Will this chest infection ever Bloody go?

[KatyMac]

Week one Bad cold
Week two Cold gets much worse
Week three Antibiotics
Week four Next lot of antibiotics
Week five Instructions to see GP again if not 100% better

Well, what is 100% better?
I am exhausted, my chest still feels tight at the front & the right side, I'm not eating or sleeping well

So am I better?
Am I being a wuss?

Will it ever end?

Oh & I just noticed when I breathe out I feel ripples in my chest?

Is that significant?

I was hoping this wasn't you

I am exhausted, my chest still feels tight at the front & the right side, I'm not eating or sleeping well

Well that doesn't sound 100% better to me

What do you mean by ripples..inside, in the muscles, looks like ripples?

Well not bubbles exactly but maybe liquid-y...maybe?

very inside feeling not seeing

Sounds like you still have it.
I have the same prob wit throat infections - on no. 3 since beg of sept.

My doc here in Germany (just moved) does a blood and excretion (yuk!) test to see which kind of bacteria it is and which antibiotic would be best.

Could your doc do the same?

Do you mean like there is fluid lining your pipes with is kind of rippling like a tide over the ariways as you breath in then out?

If do that sounds like you still have excess fluid being secreted into teh chest. It is a defense mechanism against infection...can take the bosy to catch up and stop over-producing after an infcction. Can of course imply that there is still over-production because there is still infection present.

Yeah like the tide, rippling

Oh poop

I'm back to the GP again aren't I?

Still not coughing, definitely not coughing up any phlegm

Sort of low down - maybe mid-boob

Damnation, KM, still bad? Not wuss, definitely not.

If its any consolation, dh is finally thinking maybe maybe his is getting a teeny bit better each day. This is week 7, after two lots of antibiotics and endless inhalers.

Are you still coughing up gunk, when you do cough, or is it non-productive now?

Spent about 3 days coughing up a bit but (TMI -sorry) it never came up far enough to be spat out

No coughing at all now (well twice today)

I would go back.

It could be that you are just {ha ha} run down after a nasty chest infection, and need time to recover. It took me a good 3 weeks+ to get back to anywhere near 100% after all signs of infection had gone when i had pneumonia in April...and I wasn't poorly enough to be prescribed the holey grail of Abs (clathrimycin!).

The worst thing you can do is leave it thinking that infection has cleared and you are just "being a wuss" - your words not mine - when you have a small batallian of resistant buggers waiting for the Abs to get out of your system and start breeding like rabbits putting you back to square 1.

I know

It just doesn't make sense

If I had a chest infections I should be coughing all the time, bringing up muck. I should be sleeping all the time - not exhausted and unable to sleep. I should be gradually getting better not sitting here being miserable

Is clathrimycin expensive? or just powerful?

It makes my poop yellow

I don't like it

No such thing as TMI here, I believe

No harm in getting checked out again, is there? I would do that, if you don't feel better in a day or two. dh did find the ABs (amoxy plus erythromycin at same time) made him feel horrendous, so you might find having finished the course helps after a couple of days, with any luck.

Really no point in messing with possible ongoing infection though, and no one can tell you without a stethoscope and/or x-ray so....

I'm sorry you're still feeling so rough, hope tomorrow feels easier.

And fwiw, I have never coughed up anything much with a chest infection - I suppose I must have swallowed some but really mostly just sat there in my chest, urgh.

Its also possible you have cleared the infection (like dh) and now have some residual inflammation from it?

But based on your previous threads (sorry if I am overstepping the mark) - your chest infection doesn't/didn't sound like your only concern.

Stress (which you have eluded to before) could certainly cause your sleep and apetite problems...but can also make you run down and susceptiable to chest infections.

It is a bit of a vicious circle. You need to ensure that the physical is fully treated (chest infection) so that you can start to work on the emotional.

If you still think you may still have a chest infection, you will worry about that, you will feel miserable because you think you should feel miserable.

I sounds like a GP appointment wouldn't be wasted to ensure that your chest is 100% clear. Then you can start to build yourself up from being less misreable...

go back to gp
sounds like you need a CXR

sorry Chest X ray

Yes you will almost certianly have some residual inflammation, excess mucous secretion (which would give the rippling feeling), and maybe even some sore muscles from excessive coughing (although that doesn't sound to have been a huge problem form you).

Actually that makes a lot of sense

So I go, I get the all clear, then I can start to feel better because I know I am better?

OK I will make an appointment for either tomorrow pm or Wed am & it will all be sorted

Financially things are settling down now (after getting rid of most of my workforce)

I am really enjoying being 'back on the shop floor'

DH's health is as good as it has been in years

DD is happy & healthy (4 wet nights in 5 week......hmm wonder if she like me being ill?)

Things are actually on the up - I just need to decide my next project (which might be my OU degree or emigrating )

thats the spirit ....

just keep chanting that last post

Thanks everyone

OK woke up today without the cheat pain/tightness & with no bubbles/ripples

So I saw the GP & she said it sounds like it has gone

So fingers crossed

Mind you she also said I have a cold & it could take a while to recuperate & start to feel properly better

OK so you are physically rid of the infection.

Now it is time to start getting those emotions in order.

Take it easy whilst you recuperate...

working on it