Post by: Reiddm on January 22, 2007, 07:22:24 PM
I’ve heard about pneumonia before even knew a few people that have had it, but in my 54 years of living I never had it, most of last week every time I took a deep breath the pain and coughing was a experience I would not wish on any one! I just thought it was a pulled muscle so I put up with it most of the week, well Friday I was in so much pain my wife (who is the greatest) called the paramedics for a Heart attack they checked me out and said the heart is working fine according to the EKG, but I had a blood pressure of 180/110 so they wanted to take me to the hospital, they said with that high of a pressure I could stroke out, I was scared before but after hearing that I was terrified to say the least! The x-ray showed a showed a problem in the left top lung and they started with the respiratory therapy, that was fun, I don’t ever remember cough so much in my lifetime, but after two days with that mist going in my lungs the garbage started to come up and that was a relief, and the I/V antibiotics were being pumped in one after the other, this is some thing I could have lived my whole life WITHOUT! Well I’m home now and resting comfortable, thanks to my wife! They said it as walking pneumonia and I had it for more than two weeks before it got the best of me.
So to make a long story shorter if you hurt when taking a deep breath and have no reason for the pain have it checked out, pneumonia is not a thing to play with, I was lucky it was in only one lung not both, I’m also lucky to have had great care in the hospital, the nickname is the Hi-Desert band-aid station, I don’t think I’ll call it that again.
Post by: kimmer on January 22, 2007, 08:56:45 PM
Post by: Gregg on January 22, 2007, 09:19:13 PM
Hope you're breathing easier now. My Dad had emphezema (sp?) and I worry about that with him. He's old enough to be your Dad by the way.
Take it easy. Count your blessings. No. 1 would be your better half, I suspect.
Post by: krissel on January 22, 2007, 09:59:18 PM
Post by: gunug on January 22, 2007, 10:02:46 PM
Post by: Reiddm on January 22, 2007, 10:25:14 PM
QUOTE(gunug @ Jan 23 2007, 04:02 AM) [snapback]116739[/snapback]
When you've gotten over it you might talk to a doctor about Pneumonia shots!
My wife made sure I got the shot before we left the hospital, they last 5 years.
P.S. My wife is a registered nurse and works in the CCU and ICU units, but not at the hospital I was at, she also works 12 Hour shifts, so it made her visiting next to impossible, but I did see our Pastor daily, that was cool
!
Post by: Epaminondas on January 22, 2007, 11:48:07 PM
It used to be common for people to have two families - the first set of kids wiped out by Diphtheria, then the second crop.
Doctors did more diagnosis than therapy.
Now - now mortality is largely cardiovascular and malignancy and trauma -
But you do need to get that infection treated in time.
If you smoke, quit yesterday.
Pneumococcus vaccine: how often? Some of the literature states three years, some states five, some seven, some ten, some lifetime. I have never seen more different recommendations for such a simple concept, but the literature is all over the map (last I looked, anyway). Best suggestion - go with whatever you are advised by whomever is giving it to you - with so many recommendations, he can't possibly be wrong. ;-)
Flu vaccine - yearly.
Avoid coughers.
Avoid the sacred game of poker (and other card games - tears well in my eyes) - more infections disease is spread by fomites than by aerosol.
Eat well, rest well.
Be health conscious.
As far as the high blood pressure is concerned - medication has made great strides and does save lives. The hypertension may have been situational, associated with the pneumonia, or may be chronic - it will be interesting to see.
Note that only around half of patients treated for chronic hypertension continue treatment after a year. Why? Hypertension is a symptomless disease, the treatments all have their own set of side effects for which different people have different tolerances, the treatments cost money - and people are people.
If the hypertension is chronic, a healthy diet plus mild exercise can reduce the need for hypertensive medication by as much as half or more. After you get over the current acute illness, if the hypertension persists, do not neglect diet and exercise as part of the overall anti-hypertensive prescription - consultation with a dietitian may be beneficial. Walking a half hour a day, if you can tolerate it, may be all that is needed on the exercise front - get any exercise plan OK'd by your physician prior to proceeding.
Remember, "essential hypertension" is a Systemic Disease. The pills treat the symptoms, but they generally do not fully treat the underlying systemic disease process. It generally takes significant lifestyle changes to treat the actual underlying chronic hypertensive disease process. Exception - secondary hypertension from any number of treatable diseases (renovascular, pheochromocytoma, hyperthyroidism, etc.).
