I Recently Had Severe Pneumonia
I have recently been discharged from hospital after having severe pneumonia and have been recovering at home. I have a secondary infection of pleurisy for which I have been taking anti-inflammatory painkillers, which do seem to be helping. My sleep has been very badly affected, and since admission to hospital I stopped smoking and have not smoked or drunk alcohol since. I have elevated liver function results, which I am told is as a result of the large amount of intravenous antibiotics that I had in hospital, and I have been feeling some pain in my chest. I am having follow up blood tests tomorrow.The question that I cannot seem to get a good answer is about when to return to work, and what to avoid. I ventured out today and encountered people with colds, and this has made me exceptionally paranoid about getting sick again, so I am unsure what to do. I was planning on trying to return to work on Monday to see how it went, as I do get out of breath quickly. I want the flu jab, but I am told I have to wait a while before I can have this now. Any advice would be useful, as some doctors say return to work when you want, and those in hospital said I have to wait 6 weeks.
26 April 2021
How Does Pneumonia Cause Back Pain
To understand how pneumonia causes back pain, you need to understand the nerve supply in your lungs. It is important to understand that there are virtually no pain receptors inside your lungs. You may have pneumonia without any chest pain at all.
As you can see in the picture, your lungs are covered by 2 layers of membrane-like lining, the inner lining and the outer lining. The inner lining goes in-between the fissures of your lungs. It doesnt have any pain receptors. Pain receptors are only found in the outer lining of the lungs. The outer lining is attached to your chest wall, both in the front and in the back.
Pneumonia does not not cause any pain if it doesnt lead to direct irritation of the outer lining of the lungs. When inflammation caused by pneumonia is closer to the surface, near your back, the outer lining at that spot may get irritated. This pain-sensitive outer layer is the reason you get back pain from pneumonia.
Inflammation from pneumonia must be closer to the outer lining of your lungs for you to have back pain.
What Should You Do If You Think Mold Is Making You Tired
If you are suffering from unexplained fatigue, see your physician. Numerous conditions can cause exhaustion in addition to mold exposure, including simply not getting enough sleep at night, sleep apnea, nutritional deficiencies like iron deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency, bacterial or viral infections, thyroid disorders, heart problems, liver or kidney problems, depression, fibromyalgia and more. Your doctor may order tests, including blood tests, to help determine whats making you so tired.
Let your doctor know about any other symptoms youre experiencing, including other mold exposure symptoms, and let your doctor know if youve been exposed to mold or think mold might be causing your low energy level. Its possible that several factors are working together to cause your exhaustion and it may take some time for your doctor to sort it out.
In the meantime, if youve discovered mold in your home, you need to get it removed as soon as possible. Exposure to mold can lead to all sorts of health problems, some of them quite serious. Even if your doctor isnt certain the mold is causing your exhaustion, you want to remove it before it leads to additional health problems. It can also cause structural damage to your home if allowed to get bad enough.
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How Can I Help Myself Feel Better
If your doctor has prescribed medicine, follow the directions carefully.
You may feel better in a room with a humidifier, which increases the moisture in the air and soothes irritated lungs. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, especially if you have a fever. If you have a fever and feel uncomfortable, ask the doctor whether you can take over-the-counter medicine such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to bring it down. But don’t take any medicine without checking first with your doctor a cough suppressant, for example, may not allow your lungs to clear themselves of mucus.
And finally, be sure to rest. This is a good time to sleep, watch TV, read, and lay low. If you treat your body right, it will repair itself and you’ll be back to normal in no time.
What Does Back Pain From Pneumonia Feel Like
Back pain from pneumonia is a pleuritic-type chest pain. Pleura is the medical name for the lining of the lungs. The pain is sharp because the outer pleura is very sensitive to pain. It gets worse anytime the outer lining gets stretched, which happens with coughs, deep breaths, and movement. Back pain from pneumonia feels like a deep-seated sharp pain in the back, usually on one side, unless you have pneumonia on both sides. The pain gets worse whenever you cough or take a deep breath.
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What Can You Do To Prevent These Infections
Stay healthy
- Get a flu shot every year.
