pneumonia

[theletch1]

I've had a hell of a couple weeks health wise... had the new "super flu" that put me down for a week and got pneumonia in the middle of it all. I've recovered from the flu (with the help of Tami-flu) and have finished the antibiotics (zithromax) for the pneumonia but still can't breathe deeply. Just walking up the steps from the bedroom to the rest of the house leaves me gasping. I was given a steroidal inhaler to help open up the lungs but don't like to use it because of the side effects. Any one have an herbal remedy/assistance that can help my lungs recover a bit more quickly? I haven't been able to train, obviously, but have to work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pknox]

Good luck, brother. I had pneumonia two years ago, and it really knocked me out. I lost 7 weeks of work, because I tried to come back too soon. Be careful. Check with your doctor, but if you're having problems getting in enough air, it might be that your bronchial tubes are constricted. That's what happened to me. Most of the side effects seen with bronchodilators (meds that open up the bronchial tubes) are when they are in compressed aerosol form (i.e. inhalers); luckily some can be taken in other ways, minimizing the risks. As opposed to an inhaler, you can be given something like a pill or even a shot. I am pretty sure that last time they gave me Prednisone, in a pill, and it did work -- I also didn't seem to experience any side effects.

Bottom line - check with your doc -- you have options. And good luck and hope you feel better.

 

[Nightingale]

follow your doctor's advice.

 

[theletch1]

follow your doctor's advice

The doctor's advice went something along the lines of..."Take these meds. Next!!"

I lost 7 weeks of work, because I tried to come back too soon

This is my concern as well. Unfortunately, I can't afford the time off, especially right here at the holidays. I've been trying to keep the cab of the truck fairly cool so that when I have to get out of it there isn't such a temperature change. My breathing is continually shallow and I'm trying to focus on taking deeper and deeper breathes. The big problems occur when I step down out of the truck and get hit with that frigid night air. I'll continue to do what I've been doing, camomile tea seems to offer some relief.

 

[psi_radar]

I've got asthma and have had pneumonia as a result of the flu in the past. Had this cool condition where I was struggling to breathe so hard that I tore a hole in my lung, filling my chest cavity with air. It crackled out through my shoulders a few days later!

Follow the advice of your doctor. The side effects of the inhalers should fade with regular use, and in my opinion they (flovent, serevent) are much preferable to Prednisone, which makes me feel like a palsied homicidal maniac with an aluminum foil-chewing habit.

Here are some anecdotal conclusions of my own experiences that you may or may not find helpful:

Get a Nebulizer to deliver your bronchodilators, probably albuterol, as well as standard inhalers. It's basically like a home method of the same breathing treatment you get in hospitals.

Drink LOTS of water, it helps to clear out your system.

I don't take antihistamines or cough syrup--it seems to gum things up and make breathing more difficult. I've had mixed results with expectorants. Vapo-rub can help clear out your nose instead, sometimes helps breathing minutely.

Deep breathing exercise works. I try to build up my lungs through progressive cardio (VERY gentle at first) after bad colds or asthma attacks.

Stretch the muscles inside your shoulder blades, the ones right next to your spine. Get a massage specifically for your condition. It relaxes the bound-up muscles that have been straining to fill your lungs with air, feels good, and can loosen the crap up in there. I actually received some "healing Systema punches" a little while ago that helped me get over some crud that I had.

Lots of caffeine-free tea. I like Chamomile and Celestial seasoning's Tension Tamer and Emperor's Choice.

Avoid smoke of all varieties.

It may sound strange, but sex seems to have a positive effect, once you're able.

Avoid orange juice and milk. Both encourage mucus production. Wine too--it has sulfates. If you have allergies, alcohol can complicate those.

Get a hepa filter vacuum if you don't already have one, and change the filter on your furnace.

Avoid cold air (tough to do now), use a scarf to breathe through when outside.

Take a Sauna.

8 hours of sleep each and every night.

I do use a collection of herbal extracts called Home Grown Herbals
Lung Renewal, but the jury is still out on that.

Hope you feel better, I know what you're going through--good luck. Check the American Lung Association's web site, as I recall they have some good advice.

 

[OULobo]

Originally posted by psi_radar
I've got asthma and have had pneumonia as a result of the flu in the past. Had this cool condition where I was struggling to breathe so hard that I tore a hole in my lung, filling my chest cavity with air. It crackled out through my shoulders a few days later!.

