Chest infection - how long to feel better ?

[cmotdibbler]

Have been ill for a couple of weeks and finally conceded defeat on Thursday and sought help - GP practice nurse said I had crackling in my rt lung, and my peak flow was down to 250, so am on Amoxycillin 500mgx3 a day plus Ventolin with a spacer.

I'm still coughing loads, and waking up every hour in the night to cough, sometimes till I vomit. My chest is now really painful with the coughing, and I can't speak 2 sentences without coughing.

Should I have noticed a significant difference by now ?

difficult!! some people respond quite quickly, but as you have had this for several weeks before going to the doc, it may take some time to get better.

if you started your anti b's on thursday, I would say leave it till tuesday morning, if no better, go back to the GP straight away.

the coughing will be worse for a while as this is the body getting rid of all the flem, mucus and general gunk in your lungs that has been produced in the fight against the bugs. also infections like this are often a mix of bacterial and viral, and the anti b's will clear up the bacterial but not the viral, thats up to your own immume system to do that and it will be able to do this better once the anti b's have done for the bugs so again, will take a bit longer!!

well it depends - you should feel a BIT better by now to be honest

if you really are feeling worse then you should see GP again in case the bug you have is resistant to amoxycillin.

if you are having difficulty breathing, feel dizzy when you stand up or gen feel worse then call nhs direct

it maybe that the asthma component is worse than infection so need more ventolin, and possibly steroids. you can use ventolin more often than prescribed

also - Gp practice nurses aren't experts in listening to chests - i feel you need to see the GP. so go tomorrow and call nhs direct overnight if worried.

I've been using the ventolin loads - as in 4 puffs an hour (I know thats still not the top of the prescription limit), and really don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. The night is the worst bit as I'm not getting any sleep. When I've had chest infections previously its always meant that I kept coughing for a bit, but was hacking gunk up, rather than this awful wheezing cough continuing (with gunk but not enough iyswim)

Today, I'm feeling more feverish and dizzy so phoned GP, and am seeing practice nurse at 10.30 who can then route me into duty GP. She thinks I'll need oral steroids.

just seen this - how did you go?

hope you are OK cutmyownthroat.

I had a chest infection like this BUT it turned nasty and I had pneumonia for two months - get your Gp to take a sputum sample and send it to the labs.They should give you a chest xray also

Sounds like the amoxycillin hasn't killed the bugs in the phlegm. The fever, dizzyness and crackling lung noise would indicate pneumonia to me.

I'm still on my dilators and preventers three months later. Took three different type of ABs and eventually had Staphylococcus aureus killed off by Fluxocillin.

The oral steroids I was on for five days were a godsend though. Hope all is well.

Am now on erthromycin - crackling in both lungs now, and felt worse yesterday. Have been told sternly to rest, so am under the duvet on the sofa and trying to do nothing (which isn't easy). Have also been told that I have till midday tomorrow to feel better otherwise they need to see me urgently and am on the rapid review list.

Good news is that I've got my peak flow back up - its just that I'm breathing off the top of my lungs.

Horrible night as it took me an hour to stop coughing enough to sleep, and then woke up vomiting with the cough a couple of times.

You poor soul that sounds utterly miserable.
Make sure you do do nothing!

Blimey dibbler, take it easy you poor sausage.
Try and sleep all propped up and breathe in nice and easy, out nice and easy also.
hopefully the erthromycin will work. I had a strange bug in my lungs and it was only from the sputum sample they isolated it and found the exact Ab to kill it.
Make them take a sample from you, even if you're feeling more human tomorrow!

In the mean time, rest!

I only woke up once in the night to cough, and today can speak whole sentences without coughing ! Feel much better with more sleep, and hope that by tomorrow will be over the worst of it now.

You never know, DH might let me back in the bed soon...