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Yes sir, as it turns out, my bronchitis has progressed into pnemonia, as my doctor tells me. Hooray! I have to get plenty of rest and take ridiculous amounts of drugs! Hooray! Right before spring break! Hooray!
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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You know, I am quite sure the cold beer gave you pneumonia, Book. I would add that to your police report if I were you!
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Yeah, I was just thinking that. How would it sound if it turned out they dumped cold beer all over some poor kid with pnemonia who was just headed home from the doctor's office after having his chest X-rayed, with the new antibiotics right in his hand? (This is true)
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote: So what is pneumonia, really? I've always considered it to be very, very serious. Like, possibly fatal.
Pneumonia literally means liquid in the lungs, where bronchitis is just inflammation of the lungs. I've always pictured pneumonia to be like drowning to death in your own phlegm, and it can be deadly if left untreated, or if your immune system is severely compromised, but most otherwise healthy adults recover with treatment.
Posts: 349 | Registered: May 2003
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Yes, it's a problem of fluid accumulating in your lungs. The medicines you are on are an attempt to provide immunity to other illness, and dislodge said fluid. Since you have sought medical help, the worst is likely over, except some unpleasant coughing, a fever, and a prolonged exhaustion. If you haven't had some yet, there may be some chest X-rays in your future to verify the fluid is indeed out of your lungs. If the medication you're on doesn't work for some reason or another, there are some more inconvienent options to deal with pneumonia (that require that dreadful thing called a hospital visit).
Do you have the somewhat standard pneumonia, or walking pneumonia (which as far as I've heard and expirienced is a bit worse)? And did they at least give you codine?
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Hmm... Seems like I'm past a lot of that. Never had a fever. Never was exhausted. The doctor did prescribe some codine but that was a while ago. However, I have been hawking up things like crazy, and the doctor just prescribed for me some antibiotics.
What is "walking pnemonia?"
[ March 10, 2005, 07:50 PM: Message edited by: Book ]
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Walking pneumonia is an old, non-medical word. They don't even teach that term in medical school anymore. My understanding is that it means a milder pneumonia that you can walk around with rather than be hospitalized and put on oxygen etc. I never use that term.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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I know it won't help you now, but I'm a firm believer in the pneumonia vaccine.
I had one 5 years ago after having bronchitis every year for the previous 3 years. Each year, the bronchitis had gotten worse and lasted longer until I ended up with a fever of 103 for several days and had to be on multiple courses of antibiotics. This last bout left me with a painful case of pleurisy.
I was afraid of what the next bout would bring and asked my doctor if there was anything he could do. He suggested the pneumonia vaccine and it has worked like magic for me. I haven't had bronchitis or anything even close to it in the last 5 years.
The vaccination lasts 5 years, so I'll get another one this year. I'm not taking any chances.
Posts: 2425 | Registered: Jan 2002
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I had the pneumonia vaccine last year because of my asthma and tendency toward bronchitis. It a few months later I got pneumonia (in BOTH lungs) for the first time in about 5 yrs!
A month after that I got severe bronchitis in both lungs.
I seriously don't think they are related though.
The upside was I got to do a qualitative study comparing mild pneumonia and severe bronchitis. They were both bad, but the bronchitis was worse.
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