Just to bring you all up to speed. I went to the Drs on Thursday night and she said I still had the crackles in my left lung. She took a blood test there and then and sent me for an urgent X Ray which I had the next morning. I rang late afternoon to see if there was anything and they hadn’t even looked at the bloods. So much for urgent. I never heard anything on Monday so Tuesday morning I made a same day appointment. My usual Dr was on holiday so I had to see one that I’ve not much faith in. Anyway it was just for results so I wasn’t too worried. He told me the pneumonia is resolving itself so obviously improving but he said the bloods showed something that pointed to the fact I may have heart failure. He’s doubled my dose of blood pressure medication and given me furosemide. So the loo is going to be even more important now. I took them this morning but haven’t felt I need to go any more. Maybe after I’ve taken it a few days I will see the difference. He’s also sending me for a heart echo test. I’m still a bit breathless and I wake up between four and five and struggle to breathe. If it wasn’t for ventolin I think I would be in real trouble. Anyway there it is. Let’s hope he’s right and I soon get to improve. Thanks to all who has messaged me. Thank goodness for this group. Mavis X
Another update pneumonia.: Just to... - Lung Conditions C...
Another update pneumonia.
Hoping things improve very soon Mavary. Thinking of you. Xxxx
Thanks Robin. It’s certainly taking its time. I’ve now got to get my tummy sorted as well. I got up this morning, had no pain. I had a shower, bent down to dry my feet and then the pain started. They’ve ruled out my stomach so now I’m wondering if it’s my gallbladder. I’ve now been in pain for nine or ten weeks. I told the Dr something has to be done but I’ve heard nothing yet. I think I may have to go chasing it up. Thanks for posting. Hope all is well with you.
Check your ankles for any swelling. I have heart failure and take furosemide. An indication of heart failure is swollen ankles and legs.
Hi Tamariki. I can’t tell by that as my left ankle is always swollen a little. due I’m told varicose veins. It hasn’t got worse. If I go abroad and its hot they both do get really swollen. They have for years. I’ve checked it out with the Drs and they’ve never mentioned heart failure before. It’s this silly pneumonia that’s causing all the problems. I wonder if it may go away when that clears up. I hope so. Or! Am I stuck with it now. I haven’t done much for weeks and I don’t think that helps. I expect my heart muscles have got weak. Thank you for texting.
Oh dear..hope you are on the right track now Mavary xx
Fran
Me too. I had my letter to make an appointment for a heart echogram this morning. I can’t get in until September 11 th as my Dr has sent me down for a routine appointment. Surely this can’t be right if he’s discovered heart failure. Anyway I’m going to see another Dr next week and ask her opinion. I’m not very happy with waiting until September.
Yes long wait.. if you can speed up the process, good for you. If you feel unwell, don’t hesitate to go to A&E
Wishing you a prompt recovery x
Fran
I've been close to where you are so maybe a few thoughts will help. First I would try to get a thorough heart check. From what I was told bloods do not tell much in that area. The echo will be better, a full ECG would be best.
The furosemide is funny stuff - i have had it a few times for various forms of fluid congestion. It seems to work haphazardly for me so maybe for you too. On one occasion I really could not stop. The next time nothing happened. Third time it was what you might call normal plus!
You seem to be dealing with doctors which is OK but they are not experts on anything. Is there a COPD nurse in your surgery? If so I should try to talk to her about the breathlessness - you are on Ventolin so clearly have some issues in that area. If you have had pneumonia then i would assume your breathlessness is about respiratory issues rather than heart.
Whatever, I would urge you to try to talk to someone who is focused on respiratory issues and the treatment of rather than a GP, they are all about diagnosis really.
And my ever present message - your Positive Mental Attitude is your strongest weapon. Start with "Well, I woke up this morning" and work up from there. All the best.
Thanks Timberman. Your final message on positivity sums up why you call yourself Timberman. You are obviously a strong character. Which I’m not knocking. It a fine thing to be. I’ve got stronger with age. I thought maybe the pneumonia was what was making me breathless but the bloods had an enzyme in that suggested heart failure. Also at times of stress my blood pressure would go up to a ridiculous amount. I think the highest was 207 over 97. They are really not happy with that. I believe it was MBA they found in my blood but I can’t find anything like that anywhere so I may be wrong. I’ve got asthma but only mild. I did have a nasty attack once that scared me but I was working with sheepskin at the time. I used to make sheepskin mittens. That was the end of that job. Thank you for posting I will bear in mind what you have said.