But 90% or so of hypertension is primary.
Essential messages -
(1) Follow-up on the hypertension with your doctor even after you feel well.
(2) If the hypertension is chronic, go the pill route as directed by your physician - but think beyond pills to significant lifestyle (diet/exercise) changes.
Another note - families of health care workers often get poorer health care than the general population. It is not intentional - there is just a lot of denial and such. A person's judgment is clouded when it is their own family. I could tell you stories - two deaths come quickly to mind.
Just something of which you should be aware.
Reiddm.
Na zdrowie!
Epaminondas
Post by: MamaMoose on January 23, 2007, 12:03:38 AM
Around the same time, Alexander Fleming in England discovered penicillin and antibiotics were born.
MamaMoose
Post by: DaveF on January 23, 2007, 03:27:02 AM
QUOTE
When you've gotten over it you might talk to a doctor about Pneumonia shots!
The available shots are for bacterical pneumonia (the bad kind), not for Viral Pneumonia (walking pneumonia). I've been told numerous times by doctors that everyone a little on in age or possessing a weakened immune system should get the Pneumonia Shot. They are good for five years.
Dave
Post by: dboh on January 23, 2007, 07:18:48 AM
Post by: Gregg on January 23, 2007, 07:42:49 AM
Post by: () on January 23, 2007, 08:10:19 AM
It was a battle from what I am told, because I was so doped up with all of the meds for pain that I barely remember the gasping for air and how the breathing hurt.
I remember doctor's trying to get me to take in a deep breath, but it hurt too much, and eventually the doctors did a tracheotomy on my to help me with my breathing.
I went through numerous stages of pneumonia, and infections from the burn injuries, but I made it thanks to modern medicine, and for having the will not to give up.
Always clean all your doorknobs, change pillowcase (daily), spray pillow with disinfectant, and never drink from the same cup when sick. This is to be done on a daily basis in order to keep you from reinfecting yourself.
Being in the hospital for almost two years, you do learn a lot about how to defeat germs and bacteria when sick.
Glad you are doing better, and do take good care of yourself. A small cold can lead into something serious if you are not careful.
Post by: Reiddm on January 23, 2007, 09:11:23 AM
QUOTE(Epaminondas @ Jan 23 2007, 05:48 AM) [snapback]116750[/snapback]
If you smoke, quit yesterday.
Did that 5 months ago, this time I am going to be successful, tried several times, but after 40 years of smoking it was hard, this time I'm committed to do it!!!!!
Post by: themagpie on January 23, 2007, 05:40:21 PM
Margie
Post by: DaveF on January 23, 2007, 07:07:21 PM
QUOTE
Dave, define "a little on in age".
Gregg,
Hoped to avoid doing that, as I became "a little on in age" about twelve years ago when my doctor insisted that I get the shot.
Does your question reveal a certain insecurity
Dave
Post by: Gregg on January 23, 2007, 08:35:38 PM
QUOTE(DaveF @ Jan 23 2007, 07:07 PM) [snapback]116848[/snapback]
Does your question reveal a certain insecurity
No, fear of needles!
Post by: RHPConsult on January 23, 2007, 09:18:41 PM
NB: ("Priority" does not mean < 10 years!)
PS: Thanks, Reiddm for posting this useful reminder.
Post by: sandbox on January 23, 2007, 10:07:22 PM
Post by: RHPConsult on January 24, 2007, 06:21:19 AM
My father was born in 1875. He was a county doctor in downstate Illinois for 55 years. In the 1930s and 40s I remember him traveling to country villages, towns, and cities” preaching” to parents on the merits of immunization of their children against communicable disease - notably then, whooping cough, scarlet fever and diphtheria. (Long before measles or polio shots!)
I also remember the community “responsibility” practiced by people for accepting quarantine in their homes when such illnesses befell their families - long before this country was beset by lawyers who argued – and politicians capitulated to – the view that disease was a “civil right” which could not be regulated by civil authority!
I do not ever recall my father becoming ill (with anything) in all his years.
He practiced, and taught his the simplest prophylactic procedure: he washed his hands, and his face and lips, a number of times a day. Interesting, since my daughter has noted that her children’s public school recently sent home a message to parents reminding them to teach their kids to wash their hands after visiting the toilet. I suppose that came as news to some “parents”!
