Isolation effects

[Barb1]

Well after cracking my skull open and subsequently finding out that I was dangerously low in potassium, I catch a chest cold from visiting granddaughter. On seeing GP to have stitches out she hears my chest crackling. Long story short, been in hospital 3 days so far with pneumonia. Low immunity due to self isolation combined with not perfect heart and water retention has resulted in a simple cold escalating into something life threatening. So I thought I would put out a warning not to ignore the crackling! Shame is that I am in here when they are staying with us on holiday. Go home tomorrow

[Hidden]

Blooming ‘eck Barb, your not safe to be out alone! Hope things settle soon…..John

[Barb1 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks John. I am so disappointed. After all the heart/pacemaker stuff and being extra careful the last 18mths, I never expected a kickback like this.

[Hidden in reply to Barb1]

I can imagine, I know how we would feel having just arrived in Portugal. You have a relatively long flight too, make sure you have lots of water, good luck!!

[Barb1 in reply to Hidden]

Dr says that I am drinking too much water because it is countering the effect of the diuretics. Nobody told me that before!

[jeanjeannie50]

Sorry to hear that Barb and wish you a speedy recovery. Did you have the pneumonia jab?

Jean

[Barb1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Yes I did

[Desanthony in reply to Barb1]

Glad to hear you had the pneumonia jab Barb1. If you have chest problems such as asthma, bronchiectasis or things like that as my wife has both (!) she has been told she will need the pneumonia jab regularly - probably every few years as opposed to those of us who are relatively healthy who may just need the one jab.

[doodle68]

Poor Barb ☺️ you have been in the wars...I hope you will be better soon...x

I am still keeping my distance from people and wearing a mask , having asthma and P-AF I don't want to catch the cold or Covid thank you...

[Barb1 in reply to doodle68]

The trouble is that as soon as you start mixing the most innocuous germ can hit you for 6. That's what I wanted to warn people about.

[doodle68 in reply to Barb1]

Hi Barb 😃 I have no intention of mixing with people anytime soon, solitude is my friend . When I go to my sons house to see my 5 grandchildren I sit outside on the veranda wrapped in a rug and chat through the folding doors.

[CDreamer]

Sorry to hear that - wishing you speedy recovery.

I’m recovering from COVID, followed by A&E visit as I was in fast AF with other arrhythmias- chest X-ray to investigate crackles, sent home, pneumonia followed requiring heavy duty antibiotics. X-Ray showed ‘anomalies’ so needing follow up X-Ray in a few weeks. I’m still really breathless & very tired on any exertion & fatigue really easy.

Don’t be too keen to get home & make sure you have some sort of help when you get home. Meanwhile rest up & recuperate.

[Barb1]

Thank you. We are due to come back to UK middle of November and have to prepare the villa for winter but at the moment it knocks me out to clean my teeth.

[beach_bum]

Sorry to hear your woes. If it makes you feel any better, I had double pneumonia...twice, when I was in my 20's. Otherwise healthy my entire life, so it can hit anyone anywhere any time, and according to docs, it almost killed me, so Im a little paranoid about hospitals in general lol. Glad you are getting better 🙂

You are also much braver than I, as any sort of travel...even while masked and jabbed is not in my immediate future. Ok, to be clear, "travel" in the vernacular of UK residents has a totally different risk than us "colonials"...you fly to go to villas near other humans, we drive to our isolated cottages to be away from humans, so the risk for us is minimal. The only humans we see are the invited ones. Bears, deer, badgers, loons, eagles, falcons are our neighbors 😋

I also just got over a hellacious 3 week bout of a "super-cold" passed on from...yup, you guessed it, the darling wee walking-spewing petri dishes known as grandkids. I guess 2 years without a sniffle in a virus-free "bubble" has it's price. Seems the immune system "forgot" about all the seasonal stuff 😑

[Barb1 in reply to beach_bum]

You are so right about the effects of the isolation. Going to our isolated villa was supposed to be safer than living in our suburban house but we didnt reckon on the germs coming in there.

[irene75359]

I saw my doctor six weeks after a chest infection as I was still feeling so unwell. He told me it can take a lot longer than that to get over pneumonia. At the risk of sounding very ignorant I didn't realise my infection was pneumonia, but I do remember feeling totally wiped out. So I am not in the least surprised that you struggle to clean your teeth. Don't try to do too much, in fact you shouldn't be trying to do anything at all! Do hope you feel better soon.

[Barb1 in reply to irene75359]

Thanks Irene.

[Desanthony]

Oh no! This is the thing! We have been away from any form of infection for so long - if we've been lucky and not caught covid, that these things are going to be easier to catch now - it may be that flu is more of a threat to the vulnerable than Covid - if you are full vaccinated. We are still wearing masks in shops and enclosed spaces - infact amazed at how many places still ask you to wear a mask. But then once we stop are we going to be worse off? Its such a weird situation.

[bassets]

Hope you feel much better soon. Sometimes lung conditions can creep up on you until you suddenly feel awful. A good job this was caught!

[Barb1 in reply to bassets]

Yes, that's exactly how it was.

[Ducky2003]

Yikes! A bit worrying that you got hospitalised with pneumonia, even having had the pneumonia jab. Hope that you have a speedy and full recovery.

[Barb1 in reply to Ducky2003]

The consultant said that the jab only protects from one strain.

[Ducky2003 in reply to Barb1]

Makes you wonder how many strains there are then and why it's this one that gets a vaccine.

[Dollcollector]

I was told that 1 vaccination against pneumonia would protect me for life. Apparently not!!. Hope you feel better soon.

[pusillanimous in reply to Dollcollector]

Yes it is confusing, I wonder if there are different types of vaccine, I live in South Africa and when I first started having the pneumococcal vaccination it was every 2 years, now it has changed to every five years. My sister, still living in the UK has had her first, and she tells me, the only one she will ever need.

[Dollcollector in reply to pusillanimous]

That's what l was told, so why are people getting pneumonia and dying from it. So many old people have pneumonia as a cause of death on their death certificate.