- Get a pneumococcal vaccine shot. If you have had one before, ask your doctor whether you need another dose. Two different types of pneumococcal vaccines are recommended for people ages 65 and older.
- If you must be around people with colds or the flu, wash your hands often.
- Do not smoke. This is the most important step you can take to prevent more damage to your lungs. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines.
- These can increase your chances of quitting for good.
- Avoid secondhand smoke, air pollution, and high altitudes. Also avoid cold, dry air and hot, humid air. Stay at home with your windows closed when air pollution is bad.
Exercise and eat well
- If your doctor recommends it, get more exercise. Walking is a good choice. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk every day. Try for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
- Eat regular, well-balanced meals. Eating right keeps your energy levels up and helps your body fight infection.
- Get plenty of rest and sleep.
Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor if you are having problems. It’s also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.
How Do The Lungs Work
Your lungs main job is to get oxygen into your blood and remove carbon dioxide. This happens during breathing. You breathe 12 to 20 times per minute when you are not sick. When you breathe in, air travels down the back of your throat and passes through your voice box and into your windpipe . Your trachea splits into two air passages . One bronchial tube leads to the left lung, the other to the right lung. For the lungs to perform their best, the airways need to be open as you breathe in and out. Swelling and mucus can make it harder to move air through the airways, making it harder to breathe. This leads to shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and feeling more tired than normal.
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How Long Does It Last
It takes a certain amount of time to start to feel sick after getting exposed to a germ. This length of time is called the incubation period, and it depends on many things, especially which bug is causing the illness.
With influenza pneumonia, for example, someone may become sick as soon as 12 hours or as long as 3 days after exposure to the flu virus. But with walking pneumonia, a person may not feel it until 2 to 3 weeks after becoming infected.
Most types of pneumonia clear up within a week or two, although a cough can linger for several weeks more. In severe cases, it may take longer to completely recover.
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How Can You Care For Your Child At Home
Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever or for pain at the shot area. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label. Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than 20. It has been linked to Reye syndrome, a serious illness.
Do not give a child two or more pain medicines at the same time unless the doctor told you to. Many pain medicines have acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. Too much acetaminophen can be harmful.
Put ice or a cold pack on the sore area for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your child’s skin.
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Can I Prevent Pneumonia
The routine vaccinations that most people receive as kids help prevent certain types of pneumonia and other infections. If you have a chronic illness, such as sickle cell disease, you may have received extra vaccinations and disease-preventing antibiotics to help prevent pneumonia and other infections caused by bacteria.
People should get a pneumococcal vaccination if they have diseases that affect their immune system , are 65 years or older, or are in other high-risk groups. Depending on the bugs that are likely to affect them, these people also may get antibiotics to prevent pneumonia, as well as antiviral medicine to prevent or lessen the effects of viral pneumonia.
Doctors recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu shot. That’s because someone with the flu could then come down with pneumonia. Call your doctor’s office or check your local health department to see when these vaccines are available.
Because pneumonia is often caused by germs, a good way to prevent it is to keep your distance from anyone you know who has pneumonia or other respiratory infections. Use separate drinking glasses and eating utensils wash your hands often with warm, soapy water and avoid touching used tissues and paper towels.
You also can stay strong and help avoid some of the illnesses that might lead to pneumonia by eating as healthily as possible, getting a minimum of 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, and not smoking.
Why Has Copd Left Me So Tired
Dr. Attaway explains: Many people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, are in a hypermetabolic state. Your body feels like its spending all of its energy on breathing.
It can feel like youre using so much energy to breathe that you dont have much left for physical activity.
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Can Pneumonia Be Prevented Or Avoided
There are many factors that can raise your risk for developing pneumonia. These include:
People who have any of the following conditions are also at increased risk:
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- asthma
- sickle cell disease
You can help prevent pneumonia by doing the following:
- Get the flu vaccine each year. People can develop bacterial pneumonia after a case of the flu. You can reduce this risk by getting the yearly flu shot.
- Get the pneumococcal vaccine. This helps prevent pneumonia caused by pneumococcal bacteria.
- Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Dont smoke. Smoking damages your lungs and makes it harder for your body to defend itself from germs and disease. If you smoke, talk to your family doctor about quitting as soon as possible.
- Practice a healthy lifestyle. Eat a balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables. Exercise regularly. Get plenty of sleep. These things help your immune system stay strong.
- Avoid sick people. Being around people who are sick increases your risk of catching what they have.
How Can I Prevent Pneumonia
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccination for:
Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination for:
If you have been experiencing pneumonia symptoms, make an appointmentwith your provider today. Prompt treatment of pneumonia isimportant for recovery. Requestan appointment with a family medicine provider to receive your flu andpneumococcal vaccinations.
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What To Expect At Home
You will still have symptoms of pneumonia after you leave the hospital.
- Your cough will slowly get better over 7 to 14 days.
- Sleeping and eating may take up to a week to return to normal.
- Your energy level may take 2 weeks or more to return to normal.
You will need to take time off work. For a while, you might not be able to do other things that you are used to doing.
Pleural Effusions Empyema And Pleurisy
There are two layers of tissue surrounding your lungs called the pleura. One wraps around the outside of your lungs and the other lines the part of your chest where your lungs sit. They help your lungs move smoothly when you breathe.
If your pneumonia isn’t treated, the pleura can get swollen, creating a sharp pain when you breathe in. If you don’t treat the swelling, the area between the pleura may fill with fluid, which is called a pleural effusion.
If the fluid gets infected, it leads to a problem called empyema. Tell your doctor if you are having any of these symptoms:
- Hard time breathing
- You don’t want to breathe deeply because it hurts
Your doctor may look for swelling or fluid with an X-ray, ultrasound, or CT scan. They might also give you an electrocardiogram to make sure that a heart problem isn’t the cause of your chest pain.
If you do have pleurisy, you may need medications that can stop the swelling.
For pleural effusions and empyema, your doctor may suggest a procedure that removes fluid from your body with a needle. Antibiotics are also an option to treat empyema.
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Back Pain From Pneumonia
Back pain is a common symptom of pneumonia. In the last 15 years, I have personally treated thousands of patients hospitalized with pneumonia. Many of them had back pain. I am writing this article based on my personal experience as well as a review of relevant medical journals.
In this article, I will describe:
Vitamin D And Immune Boosters
There’s some evidence suggesting that higher vitamin D levels can speed recovery of pneumonia symptoms. Overall, vitamin D helps strengthen the immune system in order to better fight infections, says Vitamin D Council. Low vitamin D may weaken the protective barriers of cells, allowing bacteria and viruses to enter.
For a diet rich in vitamin D, NIH recommends a diet consisting of fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, mushrooms, egg yolk, beef liver, cheese, milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice and more. You can also get vitamin D from the sun or from supplements.
In general, it’s important to maintain a diet that strengthens the immune system in order to speed recovery or to help avoid pneumonia altogether. Harvard Health Publishing recommends eating plenty of fruits and vegetables in order to boost the immune system.
Micronutrient deficiencies in zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid and vitamins A, B6, C and E are known to alter immune responses, so it’s key for proper immune functioning and staving off illnesses to consume foods with those vitamins and minerals.
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What Is Walking Pneumonia
Walking pneumonia is a mild case of pneumonia. It is often caused by a virus or the mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria. When you have walking pneumonia, your symptoms may not be as severe or last as long as someone who has a more serious case of pneumonia. You probably wont need bed rest or to stay in the hospital when you have walking pneumonia.
Risk Factors For Pneumonia
Most healthy people can fight off pneumonia, but for the young, old, frail or immune-compromised, the disease can be tough to battle. In the United States alone, pneumonia kills about 50,000 people a year, mostly adults over 75 and children under 5.
According to UNICEF, more than 2,500 children a day die from pneumonia around the world, most of those under the age of 2, making it the leading cause of death for little ones.
Anyone with a chronic disease such as diabetes, kidney problems, heart failure, HIV/AIDS or a lung disease like COPD is also at high risk, as is anyone undergoing chemotherapy or taking an immunosuppressant drug. Smoking and drinking too much alcohol can also raise your chances of getting the disease.
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