Any danger of developing pneumonia?

[beanfruit]

I'm working through a rather nasty bout of the flu...not "the flu" like the kind people get when they need to take a day off work...the honest to goodness literal influenza virus. I've not been able to wear CPAP fully through the night due to high fevers and mouth breathing, but as this thing starts to wear down I wondered if there is any risk that CPAP would help turn the flu into pneumonia. (I feel a little ignorant asking, sorry.) I plan to call my doc in the morning but just wondered if anyone had helpful information. I've read that the flu can turn into pneumonia if the bacteria from the nose/sinuses get into the lungs, so I was wondering if it was a good idea that I had a leaf blower rather forcibly blowing those germs into my lungs. I'm relatively young (35) and in good health (other than carrying too much weight), so normally I don't think I'd be high risk for pneumonia.

Will call my doc in the morning...just curious!

[BlackSpinner]

I'm working through a rather nasty bout of the flu...not "the flu" like the kind people get when they need to take a day off work...the honest to goodness literal influenza virus. I've not been able to wear CPAP fully through the night due to high fevers and mouth breathing, but as this thing starts to wear down I wondered if there is any risk that CPAP would help turn the flu into pneumonia. (I feel a little ignorant asking, sorry.) I plan to call my doc in the morning but just wondered if anyone had helpful information. I've read that the flu can turn into pneumonia if the bacteria from the nose/sinuses get into the lungs, so I was wondering if it was a good idea that I had a leaf blower rather forcibly blowing those germs into my lungs. I'm relatively young (35) and in good health (other than carrying too much weight), so normally I don't think I'd be high risk for pneumonia.

Will call my doc in the morning...just curious!

No - get a full face mask immediately and wear your cpap. You are more likely to get more sick by NOT wearing your cpap. Turn your humidity up high as it can go without rainout. Been there, it is much much easier to breathe clean warm humid air then room air. Also have had pneumonia, the second time with cpap it was shorter and easier and I bounced back quickly. And yes both cases it was related to flu.

can flu can turn into pneumonia if the bacteria from the nose/sinuses get into the lungs,

That is not how you get pneumonia. It is an opportunistic bug that takes over while your resistance is down. Your immune system kills it leaving holes in your lungs to let fluid in (simplistic explanation)

And age has nothing to do with it - Jim Henson (of the muppets) died of untreated pneumonia.

[Janknitz]

I had pneumonia secondary to the flu once and it was pretty awful, but no CPAP involved. I remember being so sick my husband wanted to take me to the ER, but it was the Friday Night immediately after Xmas and I decided I'd rather die at home--fortunately I did not!

Anyway, CPAP will not do anything to contribute to secondary pneumonia, and breathing clean and properly humidified air with open airways will be a great help to your recovery--wish I'd had it when I was so sick that night.

[BlackSpinner]

I had pneumonia secondary to the flu once and it was pretty awful, but no CPAP involved. I remember being so sick my husband wanted to take me to the ER, but it was the Friday Night immediately after Xmas and I decided I'd rather die at home--fortunately I did not!

And a note: You can die very quickly from pneumonia as our member TorontoCpap will testify (he almost did) It can go very quickly from "I feel lousy" to "I can't breathe, my heart has stopped" -in hours. Oh and Jim Henson, he went to ER and got sent home and was dead with in 24 hours.

[tattooyu]

BlackSpinner, I was just going to mention TorontoCpapGuy and then I read your post.

You will definitely want to wear your mask as much as you can. Restful sleep lets your body heal faster. I had pneumonia not too long ago after/during the flu (yes, the real flu). While I did have flu-like symptoms, what prompted me to go to the ER was a stabbing pain near my right kidney. We all thought the CT scan was going to come back as a kidney stone (never had one before), but sure enough: pneumonia.

They started me on Levaquin, which was HORRIBLE. My regular doc switched me to doxycycline, which kicked the pneumonia's ass with no side effects.

Feel better!

[Janknitz]

"And a note: You can die very quickly from pneumonia as our member TorontoCpap will testify (he almost did) It can go very quickly from "I feel lousy" to "I can't breathe, my heart has stopped" -in hours. Oh and Jim Henson, he went to ER and got sent home and was dead with in 24 hours."

I don't mean to take this lightly because I really thought I might die--but I was so sick I could not stand the idea of sitting in a busy waiting room for hours the way I felt. It was awful. I spent EIGHT HOURS in the ER waiting room last time I had to go to one, and I was pretty sick that time, too.

[BlackSpinner]

"And a note: You can die very quickly from pneumonia as our member TorontoCpap will testify (he almost did) It can go very quickly from "I feel lousy" to "I can't breathe, my heart has stopped" -in hours. Oh and Jim Henson, he went to ER and got sent home and was dead with in 24 hours."

I don't mean to take this lightly because I really thought I might die--but I was so sick I could not stand the idea of sitting in a busy waiting room for hours the way I felt. It was awful. I spent EIGHT HOURS in the ER waiting room last time I had to go to one, and I was pretty sick that time, too.

It wasn't really aimed at you. I know the feeling, The first time I got pneumonia I felt the same way. My boss insisted I go and get it checked because I caught it while away on company business the week before. So I dragged my self to the local walk in clinic thinking it would be hours but they hustled me through right away so I wouldn't infect anyone. The second time when I felt the effects starting I went right away to the clinic. Also the second time was right after my neighbour died of the flu so I was a bit more paranoid.

[archangle]

By the way, there are pneumonia vaccines. They're cheap (I think I paid $35) and I haven't heard of side effects. They're not 100% effective, but hopefully, they improve your odds.

I suspect there's some possibility that CPAP could rearrange the goo, dry you out, whatever, and cause you to get pneumonia when you wouldn't otherwise have gotten it.

It seems more likely that NOT doing your CPAP would cause you to get pneumonia. Struggling to breathe might move the germs around to the wrong place. O2 deprivation and stress probably hurts your immune response, etc.

[JohnBFisher]

In my case, I am certain that xPAP therapy has helped reduce my chance of getting pneumonia. I would get two or three cases of bronchitis per year. They would all start as head colds. Essentially due to my severe sleep apnea, my sinuses were not draining as they should. An infection would start, the drainage would end up causing a chest cold, which would escalate to bronchitis. It was just one step away from full blown pneumonia.

With xPAP therapy, I breathe more deeply, my sinuses drain correctly, and I have FAR fewer head colds, chest colds, and bronchitis.

So, no. It's even more likely xPAP therapy will help improve your overall chances.

[beanfruit]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts. My doctor's office said it was okay to keep on the CPAP, so I've been doing my best but haven't been able to keep it on all night. As soon as my fever breaks, then I'm usually able to make it through the rest of the night. I'm feeling a little perkier today so I feel like I might finally be on the mend. After 2 months of successful CPAP use I'm ready to get back on the hose all night again.

My comment about not being in the typical "high risk" group for pneumonia was just that - a comment to say that I wouldn't typically be in the high risk group. I don't meet most of the criteria that make me "high risk" for OSA either, but I still have it

[JohnBFisher]

Here's hoping you feel better soon. As you know, getting proper air at night helps you feel much better during the day. So, even if you are unable to use it all night, your effort to use it some should make your healing process a little better.

As to the pneumonia, you are right, it sure is a worry ... Jim Henson wasn't in a high risk group either! Per Wikipedia:

The official cause of death was first reported as Streptococcus pneumonia, a bacterial infection.

So, be well !!