Hi again - Timberman is about my surname really but thanks for the appreciation! BTW I am NOT a medical man or in any way qualified except by somewhat grim experience!
Now, I have NOT found MBA but MDA sounds familiar and is used to refer to malondialdehyde - and this, from what I have read (ref follows) indicates oxidation problems in the blood which is a marker for heart disease. It does not seem to be specific but does have connections with congestion which, of course, is what pneumonia causes. Congestion will I believe make you (very) breathless although I am not sure (do ask) that Ventolin is of much help other than for poulmonary diseases like asthma - rest and lack of stress would seem the best idea for the heart!
207 is very high indeed although 97 is not quite so alarming. However I am told that transient highs like that are not necessarily anything to be frightened about - top athletes go much higher and during training push their rates very high to get the body used to it and to encourage rapid recovery.
Anyway anything that generates small particles that can be inhaled can cause both asthma and allergic reactions which include asthmatic responses. You were wise the quit the job - I wish i had either never started or quit smoking twenty years ealier (than 1993) and had known what the risks of working in the print industry in old technology days could do!
Heigh ho - as I always say - woke up breathing today; must be OK!
Hi Timberman I was just trying to be clever with my response. I’m not a clever person really.
That makes sense about the MDA doesn’t it. So it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ve got heart failure but it is a possibility. It could be congestion of the lungs. I’m a bit annoyed at the Dr ive seen. I received my letter for the heart echograph. Apparently he put it as routine and I can’t get in for it until September 11th. For goodness sake ! he says I have heart failure and does that. I would think that it would be more important than that. I’m still breathless and waking in the morning with difficulty breathing although not quite as bad. I’ve now taken the extra blood pressure tablets and furosemide for three days. Maybe I’m expecting too much at this stage. My ventolin is a great help and makes me cough up quite a bit before the breathing is ok. I find I have to use it three times for relief. Oh yes! I forgot. He once told me my lungs are larger than normal and I have a tendency to emphysema. Now why would he tell me that unless I had it. I just think he likes to scare people. Not that he did me as I haven’t got it.
The Dr has also not done any more about the pain I’ve had in my tummy. Ive had the pain since about the 16th of April. To be honest I don’t think it’s good enough. I’m going to see another Dr next week. I had been working for years with sheepskin before I gave it up. I used to work at home when the children were young. When I had my bad asthma attack I had been working in the factory. I think that’s when it was just too much for my chest. It was after that I was diagnosed with asthma.
I’ve got a Son that has COPD and still smokes and another Son that had a heart attack because of smoking. He’s now given it up. My Sister has had mini strokes because of smoking and my Husband had IPF. If only we could go back and know what we know now. I’m sorry that you are suffering because of it . We’ve all been there and done that. Some are lucky and get away with it and others not. It sounds like your problems are much greater than mine. Thanks for the info. I couldn’t find anything that related to it and I like to know things.
Hi Mavary - I can't seem to shake pneumonia and am losing weight rapidly. Luckily I have an excellent practice and have been fast tracked for X ray - CT and saw a nice Canadian consultant this week. Also had a bronchoscopy yesterday. Shows how fast my GPs move although I didn't see my GP ( who is senior now) but even tho the Dr I saw wasn't as pleasant ( might be a character thing as I talk alot!) he arranged the tests fast.
My point being you may need to change GP or at least insist on seeing a Dr you have confidence in. I'm told I will have to wait for biopsy results taken yesterday but it doesn't look as if the consolidated area is cancerous. But I can't breathe well and am very tired all the time. Throughout the bronchoscopy I coughed badly as they had to put the camera thing in my nose and down the throat into the lungs. Antibiotics don't seem to touch this particular infection but I do as I am advised and keep going on the meds.
The heart is connected to our lungs of course so that's an area to study. I too wake up breathless during the night so your post is timely and helpful - if I can help you in any way I'd be only too happy to do so! I can research! I'm just so tired all the time due to not sleeping well, the consultant advised against the one sleeping pill I'm allowed per night so I'll wait to see my own GP for a chat - don't think I could manage without it. So I'd say research on line and read these boards so you can make informed choices regards your care and please wait to see a Dr you have faith in. All the best. Will think of you tonight! xxx
Thanks Karakim.
