Walking Pneumonia

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

We’re on holiday in Florida and have both been ill since Monday. I have a cold and the cough from hell, tickly but coughing until I’m sick. The doctor came out to DH yesterday and he has walking pneumonia, we just thought he had a cold and stomach bug. He’s got antibiotics, an inhaler, Imodium and anti sickness tablets. How long before we can expect to see an improvement?

We’re due to fly home a week on Sunday and I just want to get home. The doctor was sure he’d be fine to fly home and I just want this holiday to be over

How was he diagnosed?

If a stomach bug, its better to get rid of the bug not take imodium

Im almost certain he shouldnt be flying when still ill
If the flight isnt for another 9 days, that will be ok

A doctor came out to him and did various tests. We thought it was a bug but apparently it’s not, it’s a symptom of the pneumonia

I’m just hoping he’s well enough. I can’t bear the thought of being stuck here any longer than I have to (sorry, I know that’s selfish).

Whatever happens we’ll be coughing on the plane but there’s not much we can do about that. I’m struggling to get suitable bland food for him which isn’t helping

Has he had a chest X-ray? I thought that was how pneumonia was diagnosed. Mine was anyway

Pneumonia cna be diagnosed by listening to the chest. No xray necessarily required. DH had this a few years ago, he was wiped out for a full month.

The doctor listened to his chest, he didn’t have an x ray. He’s supposed to bs having a hip replacement next month but I can’t see that happening now 😢

Hopefully the doctor mentioned about the risks of flying with a chest infection/whether you need to speak to the airline/get a further medical review etc. Maybe worth doing some research/speaking to your insurance company if not. (At altitude there is a reduced partial pressure of oxygen in the cabin and that can become problematic with a chest infection)

She just said he’d be fine to fly by then and told me the same in the follow up call yesterday. I’m going to contact the travel company today as we’re struggling - I can’t get the bland food he needs as the hotel restaurant is a proper crap fast food place. I can discuss the flight with them then.

If he can’t fly home would I be able to stay with him or would they expect me to go home on my own? I’ve never flown on my own before and I’m nervous anyway without the additional worry about DH.

Don't worry about the flight home and wind yourself up. Speak to your insurance company - what you're entitled to will depend on what your policy says.

Order in food via Uber, Door Dash or whatever? Or get a taxi and go to a supermarket yourself, I'm sure he's fine for an hour or two.

And I'd contact the hospitals he's due to have the hip replaced at and let the surgeon know what's happening - they can take a view on whether he's fit for surgery.

Not getting wound up is easier said than done. I had a panic attack at the airport on the way out and DH told me if I really wanted to cancel he understood. I bloody wish we had!

It’s fine to order in food but I have no means of cooking it. I don’t have a microwave or toaster. It doesn’t help that I feel shit as well.

He’s let the consultant know what’s happening and they’ve told him to go for his pre op and they’ll make the decision then.

Maybe you'd be better to move you both to an apartment rather than a hotel for the next week or so? Maybe ask the hotel for help?

My response to a crisis is to get practical and problem solve.

The flight isn't happening yet, you have other things to manage before you get there, so focusing on today and tomorrow is better for you both.

That’s what I’m thinking. Normally we stay in a suite but decided not to this time - big mistake. If I see another greasy burger I’m going to cry! When we booked this we thought we’d be going out and about all the time so it would be ok.

I’m usually quite practical, I think it’s a combination of worrying about DH, being so far from home and being ill myself.

DH was very seriously ill in Montana. I stayed with him for a month and the travel insurance covered my stay. DC in England arranged for flight home to be changed. Please be aware that you might have to fight your travel insurance - we had a bill for over £250k and they didn’t want to pay. Don’t worry about the flight home or the hip operation at the moment. Concentrate on both getting well and getting home.

Thanks and I’m sorry your husband was so ill @Rocknrollstar.

In a further development we had the doctor out to me today and I have bronchitis. At least it explains why I feel so crap and my cough was getting worse. I’m also on antibiotics, anti sickness meds and an inhaler. This is absolutely the last time I’m going abroad for holidays!

I had walking pneumonia. I thought it was a common old chest infection for ages (so did gp). One lot of antibiotics didn't see it off. Nor did a short course of oral steroids and an inhaler. Had a chest x-ray and it was pneumonia. More antibiotics. I had a temp and felt quite crappy for about 6 weeks, and it took about 9 months to totally recover (being able to fully go back to exercise and not seeing the impact etc). The recovery was long and annoyingly slow.

I’d never heard of it before this. He does seem brighter in himself today, the doctor also noticed when she came out to see me.

Our insurance company have said if he can’t fly then we’re covered to stay but I’m hoping that won’t be necessary, or if it is they can move us somewhere more central.

I was diagnosed with this 3 weeks ago. Still have a cough and feel crappy from time to time.

Ah, walking pneumonia is rife this season here in the US. My DS was diagnosed a month ago and a five-day course of antibiotics cleared it up. Buthe's a teenager and when I also caught it, I took longer to recover.

The antibiotics really helped me though, I think your DH will feel much better in a few days. Are you sure that you don't have it? We both had terrible coughs.

Edit. Just saw your update about the bronchitis. Poor you.

OP get porridge. Boil water or heat milk for it in a kettle (assuming there's one in hotel room, otherwise get a Thermos flask and ask the hotel kitchen to fill it with boiled water). You can also make pasta in the kettle (yes put it in there with the water!). Buy washing up liquid and a sponge too because you're going to want to be cleaning that kettle.

If a stomach bug, its better to get rid of the bug not take imodium

A common belief on mumsnet, but rubbish. A bug isn't like a splinter which one can remove from the body and the symptoms of a stomach bug can be potentially dangerous when uncontrolled. Follow qualified medical advice, not mumsnet opinion.

I hope he recovers quickly, op

DH is 70 so I think it’ll take a while for him to get over this, although his oxygen levels were 100% and his heart rate and BP were fine when the doctor checked him so that’s something.

Tomorrow I’m going to order something from uber eats as I think they’ll deliver to the hotel room and try and get us both eating something.

Imodium can make some stomach bugs worse and should not be taken if you have a temperature

Imodium Should also never be taken in food poisoning cases

Thanks for all your replies. I thought DH was doing better today but he seems to have gone backwards. We’re starting to get a bit fraught, I don’t know what to do for him and feel crap myself which isn’t helping.

I’ve spoken to the airline today and they are happy for me to fly but obviously not DH at the moment. He has until Friday to be cleared to fly so we just need him to improve to get on the plane. I think the insurance will pay for me to stay with him if he can’t fly but the sooner we can get home the better.

Do you have any rehydration fluids, @PinkSparklyPussyCat ? If you can get to a pharmacy, they’ll have them.

if he finds it difficult to keep anything down, you can get frozen popsicles to suck on -they’ll still replace the electrolytes. What a nasty experience for you both. 💐