Can you have a clear chest and still have a chest infection?

[oxcat1]

At the start of August I became ill and was admitted to hospital with pneumonia. After 7 days I was discharged, and I have been slowly recovering.

However, last week I went back to my GP as I still don't feel well - temperatures, very tired etc etc, and when I take a big breath in, particularly if I'm lying down, I can feel 'rattling' at the bottom of both lungs.

The GP said my chest was clear, but asked me to send off a sputum sample for my 'productive cough'. I did that, and it came back positive for MRSA, so I am now on two antibiotics for that.

The thing is, I can still feel this rattling at the bottom of my chest. If my chest is clear, does that mean that the rattling is not there? Was it a feeling that I always had but just hadn't noticed before, or does it mean that there is still some infection? I'm one week into the antibiotics, and I'm not sure things are that different from when I started, but if I had a clear chest then maybe it doesn't matter?

Just wondering what others thought? Been a long drawn-out process and I'm getting a bit fed-up now!

what about your gp sending you for a chest xray?

Yes you cna, my ds had Cystic Fibrosis and reguarly gets chest infections and they are NEVER found via a stethascope examination, we only ever get anything via a cough swab.
When doing your sputum sample try and get a real juicy cough right from the bottom of the lugs and it should show up andthing growing.

Hope that helps.

He didn't send me for a chest X-ray, as I had several when I was in hospital, and a CT scan the month before when I had a very small pneumothorax for no good reason, and there didn't seem much point given things were getting better, just slowly.

I do have long-standing severe asthma and an immunodeficiency which makes me much more likely to pick up bacterial infections.

Thanks Charlee.

I suppose there must be something there, as the sputum sample grew MRSA, and I certainly feel 'unwell'. I was just puzzled about whether I was imagining these rattlings, if the doctor couldn't hear them. They are definitely worse when lying down though, or if I haven't taken a big breath in a while.

chest x ray.
took ds1 to gp and chest was clear.
policy was any baby under 6 months with unexplained temp must have chest x.
double pneumonia (rsv) and nebulised 5xdaily.
what fun.
ask for cxr.

hope youb feel better soon

you*

Thank you.

On the fourth course (2 together) of antibiotics since the start of August, with an IV lot in June, so surely something will work soon. I'm definitely a lot better than when I was in the hospital, I just don't know whether this rattling matters or not. Hey ho - I guess I'll find out if it all flares up again.

Thanks

Still spiking temperatures and was sick last night and this morning, but think my chest is a little less rattly than before. Got to send a sputum sample on Tuesday after I finish these antibiotics and then see.

Does anybody know what will happen if the MRSA hasn't gone from my chest? Could it be another 2 weeks of antibiotics or do you think they'd just leave it?