me nephew's birthday. I had to leave suddenly as I felt so Ill. The drive home was horrendous and I almost phoned dh as I didn't think I'd be able to make it home. I went to bed and slept for 14 hours straight

It's only today that I feel I've really turned the corner and can believe that I'll feel well again soon so it seems these antibiotics have done their job,

There is also such a thing as walking pneumonia, (although my colleague at work hadn't heard of it, so I must have been making it up). I got diagnosed with bronchitis then pneumonia in quick succession, bronchitis was far worse. Although there is always the chance that either or both diagnoses were wrong. Either way every chest infection now hits me like a ton of bricks.
Hope you get to see a Dr soon. Most of us are no more medically qualified than my colleague. And rest. You don't need a medical degree to know that will help.

Yep, you can absolutely be up and about with pneumonia. I've also had bronchitis and if felt FAR worse.

I think 'walking pneumonia' is a milder viral form of the illness isn't it? And yes, it exists. A friend had it, and was able to do stuff and even worked a little with it. Was diagnosed by GP and no antibiotics required, just some r and r, and time.