Prolonged chest infections post-Covid

[JoBo1979]

Hello, just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences to me post-Covid.

I’ve had asthma for 40 years, since I was 5, and I count myself very lucky that as an adult it’s been very well controlled most of the time, by a preventer inhaler and Montelukast tablets, both of which I take every day. I also have Ventolin as a reliever. The exception is when I get a chest infection - this is when it flares up, and I’ve always had quite a lot of these in autumn/winter and needed antibiotics when they’re bacterial, and often Prednisolone.

But before Covid happened, the longest I’d ever needed off work for a single chest infection was about 2.5 weeks. I then had Covid in March and July 2022, which also both times just lasted a couple of weeks. Then in December 2022 I caught the worst chest infection I’d ever had. I was completely floored and ended up needing six weeks off work in total. I had four courses of antibiotics in the end and several of Prednisolone. I had a sputum test and was told the bacteria was not an uncommon one but it was a stubborn one, so I thought I had just been very unlucky.

But then in early November 2023 the exact same thing happened again! Mutiple courses of antibiotics and Prednisolone again, plus one nebuliser at the out-of-hours GP this time, and five weeks off work. Sputum test this time showed a different bug from the previous year.

When autumn 2024 started I tried to have a positive mental attitude and just decided the same thing wasn’t going to happen this year! I did come down with a bacterial chest infection a few weeks ago - it lasted three weeks and I had two courses of antibiotics for it, but thankfully it was much milder than those of the past two years and I managed to stay at work. I’d just about felt back to normal for a couple of days last week and then my daughter brought a cough home from school, which I caught too. This has now developed into a new chest infection which is worse than the previous one, and I’m now off work and in bed. Saw the nurse practitioner at the GP surgery a few days ago, who said it’s viral and I have just wait it out, but to go back if no better in 7-10 days.

I’m dreading this getting worse and needing 5-6 weeks off work like the last couple of winters.

Nothing like this ever happened to me until after I’d had Covid. Is it just going to become an annual thing for me? Is it a form of long Covid? Is my body just worse at fighting off chest infections now? Has anyone else had a similar experience?

What the last couple of years have taught me is how incredibly lucky I have been for my asthma to have been so well controlled for the vast majority of my life, and to still be well controlled for the majority of the year. I have enormous respect for everyone living with debilitating symptoms year round, say in, day out, and really admire them for all their strength and resilience. 🙏🙏🙏

[fraid]

Do you have Covid vax? I was 'missed out' last year as housebound and had dreadful chest infections which seemed just like Covid with resultant asthma flares too. Just had vax so hope no more of that. 🤞I guess if you're already susceptible to chest problems any virus will hit you harder. Hope you recover and have a better winter this year. 🤞

[JoBo1979 in reply to fraid]

That’s awful that you didn’t get the Covid vaccine last year! Really glad you’ve received in this time round. I have had it every year until now, but have been told that this year the eligibility is much more restricted, eg to people severely immunosuppressed because of chemo, so I won’t be getting it. I don’t know if this is different in different parts of the UK, though. I’m in Scotland.

Thank you so much. I hope you’re ok this winter too.

[Patk1]

Having asthma + being prone to nasty lung infections shld allow u to have antibiotics,as viruses often trigger exacerbations.id speak to Yr gp,don't wait till Yr lungs are infected.i use coldzyme throat spray and vicks rescue nose spray - both are viral blockers.i also use air purifiers as they filter out viral particles.to protect Yr lungs,you need to plan ahead + take necessary measures eg things I've mentioned,flu+ covid jabs,handgel,mask if need to .infections can trigger lung disease.pls look after yrself

[JoBo1979 in reply to Patk1]

Thanks so much for this. The nurse I saw last week said she would be reluctant to give me a third course of antibiotics after I’d just had two in quick succession, so I think they’re cagey about over-prescribing and err on the side of not giving them out, at least at my surgery. In hindsight I should have asked for a sputum test to at least check that it’s definitely viral, but I’ll do this if I go back this week.

I’ve never used anything like the preventative sprays you recommended as didn’t really know about them, so thanks so much for that - will start now! Have always been very careful with getting my jabs, using masks and handgel etc though. I’ve never used an air purifier but as I have a small child I think most germs I get are going to be coming from school and I’m going to get them anyway via cuddles etc. But have you found the air purifiers to be beneficial to you? Do you have a particular one you would recommend?

Thanks so much again for all the advice.

