I'm alive - just got a lung infection

That's the thing tho, that flu from I think it was two years ago, and I'm hearing this year's flu is a respiratory rather than body ache/pukey type.

But, who knows? When one has a predisposing lung problem to begin w/whether what we've been hit w/is viral or bacterial??

I'm not even sure how THEY (medical professionals) know how to tell the viral from the bacterial.

Not much to add Babs, other than wishes that you feel well soon!!!!
Take care
cheers
goose

Thanks Goose!

Oh yeah, Slinky? I hadn't head that about this year's flu. Hmmmmmm... Got any links for further reading on that topic? I might wanna spread it around my workplace.

Well, maybe IT IS the flu, then. I suspect it's VIRAL because it's not responding lickety-split to the antibiotics. When I used to get my twice a year tonsilitis, antibiotics would knock it on it's butt within 6 hours. It was such a joy to go from horrible uncontrolled shivering fever to blessed relief that fast. Not so with this thing... But I didn't have the uncontrolled shivering fever this time, either.

Cheers,
B.

Glad you are feeling better Babs, even if it isn't up to par.

I hate being sick and so always get the flu shot. I never used to get a flu shot until I started teaching and they offer at school for a nominal cost through the county health center.

Hoping you get even better quickly!!!

No reading material. Just scuttlebutt from my friends at the hospital that I used to volunteer w/and one of my doctor's staff plus receptionist at daughter's doctor's office.

I had something like that in May. Came on in 1 day, was coming down with it on a Thursday and was in the ER on Friday because I couldn't breathe. Got IV prednisone and antibiotics, talk about not being able to sleep! My O2 level was dropping to 70% while I was awake, I've never been taken in to the ER so quickly, no waiting and on 02 immediately. No pneumonia, I think they were really surprised at that because they could hear crackles in my lungs. Had several breathing treatments with albuterol. They admitted me overnight and wanted me to stay over the weekend, but I really wanted to just go home, so they said OK. Went home with prednisone, antibiotics, inhaler, and advair.

Took me a long time to fully recover, especially to get my energy back. Who knew? I was ahead of my time. Sure hope I don't get what is going around now. Take care, I couldn't use CPAP for a few weeks because every time I put it on, it started me coughing, and they didn't want to give me anything for the cough because I needed to get it all out.

Wow, SDL!!!! I'm a "mild case" compared to how it hit you!! Aside from griping about the pred I'm gonna shut my mouth about what I've gone thru w/this!!! Piece of cake compared to what you encountered!! Had you had a flu shot? Thanks for sharing.

Slinky wrote:That's the thing tho, that flu from I think it was two years ago, and I'm hearing this year's flu is a respiratory rather than body ache/pukey type.

But, who knows? When one has a predisposing lung problem to begin w/whether what we've been hit w/is viral or bacterial??

I'm not even sure how THEY (medical professionals) know how to tell the viral from the bacterial.

My Doc said there is a huge bout of whooping cough infecting the States. Several schools in a couple counties in NC closed for a few days because it was so rampant - even with teachers out because of it.

Apparently, herd immunity is weakening since it hasn't been standard practice to inoculate adults after a certain age for various maladies like whooping cough. Also large numbers of undocumented aliens living in cramped quarters and no health insurance in our communities have virtually no immunity. The conditions are ripe for spread of infection, so it starts there first. Hence, we are seeing old diseases that had been wiped from our population reappear and run rampant.

We got Tdap vaccines instead of flu because we'd already gotten the flu.

The cough I had from the flu was enough for me. I'd prefer not to cough up blood again.

After we got inoculated, my wife and I both had the expected mini 'colds' that included lots of snot, head and body aches, but thankfully, very little coughing.

I've heard the same thing about all the illegal immigrants bringing in diseases most Americans haven't encountered for decades so we have little to no resistance. Recently read too about bed bugs being on the rise in the US again, same reason, and that NOT MAKING your bed discourages the little critters. That's WHY I remembered reading it. A legitimate excuse not to make the bed every morning.

Wow, Babette, I am so sorry to hear you had such a terrible illness. I'm surprised I missed this thread for so long. I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. My 3 colds in 6 weeks sounds silly compared to this lung thing you all have gone thru. Now I'm really, really scared to catch this bug! I'm almost half way thru my pregnancy and something like this would be very, very bad indeed!

As far as the flu goes, it affects adults usually as a respiratory illness with fever and aches. It tends to come on hard and quite suddenly and if you can get to the doctor within 12 or 24 hours they can give you the antiviral tamiflu to help shorten its duration.

Unfortunately the flu shot is not 100% prevention of the flu. If the developers of the flu shot did not anticipate correctly which strains were going to be the ones to hit the US, then people who got the shot are still susceptible. Luckily, it seems they manage to get it right most of the time. I hate to tell you guys, but this really, truly sounds like the flu to me. The commonality of symptoms and the severity sound like influenza virus to me. This is far more than the common cold.

Also, children can get the same virus and, for them, it also affects the gastro-intestinal system. No one really understands why this might be.

It is absolutely true that whooping cough could also be a suspect. I have been hearing people talk about local kids getting it here. It is especially dangerous for infants. They are vaccinating more thoroughly now.

