Recovery after a chest infection!

[User473738162837374332]

Apologies if this is a silly question. Have just experienced my first chest infection. Started off with a tickly throat and cough 2 weeks ago that got worse, limbs aching, off food, fever, fatigue and feeling awful. Never felt so ill. Got to the point I was wheezing and my chest was so rattly and crackly.

prescribed 5 days if antibiotics last weekend by out of hours and finished them on Friday

I feel so much better in myself and can do housework etc now and my cough is much more manageable and sleeping a lot longer at night with minimal coughing.

however, my chest still doesn’t feel right, almost feels heavy, not painful as such but today it sounds a bit crackly again. Is that normal?

sorry again if silly question, in my thirties and barely got a bad cough before let alone a chest infection!

is this just normal or do I need to go back again?

You might need a longer course of antibiotics (not medically trained in anyway) or at the very least a visit to the gp to listen to your chest again .
Chest infections can floor. No harm in being checked out .

Likely atelectasis....collapse of the alveoli from the infection. Your likely not using your full lung capacity at the moment.
Do 10 stacked breaths every hour when you are awake. In for 5 to fill your lungs in a controlled fashion (don't gasp like you are about to sink underwater) , hold for 5, out for 2, in for 4 and then slowly all the way out.

It is like stretching an unused muscle it will be hard at first and you will cough and splutter but it will improve.... currently doing them myself as I have asthma and just had a rotten virus so coughing especially at night.

Also streamy showers or baths or even over a bowl of steaming water will loosen up any gunk and make it easier to breathe. I do my stacked breaths over steam twice a day.

On a plus my pelvic floor has never been stronger from all the coughing :)

I'm just getting over a bout of bronchitis. Antibiotics did nothing. Ended up taking Prednisone for about a week and my chest was almost clear after two days. Sometimes you need more meds to shift it.