[Patk1 in reply to JoBo1979]

My air purifiers r gd and just little cheap ones,bout £30ea off ebay+ come with spare filter. I find thm helpful, and viral blockers do work for me.my nephew had a cold+ sister& I saw him.she caught it,I didn't)) .I find nurse practitioners can block antibiotics,happened to me mistreat staph aureus deep lung infection -she noted I was still wheezy,sputum green - 2day specimen turnaround#!! Clear,no antibiotics.days later,hospital specimen still infected and I needed another 2mths a/b to shift it.i could've been saved that which took mths to pick up from.id go to gp,re winter pattern n get rescue pack x

[JoBo1979 in reply to Patk1]

That’s good to know about the air purifiers and virus blockers, thanks. So sorry to hear about that two-month infection, that’s awful! I’m off for another appointment with the nurse practitioner shortly, don’t seem to get a choice when I call GP, but sputum results should be back now from last week, so will see what they say. I hope you’re keeping well.

[JoBo1979 in reply to JoBo1979]

*when I call surgery

[Homely2 Administrator]

I would chat it through with an asthma nurse on the asthma UK helpline on 0300 2225800, office hours.

They are great.

[JoBo1979 in reply to Homely2]

Will do! Thank you.

[4someone]

Hello JoBo,

I’m in Scotland too and have been told that I don’t qualify for the covid vaccine. I have extrinsic allergic Alveolitis, IBD and vision problems. I’ve had covid three times, each leaves me with worsening side effects including a deterioration in my vision. Last bout of covid was October 2023. I was bedridden until December then caught pneumonia on the 9th. My last round of antibiotics for this infection was in April this year. So in answer to your question, yes , covid is leaving me with more chest infections and a poor quality of life. It is very difficult and depressing. I am anxious visiting the surgery as they mistake me for two other patients and this was before they started to specialise in telephone appointments. My husband however does qualify for the covid vaccine. He has type 2 diabetes controlled by diet and worked all the way through the pandemic. He caught covid last year and was groggy for two days.

[JoBo1979 in reply to 4someone]

I am so sorry to hear of everything you’ve been through, this is all horrific. I cannot believe you’re not eligible for a Covid jag. The rules must just be blanket and very unnuanced and not take individual circumstances into account. I was just looking up whether the jags are available privately and after a quick look it seems they are but of course it comes down to affordability (£75-£98 at first glance) and whether you’re able to travel if you need to to get one (looks like I’d have to drive about an hour to Edinburgh to get one).

Your surgery sounds hopeless too, mixing you up with two other patients! That’s unforgivable. You need to be able to trust your healthcare professionals to get it right. I know Covid is still a new disease and there will things they are still finding out but they need to get the basics right!

I really hope things get easier for you, and I wish you all the best.

[JoBo1979 in reply to 4someone]

Hi again, just wondered if you’ve already had your invitation to the flu-only vaccination. I haven’t yet, and had only been told unofficially (by the nurse at gp surgery) that I would most likely not be entitled to the flu+Covid vaccine this year.

I just logged on to the NHS Inform website to see if I could book an appointment yet, which I could, and it had all the different vaccine types to choose from, with nothing to tell me I was only allowed the flu-only one, so I just selected the normal winter vaccine (ie flu+covid) and it let me book the appointment. I just wondered if it might be the same for you.

[Mandevilla in reply to JoBo1979]

You are definitely eligible for the flu vaccine - anyone who has to take daily inhaled steroids is. You're only eligible for Covid boosters if you've either had oral steroids or a hospital admission due to asthma in the past year.

If you've booked both, I wouldn't worry - they just won't give you the Covid one when you turn up. My surgery automatically invites anyone who is eligible for flu jabs to a combined flue & covid one, but they work out which ones you can have once you get there!

[JoBo1979 in reply to Mandevilla]

Thank you. I was expecting to be eligible for the flu jab, just not the Covid jab, but have had the invitation for neither so far. However I’ve now just had a course of Prednisolone so perhaps they’ll let me have the Covid jab too when I get there.

[4someone in reply to JoBo1979]

No, I haven’t been invited for the flu vaccine either. I didn’t know about the NHS Inform website, I shall have a look. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

[JoBo1979 in reply to 4someone]

Most welcome. Best of luck.

[Itswonderful]

Do pharmacists in your area offer private Covid vaccines?

[JoBo1979 in reply to Itswonderful]

I haven’t researched this extensively yet but it looks like some pharmacists in Scotland do and it costs about £75 - £100, and for me it’d be about an hour’s drive to the nearest one, in Edinburgh.