When I became a road warrior a number of years ago, I remember some medical advice that I’ve practiced consistently when moving into an otherwise crisp and clean hotel room: several things therein are never cleaned by the maids and are a great source for ‘exchanging” bacteria from others – the TV remote, the phone(s) handset, the door knobs. It only takes a minute to wipe them reasonably clean. (Only this week I’ve noticed a TV commercial for carrying an “antiseptic” spray to do so when one travels) News travels slowly, sometimes.
Post by: sandbox on January 24, 2007, 06:30:16 AM
we keep these in our cars
and pack them in our travel bags.
Post by: Gregg on January 24, 2007, 07:41:14 AM
Post by: RHPConsult on January 24, 2007, 11:35:38 AM
But, there’s more.
As a student in the town’s Community High School >60 years ago, “in addition to my other duties” I ran the projection booth for AV accompaniments to school assemblies. I also volunteered to do the same for the patients at that very Sanitarium.
During the temperate months, on Friday nights, I would ride my bike up North Main Street to the edge of town where the place was situated. In the front garden was a billboard-sized sign announcing the facility to visitors. Its back surface was painted bright white. I would set-up the projector in the lobby on rainy nights, or on the porch if it were clear. The patients would sit on their respective balconies across the front of the building; the staff would sit on the lawn if feasible. And the show would be “On” . . . as soon as it was dark, of course.
I gave them the latest cinematic triumph available . . . in 16mm . . . and only in “living” B&W, of course. Technicolor was something that could be viewed occasionally in a few commercial theaters
(I was not allowed to enter any part of the building but the lobby, such was the anxiety about “TB”.)
I still remember clearly the applause coming from those balconies of the multi-story building when each show was over.
In this era of plasma TV at home and 32 screen movie palaces, it’s pleasant to recall the pleasure those old movies brought to the persons confined to that enterprize in that era.
Simpler times, for sure.
Post by: Gregg on January 24, 2007, 12:14:00 PM
I actually went inside. But the building was not in use at that time.
Post by: jcarter on January 24, 2007, 01:39:03 PM
I had pneumonia while on vacation in Costa Rica, and a Canadian traveler told my husband to get back into the city and buy some Tetrex, which was Tetracyclene, and we did(antibiotics are over-the-counter in Costa Rica), and within a week I was OK. We stayed for about a month, so I really didnt ruin our vacation.
I will be getting the shot upon my next visit to our doctor.
And another interesting new shot that I want to get is the Shingles one. I had Shingles last year(due to stess when our dog died), and it was nasty. Tho I did get on the viral pills soon, and was spared the nerve pain that some people get afterwards. You CAN get Shingles twice, my cousin and neigbour did.
And if it hits the optic nerve, that eye will be compromised.
So thats anther one that I will be getting upon the next appointment.
Jane
Post by: RHPConsult on January 24, 2007, 02:39:25 PM
They recognized what was happening when I arrived in the ER, but suggested that I visit my doc the next day. When I was able to do so, he said he saw 4-5 cases a year.
I didn't like just being a "case". So in my first REAL use of the internet I found 250 Bell's Palsy Forum participants who were experiencing various stage of it RIGHT THEN. I learned immediately what medication was working, what exercises were useful, what NOT to worry about, what to pay attention to . . . the whole 9 yards from people in the same fix as was I.
It's a lineal descendant of chicken pox. Most of the readers of this post have its virus lying quietly in wait near their cranial nerves. Most will never experience it. Those that do are in for quite a surprise.
It lasts about 6 weeks, and then you can whistle again . . . exceptions are a small number – one of my clients, for example, who had to have surgery after 10 years of mild difigurement.
Mysterious stuff, those viruses.
Post by: jcarter on January 24, 2007, 03:12:19 PM
If anyone wants to know anything about Lyme disease, we have tons of info. The Deer Ticks that carry it, are very prevalent here on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. It seems to be all over the USA now though.
I was part of a study about 20 years when they were trying to develop a vaccine for it. Then they abruptly terminated the study, as some of the people(not me thank goodness)developed a similar arthritis to what you get with the Lyme disease, but it never would go away.