And it is also true that our global lifestyle is bringing back a lot of these viruses. It is scary for parents--all these vaccines our children are getting and the insane rise in autism in the last 20 years. I vaccinated Harry for everything the doctor recommended and prayed that he wouldn't be one of the ones who got autism.

And I even got the flu shot this year because I had to protect Baby Wells in utero. Now I'm terrified I might get it anyway. I haven't heard any reports on the news about this yet, but I suspect as the winter progresses we will.

I'm so glad to hear you are feeling better! And I'm also glad to hear you are drinking so much water--kudos, that has to be part of why you are recovering so well! Cyber hugs!

jen

Hey Jen! I was thinking about you yesterday. Hope your pregnancy is getting easier!!! I send you best wishes NOT to get this lung flu thing!!!

SDL, that's a great description of what I hear - "lung crackles". It's really like crinkling plastic or something. Really bugs me. I can't hear it when I'm standing up and the doc is listening to me with the stethoscope, though, so I'm worried she really doesn't hear what I'm hearing when I lay down. She said she heard something, though.

I'm doing okay. Still hoarse. Coughing a bit more than two days ago. Maybe I'll double up on the Allegra D again.

My coworker who had it this week said her's was different from mine - she had a 4 day fever, nothing in her lungs, and can't STOP sleeping. Sounds completely different from MY flu.

LOL,
Babs

Babs, did you co-worker have asthma and is she on cpap? Those 2 things can make a big difference in if it goes to your lungs or not imho.

Crackles is not my word, that is what the nurses and doctor were calling it. At one point, I had a nurse on each side listening to a different lung, and they heard it on both sides. It was a bit scary. Its all kind of a blur now, I was kind of out of it at the time. I couldn't even rest because I kept setting off the 02 alarm.

Sometimes coughing it good, if it is productive. You need to get that junk out.

Slinky, complain away. That was the worst I had it, but I get bad colds that drop to my chest about once a year. I'm hoping to never get it that bad again, I missed 2 weeks from work, the second week was more due to exhaustion than anything else. I probably should have gone to the ER sooner, but I really didn't realize it was as bad as it was. Going to the ER because of a cold seemed a bit extreme to me.

And why didn't I want to stay at the hospital like they wanted me to? Because I had 3 dogs at home (1 was mine, 1 was my friends, and 1 was a foster) that had to be taken care of. I wasn't able to do much for them, but at least I could let them out and feed them.

Oh Babs!

Sorry to hear that you've been feeling so __________________ (fill in word to describe exactly how you're feeling).

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Sleepy Dog Lover wrote: ... Crackles is not my word, that is what the nurses and doctor were calling it. At one point, I had a nurse on each side listening to a different lung, and they heard it on both sides. It was a bit scary. Its all kind of a blur now, I was kind of out of it at the time. I couldn't even rest because I kept setting off the 02 alarm.

Sometimes coughing it good, if it is productive. You need to get that junk out.

Slinky, complain away. That was the worst I had it, but I get bad colds that drop to my chest about once a year. I'm hoping to never get it that bad again, I missed 2 weeks from work, the second week was more due to exhaustion than anything else. I probably should have gone to the ER sooner, but I really didn't realize it was as bad as it was. Going to the ER because of a cold seemed a bit extreme to me.

And why didn't I want to stay at the hospital like they wanted me to? Because I had 3 dogs at home (1 was mine, 1 was my friends, and 1 was a foster) that had to be taken care of. I wasn't able to do much for them, but at least I could let them out and feed them.

Yeah, I've had a doctor mention crackles a time or two when listening to my lungs when I had a bad cold or whatever too.

I don't mind the productive coughs at all. Sure beats the trying to get the gunk up and can't!! Its been interesting: at first w/the Medrol I was doing pretty good in the morning, pale yellow, even sometimes opaque white phlegm. About 2 days of that, then started w/fine in the AM and during the day but turning pale yellow to definite yellow in the evening. Altho I'm feeling WAY, WAY better I assume something is still going on 'cause I'm getting yellow in the AM again, opaque white during the day and back to yellow in the evening. *sigh*

Ah well, follow up w/family doctor Tuesday and Monday down to U of M for the "wash out" visit for that Macrolide clinical trial I finished up last month. Won't be able to do the final PFT for the "wash out" 'cause gotta be exacerbation-free for 4 weeks for that. The coordinator was gonna check w/the research company about what's been going on and when they are gonna want me to come back for that "wash out" PFT. Or not do it at all.

I have to be exacerbation free for six weeks before I can start the two research trials. *sigh*

We just had a rescue male neutered. A Border Collie/Spaniel cross. Sweet, fun little guy - but he's headed down the tubes if the neuter doesn't mellow out his aggressiveness towards my old Collie and his recent possessive/dominance issue w/peeing on my side of the bed!!! He did it twice and came close to my killing him w/my bare hands but he and hubby have hit it off so well and they do everything together .... I'm giving him this ONE chance. And we just "inherited" another "rescue" cat. The last "rescue" cat who was a "great barn cat" has decided she likes the house better. *sigh*