[Itswonderful in reply to JoBo1979]

Might be worth it if you can do it. I recently paid privately for the RSV vaccine and that was £275. I thought it was worth giving up some things for it. I also did same for whooping cough though that was much less at £ 30. I was ill all last winter and spring with one chest infection after another. I had 5 rounds of various antibiotics and 4 rounds of prednisolone. I've only just got rid of the lingering cough from hell. GP wanted to admit me. That terrified me tbh. The thought of the majority of clinicians only having a basic knowledge of asthma and past experience of them not knowing how to treat me because I was not a text book case, was frightening. This winter I'm hibernating by avoiding indoor crowded spaces but still doing activities where I'm not close to people such as swimming when it's not busy. I know you can't protect yourself in that way because, as you said, you have school-age children and they will bring home all sorts of infections. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and take good care of yourself. Rest whenever you can.

[JoBo1979 in reply to Itswonderful]

It sounds like you’ve had such a rough time - I’m so sorry to hear it. Definitely sounds like it’s been worth getting the RSV vaccine etc. I seem to have been able to book the NHS Covid and flu vaccines together when I went on to the website, so we’ll see if they give them to me when I get to the appointment!

It’s a bit depressing when you just have to hibernate, isn’t it? I’ve just cancelled my attendance at two Christmas parties (that I also had to miss last year) which I was really looking forward to as I work from home, live far away from most of my friends and don’t get a chance to catch up with people very often. But health is the most important thing. I’m glad you’re still finding ways to get out and about and exercise. Take care, and thanks so much for your reply!

[Itswonderful in reply to JoBo1979]

Thanks JoBo. 🙏. Just to say that I had covid jab in my arm and flu jab in my leg. No side effects. Hope it goes well for you. Roll on spring eh? 🌱🐣🪻🌝

[JoBo1979 in reply to Itswonderful]

Good stuff. Yes, absolutely cannot wait! Take care. ☀️☀️☀️

[Mandevilla]

I have had asthma since my teens, but it was very infrequent and was never diagnosed. After Covid in 2020, it became a daily problem, eventually leading to diagnosis. Since then, any respiratory-type infection causes a flareup and takes weeks to get over, and it only got worse after my second bout of Covid in March 2021.

There's not always much you can do to avoid catching things, but it's worth trying. I'm not eligible for Covid vaccine, but I did make sure I got my flu jab asap. I'm super-scrupulous about hygiene, especially hand-washing, and try to avoid touching my face as much as possible (touching a surface that has germs on it and then transferring those germs to eyes/nose/mouth is a big cause of infection). I no longer feel any embarrassment about moving away from someone who is coughing and sneezing, or opening a window to dilute their germs with fresh air!

Also, take your own eating and drinking utensils anywhere where they don't use a dishwasher (evening classes, community coffee mornings, staff room at work). I get some really weird looks when I turn up clutching my own mug, but I have had far fewer respiratory infections since I started doing this. A nurse friend told me that it's one of the best ways of reducing infection, since germs can often linger on the rim of a mug unless it is washed at dishwasher-temperatures.

[JoBo1979 in reply to Mandevilla]

I’m so sorry to hear about all these problems you’ve been having. I definitely think that it’ll come to light in the future that Covid has made people more susceptible to asthma and respiratory infections. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things to try to prevent them. TBH I don’t really leave the house very much as I work from home and have a young child, but when I do I generally try not to touch anything! I always make my daughter wash her hands when she comes home from school or anywhere else, but I think school is such a breeding ground for germs that that’s probably where my infections come from, unfortunately. I hope things get a bit easier for you, take care.

[Poobah]

I've been fortunate to have been helped by taking Azithromycin as a result of taking part in research a few years back, at a time when I had a long term lung infection. This article, regarding ongoing research into the way our lungs fight infection and how asthmatics are more prone to long term lung infections because of a reduced number of T cells that fight infection, may be of interest to you. oxfordbrc.nihr.ac.uk/oxford...

I think that only consultants can recommend the treatment with Azithromycin, but once you get approval on your records, your GP can prescribe a course. I've noticed, over time, that more forum members are being prescribed these low dose/long term treatments. My courses are 4 months long and the results are far more effective than short term Prednisolone and antibiotics combo.

Hope this helps.

[JoBo1979 in reply to Poobah]

Thank you so much for this - will have a read! A quick google tells me that Azithromycin is not a penicillin either, which is great as I’m allergic to penicillin. Thanks very much again.

[Poobah in reply to JoBo1979]

You're welcome.

[PW_R]

I think you need to do your best to avoid everything your child brings home from school between October & April. Easier said then done, but you don’t want this to progress to bronch or copd.

