hi all 😊 I’ve moaned about this before so sorry I’m back 🤷🏻♀️
Anyone that has had pneumonia and pleurisy together can I have some feedback please ?
I was in hospital end of dec into mid January, even coming home I was still not good on antibiotics for weeks and steroids, even having another lot two weeks ago
My question is how long did your pain in your lungs go on for and to get to where you were before in relation to breathing, ability to exercise etc how long roughly did it take
I’m asking because some days I just have no energy, want to sleep all the time and the pain on breathing in deep still shoots through me , my doctor who is very patient say be kind to yourself, eat well sleep lots , but I’m beginning to feel like a hermit 😂 it just seems that I can’t shake it and four months on seems not a lot better , any ideas 🤔😊
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Hazel1010
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I didn’t say anything when you first posted because I didn’t want to worry you. Each time I have had pleurisy it has taken an enormous amount of time to recover. Each time I was working and would be off work up to 6 months I then returned to work not because I was better but more because financially I needed to return. Although original infection cleared up, it took considerable time for me to recover. The gp is right in that you need to be kind and patient with yourself. Eventually you will recover but as you are finding in certain circumstances /people it takes far longer than we would like.
Hello thank you for your reply 😊 I’ve had pneumonia etc before but had youth on my side then 😂 now I’m old and decrepit it’s taking longer so I’ll hang in there 👍😊😊
Four months sounds normal to me for a recovery. I've had both a few times and each time to absolutely ages to recover from. Months of fatigue & inability to live a normal life - this was over ten years ago (when I wasn't decrepit) & working more than full time. I know that one reason I'm not great now is because I didn't understand the nature of the beasts then and most certainly didn't look after myself, dashing about, missing meals . I've not had pneumonia since I had the vaccination and since I started taking copious vitamins, minerals and supplements. Back then lots of high strength Manuka honey to help rebuild immunity.
If I were you right now I'd invest in a good tonic at the very least
Well go slowly! No rushing about, while you're there you could check out the Manuka, they might have it on offer. I think I paid £45 a jar back in 2012 - I was desperate!
I forgot to say, I think my pleurisy pain lasted about 6 weeks. I'm wondering if you've got costochronditis. Have you coughed a lot?
wow never even heard of that , I was coughing my head off until about a week ago and the doc gave me antibiotics and steroids again 🤷🏻♀️ yeah I’ll definitely have a look at the offers etc , thank you 😊
ahh looked at doc google, that description of costochronditis shows the pain location not where mine is , I have mine low on the left side where I take the bottom of my lungs to be although recent X-ray shows no signs of infection apparently 👍👍
It took me at least six months to recover & I’d say even then I wasn’t doing anything strenuous. I started taking prebiotic & probiotics to repair my gut microbiome after the antibiotics & built up my immunity.
These days I have kefir (probiotic) on my cereal & have a mug of raw cacao (good for immunity) with a teaspoon spoon of green banana flour (prebiotic). It needs a good shake to mix & is something of an acquired taste, but for me, it’s my favourite part of breakfast.
Being kind & pacing yourself & getting plenty rest is the only way, even though it is frustrating. I know that wasn’t what you wanted to hear, but slow & steady will is the way. x
Good morning, thank you for the tips on probiotics 👍
It’s been good to hear your time for recovery and others on the forum because it’s affirming that it’s normal to take this amount of time to get better and I’m not the weakest link , thank you
I see you have already had a few replies with some good advice . I too had a bad experience of this combined condition some years ago and didn’t fully understand the severity at the time . Obviously I recovered lol . Even the shallowest of breaths was incredibly painful The advice was to take it very slowly and I thought I was BUT I really didn’t understand and as I began to recover I tried to return to playing tennis too quickly and very very quickly went downhill . Hardly a surprise !?