I too am more tired since having pneumonia and I’ve lost nearly a stone now. I used to go to bed twelve or one o clock. Now it’s ten or eleven and I’m getting up about nine thirty. My normal sleep is not good and I take a half of a sleeping tablet to send me off on occasions. I don’t like to take them all the time as they are addictive. I’m prescribed a whole one but if I’m home and relaxed I find half sends me off. My trouble mainly is getting to sleep although on occasions I wake after four or five hours and can’t go back. I would stay awake all night sometimes if I didn’t take it then you feel dreadful the next day. I now sleep well since being not well and only wake for the loo or a breathing thing. I go back to sleep after. I woke again with not being able to breathe very well the early hours this morning but it wasn’t quite as bad. It happened again this afternoon but I could cope with that. It’s funny but after taking the blood pressure tablet I don’t seem to cough anything up until later on in the day. It took me a lot of different antibiotics too and I’ve still got crackles. I had it in both lungs and they said it was consolidated in both. It’s gone from the right one now and the Dr said it’s resolving in the left. I now have to go for another blood test I think it’s the sixth or seventh of July then an X Ray on the twentieth. I then see the Consultant on the seventh of August. I will be going back if I don’t hear soon about my tummy. I had a camera into my stomach last week so know it’s not that although that’s where it feels like it is. I have pain all the time and I wonder if it’s my gallbladder. I’ve had it since the end of April and I think that’s long enough for them to sort it. When I saw him on Tuesday he said he didn’t have the letter on his screen so I took down a copy of mine. I told him something has to be done but I haven’t heard anything yet. I had pneumonia twice when I was a child and I know it was bad the first time. I wasn’t allowed to walk for a while and was pushed about in a pushchair. It is such a debilitating illness. I do look up a lot of things on line. But it’s always nice to have somebody else’s Input. After all we know about it because we are suffering with it. How long have you had it now. I started with a bit of a cough on the twenty ninth or thirtieth of April. It certainly takes its time to go. Thanks for your message.
Just a thought Mavary but could the tummy pain be a hernia? Coughing a lot and having pneumonia and congestion could have caused damage to the diaphragm and that can be very oainful and sometimes hard to spot. Might be worth mentioning, especially if you have any unfamiliar lumps or bumps just below the rib cage either side. Left side of course is nearer the heart so a link is not impossible. A few years back a friend was terrified by chest pains, thought he was heading for a coronary - one keyhole op and a lump of mesh later and he was back in the nets playing cricket like a 20 year old!
Hi Timberman. I’m sure it’s not a hernia. No lumps or bumps at all. The pain is not there continuously it maybe will come on for the afternoon or evening. It came on as soon as I went to bed last night but did go off after a while. If I bend down for a few minutes I get it or just sitting back in the chair will start it. I find walking around can ease it or stretching my arms up relieves it. I just don’t know. Bottom of my heart, lungs or maybe gallbladder it’s a mystery to me. Very uncomfortable though.
I have had gallbladder pain and had my gallbladder out 4 years ago. The pain is always under the ribs on the right hand side, sometimes going through to the back. It lasted between 4 and 5 hours on every occasion,and it always hit in around 1 - 2 am in the early hours and nothing at all would relieve it - it was excrutiating and made me feel faint and out of control with the pain. My Dr diagnosed it almost immediately, and ordered an ultrasound scan over the phone. It is a very easy diagnosis for a doctor and I feel that if your doctor was in the least suspicious that it was indeed your gallbladder, he would have done something immediately. Hope you find out what it soon. I get trapped wind that causes immense pain at the time, but can, as you find, be eased by walking around or stretching. Sipping hottish water slowly can usually ease those symptoms.
My pain is under the right ribs and across my stomach.
I had my scan this afternoon and they can’t find anything. I don’t unde stand it as I’ve been in pain every day since around the 16th April. It’s now back to the drawing board. He said he had a good look around. My kidneys are not too special but I put that down to having lots of water infections. I’m now on a tablet which I call my miracle pill. It stops the infections by altering the acid in the bladder. Had I known about it years ago I needn’t have suffered.
Well, it can't be gall stones then. Mine didn't cause pain everyday, so there is an obvious difference there. Hope you find out what it is soon.
Hi Jac. They’re thinking it may be referred pain from my lungs now.