The shot they give the dogs is different than the one for humans that they stopped. The dog one is only about 65% effective. Thats why people who live around here, de-tick their dogs several times a day.
My husband had Lyme for about a year, oh indeed was he sick with it! A year of antibiotics and he is fine now.
Still no vaccine for Lyme yet,,,,,,,,,
Jane
Post by: Epaminondas on January 24, 2007, 04:13:15 PM
QUOTE
The available shots are for bacterial pneumonia (the bad kind), not for Viral Pneumonia (walking pneumonia).
"Walking pneumonia" is a clinical diagnosis, not a specific etiologic diagnosis. It is most commonly caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacterium that is treatable with antibiotics. There are other causes of "Walking Pneumonia", as well - bacterial and viral - hence, broad spectrum antibiotics are generally used in treatment.
The current "pneumonia vaccine," Pneumovax II, targets 23 serotyopes of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium - about 85-90% of the strep pneumoniae that you would otherwise see in clinical practice, including a number of serotypes which demonstrate antibiotic resistance. Pneumonia, septicemia (particularly in post-splenectomy patients), meningitis, etc. The vaccine saves a lot of lives, but note that it has no efficacy beyond those specific 23 serotypes of one species of bacterium. For example, the Pneumovax II vaccine has no effect on Mycoplasma pneumonia.
You will find a nice PDF on the Pneumovax II vaccine here:
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circul...neumovax_pi.pdf
QUOTE
They are good for five years.
Re-vaccination is tailored to the individual patient by the individual physician. Various recommendations in regard to re-vaccination:
<<Pneumococcal vaccine usually is given only once to each person. Additional injections are not given, except in special cases, because of the possibility of more frequent and more severe side effects.>>
<<Some vaccines remain effective for a lifetime, while others have to be updated after a few years. With the Pneumovax vaccine, one dose is usually enough. However, a booster dose is recommended every five years for people without a spleen, and those with a dysfunctioning spleen, eg sickle cell disease, or chronic kidney disease.>>
<<# Revaccination at 6 years for those people with asplenia, renal failure, nephrotic syndrome, and transplant.
# Revaccination at age 65 for those immunized before age 65.
# USPSTF II in 1996 recommended universal re-immunization at age 75.>>
<< Revaccination
Adults: Routine vaccination of adults with ‘Pneumovax’ II is not recommended because of an increased incidence and seventy of adverse reactions among healthy adults revaccinated with pneumococcal vaccines at intervals under three years. This was probably due to sustained high antibody levels. Also, persons who received the 14-valent vaccine should not be routinely revaccinated with the 23-valent vaccine as increased coverage is modest and duration of protection is not well defined,
Although routine revaccination is not recommended, revaccinaton is recommended for adults with chronic conditions which increase the risk of fatal pneumococcal infection and for those shown to have a rapid decline in pneumococcal antibody levels (eg. patients with nephrotic syndrome, renal failure, or transplant recipients,
Based on clinical study results, revaccination with ‘Pneumovax’ II is recommended for adults at highest risk of fatal pneumococcal infection who were initially vaccinated with ‘Pneumovax (Pneumococcal Vaccine, Polyvalent MSD) four or more years previously without a serious or severe reaction.
In addition, it is recommended that revaccination should be considered for adults at highest risk who received the 23-valent vaccine six or more years previously.
Children: It is recommended that revaccination after three to five years should be considered for children at highest risk for pneumococcal infection (e.g. children with asplenia, sickle cell disease, or nephrotic syndrome) who would be 10 years old or younger at revaccination. Such children should not, however, be revaccinated within three years
Children at highest risk for pneumococcal infection may have lower peak antibody levels and/or more rapid antibody decline than do healthy adults. There is evidence that some of these high-risk children (e.g. asplenic children) benefit from revaccination with vaccine containing antigen 7F, 8, 19F. >>
There is a lot more out there - and the recommendations change all the time.
The better your physician, the better he will tailor revaccination recommendations to your individual medical situation.
Medicine is an Art, you know.
And a Science.
QUOTE
Did that 5 months ago, this time I am going to be successful, tried several times, but after 40 years of smoking it was hard, this time I'm committed to do it!!!!!
Good for you!
I know it is hard, but even if you fail - keep trying!
One note - the tobacco companies have apparently been increasing the amount of nicotine and the amount of puffs per cigarette of late - the resultant product is apparently more addictive than ever.