I heard about this, I beleive it is called subcutaneous emphysema. It's an illness to be on alert for if you SCUBA dive. One instructor of mine (ex-royal marine combat diver) said he's seen people who have it and it is the least dangerous of the pulminary conditions found after trauma during a dive.

• Subcutaneous emphysema - this occurs when expanding air in the chest tissues migrates upward along the breastbone; the air swells the tissues around the neck (typically under the skin); symptoms are changes in the voice, crackling of the skin, and a feeling of swelling in the neck

Originally posted by psi_radar
It may sound strange, but sex seems to have a positive effect, once you're able. .

Doesn't it always.

Originally posted by psi_radar
Avoid orange juice and milk. Both encourage mucus production.

This is due to the certain additives added during the homogenization and pasturization processes that put the products into suspension so there is no separation during storage. The additives are sometimes made from seaweed, so basically the slime from seaweed is what keeps your milk and orange juice from separating. If you really want to consume milk or orange juice without the mucus, you can get the all natural, not processed stuff and it should cut down on the mucus after drinking.


Good luck on the recovery.

 

[theletch1]

Had this cool condition where I was struggling to breathe so hard that I tore a hole in my lung, filling my chest cavity with air. It crackled out through my shoulders a few days later

I know where you're coming from with the collapsed lung. I had a "spontaneous pnemothorax" in 2000. Just sitting at a stop light and the right lung just "popped". Being the stubborn @$$ that I am I continued on to work and made it through the first half of the day. I eventually wound up at the ER with a tube in my chest with a butterfly valve on the end of it. Had to keep that in for a week while we waited for the lung to re-inflate itself. It never did and I ended up having to have a lung resection. Nice scars on the right side and reduced lung capacity.

 

[TonyM.]

I feel for y'all. Fujian flu knocked me out with one punch Tuesday. Today is the first day vertical. That was a rather unpleasant wild ride.
p.s. I found a new think for me on thursday night. My lungs were completely full of foamy liquid and I had already tore up my abdominals and chest muscles and no longer had the strenght to cough. Before I expired I somehow decided to jam my finger into my trachea and push upward. Low and behold.

 

[TonyM.]

Dang. Since I posted the last response I found out this@#$%^&* flu took a friend of mine last Saturday. Kathy was 49yrs old. Her funeral was yesterday. She will be missed.

 

[pknox]

Wow. Very sorry to hear about that, TonyM. I think we tend to forget how deadly the flu can be sometimes - obviously it doesn't kill just kids and the elderly, but can get anyone if they're not careful.

 

[drunken mistress]

I used to get bad chest infections in winter in the Uk before moving to a warmer climate. I found several herbs helpful - chiefly sage, rosemary and thyme. Just infuse them like tea. Or boil up a mixture of fresh rosemary with flowers if you can get it, honey and add freshly ground black pepper before you drink it. Inhaling steam with eucalyptus oil also is good. Many other herbs like lungwort, black cohosh, etc. all help. Complexes of thes can be found in health shop cough mixtures. Pharmacy cough syrups tended to make me worse as they were sickly with too much sugar and also had really strong expectorants which can make you sicker. Massage is also helpful - shiatsu pressure points, aromatherapy or reiki with frankincense oil, for instance. It is a good idea to avoid all dairy products as well as milk as they all add to the mucus.
Good luck!
Fiona

 

[jebris]

Good luck, brother. I had pneumonia two years ago, and it really knocked me out. I lost 7 weeks of work, because I tried to come back too soon. Be careful. Check with your doctor, but if you're having problems getting in enough air, it might be that your bronchial tubes are constricted. That's what happened to me. Most of the side effects seen with bronchodilators (meds that open up the bronchial tubes) are when they are in compressed aerosol form (i.e. inhalers); luckily some can be taken in other ways, minimizing the risks. As opposed to an inhaler, you can be given something like a pill or even a shot. I am pretty sure that last time they gave me Prednisone, in a pill, and it did work -- I also didn't seem to experience any side effects.

Bottom line - check with your doc -- you have options. And good luck and hope you feel better.

Poor boy, wish you luck...

 

[Dirty Dog]

Poor boy, wish you luck...

That's a nice, pleasant, friendly first post...

Too bad you're replying to something that was posted 12 years ago...
I'm pretty sure the pneumonia has resolved - one way or another - by this time...

My advice: Drop by the Meet & Greet section, introduce yourself, and then do some reading for a bit...