Off to bed and hoping not to cough and wake! Do get the echo cardiogram chased up - I intend to when I see my GP, ours is a teaching practice so sometimes I meet other Dr's who are supervised by the seniors. I was rarely sick as a child but now becoming a grandparent has it's joys but seemingly lots of viruses with our 3 under 5's who are actively out and about at playgroups, playgrounds, libraries, swimming pools and so come the viruses! It seems but they are such darlings their grandfather and I dote on them! I've had the pneumonia every Xmas since 2014 and then on and off since this Spring. Lots of antibiolitcs but still the chest crackling and further wheezing after talking - kinda husky.
I’ll tell you a funny thing about echo cardio grams. I had a letter to ring up for an appointment for it. I rang and the first available one is September 11th. Can you believe it. He has put it as a routine check. He tells me I have heart failure and wants me to wait for three months for a routine check. . I’m going to see another Dr next week. I will never go to him again. I said it once before but I mean it this time. I’m disgusted. He once told me my lungs were larger than normal and I have a tendency to emphysema. Now why would he tell me that if I didn’t already have it. He also told me I had irriatable bowel or constipation when I had a blockage. I had an emergency operation for that one and was really ill. I don’t think he’s done any more about my tummy either. He obviously doesn’t worry if you’re in pain. Sorry but I think he’s a waste of space. Sorry for the rant but I’m cross with him. I will be seeing my usual Dr next week.
I woke at five this morning and my breathing wasn’t good but not as bad as it has been sometimes. I’m also still breathless doing things but I think I’m able to do more now than I did but it’s slow going still. My Son took me and my two year old Grandson out for coffee this morning. He is so lovely. I get cuddles and kisses and he insists on holding my hand and not Daddies. You would love him. We walked around a bit too so I’m getting there.
How about you. I’ve moaned enough about me. How are you doing today?
Hi Karakim. Was just wondering how you are today? Are you still on antibiotics now. I haven’t had any for about three weeks now. The crackles are still there and I still get times when the breathing is not good. The ventolin helps then.
We used to dote on our Grandchildren. That’s what my Husband said he would miss. I still dote on them. I was having my youngest Grandson at least once a week but since I’ve been ill I haven’t had the strength to run around after him. My Husband and I used to have the older Grandchildren when they were little too. They’re all grown up now. A lot taller than me too. In fact my eldest Granddaughter has a child of her own. A dear little boy. It was hard work but rewarding. I was the one who found them lots to do. If we ran out of ideas we would take them for a walk. They were happy days. I’m looking forward to feeling more like my old self. It’s been a long time now.
Hopefully you are feeling a little better!
Hi Karakim. I’m back in hospital after passing out this morning through not being able to breathe. I should have called someone one there and then but went to the Dr later. She said I had to go back in. To be honest it frightened me. I was sat on the loo and fell into the shower. It has already been scary for quite a few mornings. The loud bang brought me too. At least it’s going to be sorted I hope. How are you doing today?
Sorry it's taken a while to reply! I wasn't aware you'd responded to my message. Only re visiting as I've had heart pains on to of the COPD. Hope you are well now. xx
Hello Marvary, I hope you are soon on the road to recovery. Take care 🌹xx
If there is a COPD nurse in your surgery do try to see her/him. They honestly know more about the issues than any GP ever will. Not his/her faulty - they are GENERAL practitioners not specialists. Ever since I found my COPD nurse in Norfolk and again now I am in Essex I have been better cared for than before. More knowledge, more awareness, more care. Your GP said something about being 'prone to emphysema' - I am afraid that is plain silly. You either have it or you don't. I really hope you don't. But you will only know with a proper examination - it was found for me by a lung biopsy during a pneumonia episode. Not all they found sadly!
Anyway I would really go to see the COPD nurse - she/he will put you through a rigorous set of Q&As plus an examination and will be able to identify IF you have any of the diseases which constitute COPD. If you have they will be able to start treating it effectively. If not then you will know what NOT to worry about and that will help more than you can guess.