I was very fortunate to have local gp as a family friend whom quickly had me admitted to hospital and the restart began . Second time I understood !! The pain , short ness of breath made even a few steps were a challenge . The medication was working in me and rest was essential. After I began the slow recovery I was told fresh air was a must and short walks , even a few steps every day . EXHAUSTION was the real enemy . Feeling tired ?? Sit down , lay down . Gradually, increasing the walks BUT at the slightest sign of being tired STOP . I cannot say much more or emphasise the gradual pace to recovery . I was off work 6 weeks , returned part time for about 2/3 . On going full time I came home and slept for a bouts futher 2/3 weeks . It was fully 4 months before I could say I felt in good shape .Now I have to be so careful if any infection which heads straight to my chest / lungs. I have asthma now and other underlaying conditions which do affect me too . I wish you well . Like all things , when necessary tske the rest when you can . And get that fresh air !! Kind regards
Good morning, I’m glad to hear that you are well on the road to recovery.
I’m no athlete by any means but part of my don’t get old thing was a daily brisk walk of between 10.000 to 15.000 steps and about six weeks after coming home from hospital I could barely walk around the garden 🤷🏻♀️and then you become frustrated with yourself .
It’s good to get imput from yourself and others that the time period is normal and I appreciate now that relaxing , eating well etc is part and parcel of recovery.
I’m up to a moderate speed walk for around 6-7k on the flat , show me a hill and I’m turning around 😂😂😂
How's it going? I had pneumonia some years ago and was off sick for 3 months. It took a long time to recover. I had pain in my back for what seemed eternity. I was alarmed at how long it took to recover from all the symptoms, particularly shortness of breathe, exhaustion, dizziness and back pain. But I did heal, just needed the time and right care.My elderly Dad got pneumonia in January and I warned him it would take a good 3 to 4 months to start feeling right again. He is now 3 months down the line and really only beginning to improve in the past week or two. He still gets back pain on and off and he is exhausted but is able to do a little bit more than a few weeks ago. He didn't understand how long recovery takes and his mood really dipped because of it. He is now going out for short walks, taking rest when needed, doing some pulmonary physio on youtube and eating better as he was missing some of his meals due to low appetite. It's all helping him.
good morning, thank you for taking the time to reply 😊 I am getting better a bit more each day and it’s good to hear from you and others that , although frustrating it is normal to take such a time to come back from it .
I don’t think that although I was in hospital for ten days I didn’t really appreciate how serious the illness was and how long recovery could be. Plus living on my own my diet was awful because I was in bed or sofa for weeks so that didn’t help , I have rectified that !
Have a good day and I hope your father continues to improve too , Hazel
good plan. Some of us were sent Vitamin D3 by the government during the pandemic because there is now evidence that it is implicated in the immune system.
I had both a few years ago - it takes time but it's good to exercise a bit to make sure your lungs return to full capacity - like any injury!! You may not realise but when you are poorly and sedentary for a period ALL your muscle groups atrophy and get weaker so it's not just your lungs that need to be returned to fitness... gentle leg and arm exercises whilst seated and pilates are brilliant before you move onto anything moving/cardio. Eat well with a varied diet including protein and fresh veg. A top tip a friend gave me was to try singing and dancing .... made me smile which was good. Treat your body well with lots of relaxing treats - a massage our facial then get moving....
I've had both a number of times -- as the others have said, it takes time. However, since Covid there is greater understanding/appreciation of the value of respiratory physical therapy. Ask your doctor about it, and if possible, get evaluate for it.
Also sounds to me like you might have a condition called costochondritis, which is an inflammation/infection of the joints in your ribs, breastbone, etc. I had a very bad case which lasted more than 9 months.
You can look it up on the National Institutes of Health website (nih.org).
When I had it 10 years ago, I was told there wasn't any way to treat it. I found that moist heat helped, but anything that brought on any kind of stress sent sharp pains shooting through my body. Coughing, bending over, sneezing, laughing hard, twisting to the side, picking something up -- dozens of small, thought-less actions can cause sharp pain.
Good luck and be patient! Listen to your body and you'll be fine, but don't overdo.
Hello Hazel, I hope you are well recovered now. If you don’t mind, could you tell me how long did it take to feel a bit normal? I am currently dealing with this, it s been one month almost, the infection is gone and it has gotten a bit better but i still have pain in my chest and a little shortness of breath from pleurisy. I feel so tired all the time and cant do much effort. I am also 6 weeks pregnant and while I am very grateful, I feel so down with all these symptoms. I hope you get a moment to reply, thank you.
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