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Very breathless

Pugs4love profile image
29 Replies

Hi I'm very worried I've been on antibiotics and steroids for about five days and am no better I think I should have seen some progress by now what do you think

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Pugs4love profile image
Pugs4love
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29 Replies
Mandy6513 profile image
Mandy6513

Yes i agree with you so if your no better in the morning you should go back and see your doctor

Pugs4love profile image
Pugs4love in reply toMandy6513

Thank you for your advice Mandy

sassy59 profile image
sassy59

I agree with Mandy, you should go back to your GP. Good luck to you. Xxxxxx

Nottobad profile image
Nottobad

Hi I would hand in a sputum sample to your gp to see if you are on the right antibiotics

Pugs4love profile image
Pugs4love in reply toNottobad

Is there do and don't do foods I should follow to help my copd I need all the advice I can get I'm struggling at mo I'm finding day to day jobs very hard stairs are killing washing up seems to be hard work 😓

Pam1952 profile image
Pam1952 in reply toPugs4love

If you've got an infection, you will be very tired and breathless. Drink plenty water......I drink hot water with honey and ginger and lemon in, and that seems to help me. Eat as healthily as you can (plenty of fruit and veg and protein). If you can't face big meals, have several smaller ones.

Hope that you're feeling better soon.

Pam XXX

Pugs4love profile image
Pugs4love in reply toPam1952

Is there any foods I should eat and food to avoid I need all help I can get I'm struggling on simple tasks like washing up is hard work stairs are a killer I stop at least 4 times I've been having lots of test but no answers yet thanks for your help xx

Pam1952 profile image
Pam1952 in reply toPugs4love

Just good, fresh food like fruit and veg, jacket potatoes, chicken, fish, wholemeal bread, eggs, beans, soups etc.

Go and see your GP and he can give you the best medication to help clear this up.

Pam XXX

dafeller profile image
dafeller in reply toPugs4love

Dairy contains compounds that inhibit the efficacy of antibiotics so no cheese, milk, etc. This does not include yogurt, which is especially good for maintaining the flora of the digestive system, so eat lots of it. Leafy greens help the body process mucus. It's not worth taking a probiotic while you are on an antibiotic, but when you finish it's important to get your GI tract back in shape.

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply toPugs4love

Sorry to press Nottobad's point Pugs but have you had a sputum test? It's vital that the antibiotic you are prescribed is the right one for the bacteria that is causing the infection and the sputum test will show that. And as the other suggest, get in touch with your GP - through a phone appointment if you can't get to see them in person.

And if you still have an infection, then of course you will still be breathless and weak, so you need to rest and not to carry on as if you are well (I know that can often be hard especially for those with kids or jobs or those who live on their own).

Pugs4love profile image
Pugs4love in reply toO2Trees

I have had a sputum test last month but I will send one in the morning it might help thank you

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply toPugs4love

I was assuming this infection was new one since you said you've been on ABs for 5 days. If so, then you may be housing new bacteria from when you had the last sputum test done.

Hope you get to the bottom of this. :)

Hungryhorse63 profile image
Hungryhorse63 in reply toO2Trees

I don't bring anything up totally dry!!

Pugs4love profile image
Pugs4love in reply toHungryhorse63

I felt very sick dizzy and no interest in food x

dafeller profile image
dafeller in reply toO2Trees

My GP would not advise a sputum test when I asked. Once you are on an antibiotic, a sputum test is not worth much. Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and steroids can affect the results of a sputum culture. A test before you start an antibiotic is a good thing if you can afford to wait for the results, but a test will only be useful if you are off meds for a couple of days, or so I am advised.

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply todafeller

Good point - didnt think of that - thanks for posting :)

Nottobad profile image
Nottobad in reply todafeller

That is a good point dafeller it is better to do a sputum test befor starting antibiotics. But doing one while on antibiotics will show if you have a resistance to the antibiotic that has happend to me a few times

Hungryhorse63 profile image
Hungryhorse63

I've had that for 4 months with 4 lots of antibiotics and steroids and I haven't found my breathing much better either. Usually I'm like the bionic women on them but not this time still tired too😥

O2Trees profile image
O2Trees in reply toHungryhorse63

This winter has been awful for viruses HH. Hope you regain your bionic status asap :)

Pugs4love profile image
Pugs4love in reply toHungryhorse63

I'm just like you hungry horse I'm so tired and breathless I can't shake it off I'm desperate to get rid of it and drugs are not helping at all 🙏 I'm preying it will soon go

Hungryhorse63 profile image
Hungryhorse63 in reply toPugs4love

I will be back to Docs this week and gonna throw my toys out the Pram 😔 If the same drugs haven't changed it they are obviously not working and he should refer me to a pulmonologist one would hope. I've got a patch at the bottom of my RH lung. I haven't had a cold or a cough but temp goes up off the antibiotics. I'm worried about TB (my grandfather died of TB) or it turning to pneumonia 😧

Pugs4love profile image
Pugs4love in reply toHungryhorse63

Hi people don't die of TB any more so don't worry worry is A killer on its own I've had pneumonia my self and it's not nice you do get a temp and sweats so get checked out good luck 🙏

Hungryhorse63 profile image
Hungryhorse63 in reply toPugs4love

Thank you. Hope you get sorted too xx

jpw1 profile image
jpw1 in reply toHungryhorse63

have you been tested for Aspergillus,i was like you, back and forward to the Dr lots of drugs so I asked for a referral, I also had scaring at the base of my rt lung.Tests came back positive so I am on a six week course of steroids and have to go back in 5 weeks, and I am feeling so much better after only 2 weeks, hope you feel better soon.

Hungryhorse63 profile image
Hungryhorse63 in reply tojpw1

Thank you I'm certainly now going to ask. I haven't formally been diagnosed just told I have COPD!😠

victoriablue profile image
victoriablue

Last time I had anitibiotics and steroids I was the same and it turned out it was the steroids. Not happened since.

dafeller profile image
dafeller

I have had this bug since the day after Christmas, just finishing my third course of antibiotics. Improvement has been slow but there has been improvement. The virus and infection that is going around is incredibly tough, and also prolific and I have few friends here or in the States who have not been affected. As I am susceptible to such infections, mine immediately got into my lungs and we have treated the whole thing as pneumonia to this point. I have improved over the past two weeks but I still have not been strong enough, or coughing so little, that I have returned to work. I am supposed to see a specialist this week for a CT scan and further advice so we'll see how that goes.

All this is a long way of saying that I feel your frustration, but there are LOTS of people with the same bug at the moment and we're all just trying to be patient. Hang in there.

jillysaffron profile image
jillysaffron

should b some relief by now,how many steroids did they prescribe ?and what colour is your sputum love ❤ Jillyx

Kristicats profile image
Kristicats

Often takes 7 days to control the infection on Abs

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