So if you fail this time - quitting again at a later date may be an even harder row to hoe . . .
Just thought you'd like to know. :-)
To your health!
Epaminondas
http://www.worldpolicy.org/globalrights/ec.../maps-life.html
Post by: jcarter on January 24, 2007, 04:47:57 PM
You have great info, let us know what you think about the Shingles vaccine and if you recommend it.
Thank you,
Jane
Post by: Reiddm on January 24, 2007, 07:20:26 PM
P.S. I will never smoke again.......
Post by: DaveF on January 24, 2007, 07:54:47 PM
and It was very interesting to read that "Walking Pneumonia" can have either bacterial or viral causes. A past doctor of mine could learn a thing or two from your readings.
Since most doctors do not explain or grudgingly give quick explanations, the misunderstanding must be my fault. 
It sure clears up my long lasting curiosity as to how antibiotics (which don't work on viruses) cured my bout with "Walking Pneumonia" some years ago.
After reading your post, I will surely leave the frequency of revaccination to my doctor.
Dave
Post by: sandbox on January 25, 2007, 03:48:24 AM
QUOTE
Mycoplasmas are the smallest free-living creatures ever discovered. Dwarfed by amebas, they are smaller even than bacteria (or perhaps than "other bacteria"--sometimes they are classified as the smallest bacteria). They are the original "morphers"--changing shape from long, thin filaments to little spheres to intricate branching patterns to bulbs to an endless variety of asymmetric shapes, like the latest science-fiction special effects. They grow and reproduce very slowly for such tiny organisms.
Almost 100 species of mycoplasmas have been identified and are plentiful everywhere in nature. Fifteen species are known to live in humans, most as normal and helpful intimate neighbors.
Many pediatricians still consider mycoplasmas an uncommon cause of disease. Infectious diseases are often identified by "culturing" them--taking a small sample of tissue or fluid and keeping it in an incubator for a while to see what grows. Mycoplasmas are very tiny, shape-shifting, slow-growing critters that don't often show up on cultures.
But newer, more sensitive antibody tests prove mycoplasmas to be a common cause of infection. Over 40% of children have had a mycoplasma infection by their first birthday, more than 65% by age 5 years, and 97% by adulthood. Repeat infections, even severe repeat infections, are common (Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, WB Saunders, 1998, pp 2259--2286).
In addition to pneumonia, mycoplasmas can cause a variety of other respiratory illnesses, including ear infections (about 12% of all ear infections), sinus infections, bronchitis, croup, bronchiolitis, severe sore throats, infectious asthma, and even a version of the common cold. Most mycoplasma infections are not very severe but last for quite a long time.
About 25% of kids with mycoplasma infections have nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Uncommonly, mycoplasmas can cause hepatitis, pancreatitis, arthritis, heart disease, anemia, or neurologic disease.
Almost 100 species of mycoplasmas have been identified and are plentiful everywhere in nature. Fifteen species are known to live in humans, most as normal and helpful intimate neighbors.
Many pediatricians still consider mycoplasmas an uncommon cause of disease. Infectious diseases are often identified by "culturing" them--taking a small sample of tissue or fluid and keeping it in an incubator for a while to see what grows. Mycoplasmas are very tiny, shape-shifting, slow-growing critters that don't often show up on cultures.
But newer, more sensitive antibody tests prove mycoplasmas to be a common cause of infection. Over 40% of children have had a mycoplasma infection by their first birthday, more than 65% by age 5 years, and 97% by adulthood. Repeat infections, even severe repeat infections, are common (Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, WB Saunders, 1998, pp 2259--2286).
In addition to pneumonia, mycoplasmas can cause a variety of other respiratory illnesses, including ear infections (about 12% of all ear infections), sinus infections, bronchitis, croup, bronchiolitis, severe sore throats, infectious asthma, and even a version of the common cold. Most mycoplasma infections are not very severe but last for quite a long time.
About 25% of kids with mycoplasma infections have nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Uncommonly, mycoplasmas can cause hepatitis, pancreatitis, arthritis, heart disease, anemia, or neurologic disease.
http://www.drgreene.com/21_507.html
Post by: Gregg on January 25, 2007, 07:46:14 AM
(The year is young, Jane.)
Post by: jcarter on January 25, 2007, 08:04:39 AM