Thank you Timberman. I will try and see the asthma nurse next week. I will see if she can help this morning thing. I wake up and can only breathe with shallow breaths as you do when you’re asleep. That is until I clear my chest of the gunk it has built up through the night. If I’m coughing up through the daytime but don’t at night it’s bound to build up. The blood pressure tablets seem to stop me coughing up stuff until the afternoon and evening. Oh! And in the morning when I wake up for a while. If it’s there then I need to clear it. I use my ventolin and that lets me cough it up. I probably did need to take more blood pressure tablets but heart failure. Mmm! I’m not sure. I’ve always been pretty fit until this pneumonia. Whenever I’ve had colds they have always affected my bronchial tubes. It’s a good job I dont take things seriously. My Dr could really upset someone with what he says. I’ve remembered it simply because it was a silly thing to say to someone. My lungs are probably larger than a lot because I’ve always sang a lot. That’s in private of course. Mind you it’s not so good since I’ve had inhalers but I still like to make a noise around the house. I would have liked to do something about it but with children they are the most important thing. It’s like telling someone they have heart failure. Well I know that there are different levels of it. Why couldn’t he say I’m a bit concerned that the pneumonia may be affecting your heart so we will send you for a heart echogram just to rule it out. That way you wouldn’t be concerned. Not that I am . I’m just cross that he comes out with I have heart failure but we won’t be sending you down quickly. It’s almost like saying we’re not really going to bother with you very quickly you’re not important. Probably somebody younger would be sent straight down.
The Dr just doesn’t have any tact at all. He shouldn’t be saying these things to people. Apparently there’s a few people have complained about him and won’t go back to him.
I think having asthma makes all these things harder to get rid of. I think I have small bronchial tubes which when I have colds or anything they become blocked quickly. I think that’s what is happening now. It always lasts for weeks.
That is a good idea to see the nurse though and I will follow up on it. I will also be seeing my other Dr as she is now going to be back on Monday from her holiday. By the way I’m not a worrier I’m cross.
I’m sorry to hear you have quite a few issues. Since losing my Husband to IPF I don’t really follow posts too much so don’t know your story. There are still a few on here that I knew But most are new. I’ve only commented if I can help someone. Living with someone with IPF and you learn quite a bit.
Good luck on Monday and with the nurse. Talk again after that.
Was hoping you come back on. Do you know anything about blood pressure. I’ve been sat around all morning and felt a bit funny when I got up. I used to have low blood pressure when I was young so realised what it was. I took my blood pressure and it was 116 over 58. I thought this was a bit low so I had a shower and took it again after. It was then 100 over 58. I just wondered if you would know.
As I said i am no expert but those values are a bit low. Seems to me your BP is varying quite a lot. When you see your GP can you suggest a longer term test? They give you a device and you wear it for 24 hours or more. Then they look at the results and can make a better assessment of what is happening.
Hi Timberman and thanks for replying yet again. My blood pressure is that low because I’m on double the amount of blood pressure tablets and a furosemide. I didn’t think it should be that low either. Before I took the extra dose my blood pressure in the morning would be around 128 over 67 which is nice and low but when stressed it could go up to 200 over eighty or more. That’s why they worry about it. That’s at times like having my cataracts done, going into hospital or anything like that. They know I get white coat syndrome as they call it. I don’t feel nervous or anything it just happens. It’s just that it goes up too high. They have said about me wearing a monitor two or three times but it never seems to happen. I’m still getting the breathing thing when I wake up. I use my ventolin about three times and Clear my lungs. I am then ok. It can happen later on in the day if I’ve been sat for a while. I’ll try to get in tomorrow but I’m doubtful as it’s always packed. I rang up one morning and there were twenty on the line waiting. What I didn’t realise was that there are eight people on the phone answering. By the time you get through though all the appointments are gone.
Hi Timberman. I went to see my Dr yesterday she is sending me for a gallbladder ultra sound. TODAY!! I was surprised. She gave me the form to make an appointment and not long after I got home the hospital rang to say could I go this afternoon. It pays to see the right Dr. The other one ignored it when I said something had to be done. I also made an appointment for the asthma clinic on Thursday to see if they can help with my breathlessness. Reception told me it would be better to go to the asthma clinic as they will have more time to go through it with me. So watch this space now. How are you doing today?
Gall bladder? I think you suggested tht sometime back? Pays to listen to the patient, huh? Be interesting to hear the outcome.
I have had a good run since February/March. Really think I picked up a bug n the way home from Spain (we rent - nothing posh!) and it turned into a serious exacerbation of my COPD. Anyway, the lonter it last the better! Mind you the rhinitis (hay fever sort of) and a gift from my brother's stem cells in the BMT has been bad this year.
We are lucky livng in Essex - it is very dry county and it is the wet that gets my chest going.
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