[Sars28]

I used to have a lot of chest infections and need steriods . I got diagnosed with enosphilic asthma and now have biologics fasenera this has been great for me and I no longer have some many infections.

[JoBo1979 in reply to Sars28]

Thank you so much for your reply. I’m so glad things are a bit better for you now. I’d never heard of this kind of asthma so have now had a read. All the best.

[Stewiecat in reply to Sars28]

Hi,

I'm sorry to bother you, I'm quite new to this forum, you are the first person I have seen who has an Eosinophilic Asthma diagnosis, the same type of sever asthma as myself, I wonder how well you stay on the biologics? 2 years since diagnosis and I keep myself well with a very tight routine of meds, meds and meds/Breathing physio, huffing, nebulising, nasal rinsing (all of it lol) oh and locking myself away over winter 🙄so i don't have to live on my rescue packs. I'm interested in understanding the biologic treatment/injections you are on? My hospital consultant mentioned the injections when i saw him in July, we will discuss my options at my next appointment in Jan 2025, dependant on how i have managed through the Autumn/early Winter. Did you have to pass certain criteria to qualify for the injections? do you still take a lot of meds and have the sticky expectorations to deal with daily? Apologies for all the questions, your literally the first person i've met in my 3 year journey living with this condition who has the same diagnosis

Thanks in advance

[Sars28 in reply to Stewiecat]

Hi I took part in a clinical trial at john radcliffe hospital. I used to have alot of steriods in a short space of time . I also used to get a lot of chest infections. The fasenera injection keeps my ensophil levels low . You also have to have higher side of ensophil levels to qualify good luck it has helped me loads.

[Stewiecat in reply to Sars28]

Thank you!! I really appreciate your reply, I'm relatively stable with my eosinophil levels, now I'm finally under great consultant care and have a good meds routine, obviously the winter brings the bugs and so the chest infections, but since being given the rescue packs of prednisolone I can generally get on top of wheezes, with low descending doses, before they become anything more, however, I really would like to get my life back to somewhere near normal, I'm very restricted in what I can do, completely dependant on my daily symptoms, it's very frustrating and difficult to manage hey. 🤞for January, my consultant at Addenbrookes is very open to the discussion, so I have to have hope.

Thanks again for your kind reply, I hope things stay good for you

[Pipsqueak77 in reply to Stewiecat]

Hi Stewiecat

There are quite a lot of us on here with Eos asthma and quite a few posts about various biologics.

If you take a search through some old posts you might find some more helpful comments and ideas.

Hope all goes well for you 🤞🤞

[Stewiecat in reply to Pipsqueak77]

Hi, Thank you so much for your reply, I wish I had found this forum before, it's been a terrible journey to here, being stable on meds helps at the moment, not knowing how long it will last always hangs over you hey, but seeing I'm not alone and can find some hope/help and advice through others experience makes me feel able to keep trying to look forwards, rather than give up, thank you so much for taking the time to respond 😊

I hope you are staying well over the winter months, lots of good wishes

[Pipsqueak77 in reply to Stewiecat]

Hi Stewiecat

No problem…😊

Definitely don’t give up!! It took many many years for me to get a diagnosis and that was pre-biologics - so no where to go then.

Now there is a host of great biologics, especially for eos asthma which are life changing for many.

Just takes time to get medics and meds on the same page… good luck 🤞😊

[Joolstom]

Hi, I'm so sorry that you're struggling my at the moment. There seems to be so many bugs flying around that appear to be attracted to asthmatics.

Like you, I had covid in Sept 2023 and was quite poorly with it. Thankfully i was given antiviral medication which helped. Again, like yourself however I have been inundated with chest infections. My usual one in Nov / Dec 2023 and then every couple of months since since Feb this year. I take a prevention antibiotic - Doxycycline - for 7/8 months of the year but am currently onto my 5th dose of Clarithromycin and Prednisone. Even when not showing infection symptoms, this year I have certainly seen worsened control. I certainly feel as there has been a post covid difference.

Whilst I always have my flu jab, I haven't had a covid jab for 2 years. I had my first two Astra zeneca and a 3rd top up for my immunity. However when this was removed and being sensitive to Pyethelene Glycol, I am unable to have either Pfizer of Moderna. My consultant bless him has spoken to many people to attempt to get another brand for me however hasn't located anything and a GP at our practice has said that I will just have to do without.

I've received my email invitation this week but pointless making an appointment as they won't give it to me.

I really hope you manage to get a covid booster along with your flu jab to offer some protection for you and here's keeping fingers crossed that your next year is a better one with less infections.

Take care x