not a welly girly

Thank you all for - well, just being there. It's quite frightening coping with any bad illness alone.

Throughout the day (like now) I go online to connect with others, it also focuses me on things other than 'symptoms'. The antibiotics are not going to help (amoxicillin) I didn't think they would - however they seem to have given me a nice dollop of Thrush.

I had a pneumonia jab a few years ago and a flu jab in October. I'm trying to find my own way through this and am coming round to thinking that just trying to stay positive and put my mind to other things (eg: reading silly light stories, doing crossword puzzles) helps.

The Vick rubbed into the feet really seems to help (I wonder if it's psychological, as I love the smell of Vick, as I do Olbus oil, which I've regularly been inhaling but then again, I love the smell of hat tar). Hot honey and lemon drinks are comforting and I'm taking paracetamol every few hours.

Anyone any more ideas on how to fight this? I really don't think antibiotics are going to help. All suggestions very gratefully received, and will be mulled over in great length.

Try mega doses of vit C?
I suspect you've got a secondary bacterial infection on top of the virus, in which case you do need antibiotics.
I caught flu then had a chest infection on the top and GP prescribed them. It certainly helped but I felt washed out for about a month, really silly.

Bohem, sorry you are having such a rotten time. Unfortunately, the illness will take time to clear. Have you tried listening to Radio 4? I don't mean this in a trite way but sometimes they have good stories and drama serials that may help to take your mind of feeling so poorly.

I am fortunate that on my Kindle, there is a thing that I can set where it reads the stories for me. The metallic voice used to send me to sleep!

Give the antibiotics time - please don't abandon them or things might get worse (if that's possible!).

I have an iPod with sleep headphones (i.e. they are inside a soft headband, so you can lie down with them comfortably) - and on there is a relaxation track; also tracks of birdsong and the sea. I find they are a great help when I cannot sleep or am feeling grotty. I do hope that you turn a corner soon.

How long have you been taking the antibiotics now? Sometimes they take a few days to really kick in and get on top of it.

Yogurt for the thrush? Live plain yogurt, not sterile. For eating as well as the other end [!] as antibiotics will kill off the good bacteria in your gut as well as the bad. Or you could take pro-biotics.
If it is a viral infection then anti-biotics will not work, but you said it was an infection, so they should start working soon.

Vitamin D in the winter - I would recommend taking 25mg at first, so many people are low on Vitamin D. However, there is a warning that, combined with calcium, it could form kidney stones. I put that as I read the warning in the press; however, we take Vit D tablets, but not daily.
Zinc with vitamin C is good, and a general multi-vitamin tablet, as you sound as if your immune system is low.
Some vitamins are not worth swallowing, however Usana (expensive) are good and we have found Vitabiotics are good as well.

ps did they check you for asthma?
Perhaps you need an inhaler rather than antibiotics?
That is what DH found out.

The doctor didn't give 'it' a name, so I don't know if it's a virus or infection, it could be (1) scarring from a previous bout of pneumonia being re-affected or (2) something new - I can't remember what she said.

From what I understand, antibiotics won't work on viruses? so it seems pointless taking them. I've been on them 3 days out of 5, and if anything feel worse. I will take them until the end of the course, and if they don't work I'll try and get back to the doc to see what happens next.

I don't take any vitamins - I used to take all sorts of things before my last serious illness but felt bitterly let down that despite popping fistfulls of various vitamins everyday, I still got pneumonia!

I wasn't checked for asthma, I wonder about that too rosequartz.

I may try tuning into Radio 4, I tend to relax more with no noise around.

This is feeling horribly 'me, me, me', so I'll get back to the crossword puzzle. Thank you all for putting up with my wingeing

That's OK boheminan, I am am going to take some vitamins because everyone around me is either coughing or throwing up and my throat is scratchy. Not sure that they will do any good really, perhaps it's psychological!
I will probably fight it off until Christmas Eve [gloom]

Stay warm and cosy and drink plenty.

ps not alcohol -

rosequartz - that's one of the 'plus' things - along with chocolate, I've totally gone off alcohol

Boheminan pneumonia can be either a virus or a bacteria, yours could be the bacterial sort, so don't assume that the antibiotics won't work against it. If you have a secondary infection that will have to be sorted too, and perhaps it will take more than one antibiotic to get rid of all your problems. Keep in touch with your GP. Don't suffer in silence, there are no medals. Even when the bugs have been killed off, you could feel really weary for a while, so take it very easy, eat as well as you can, drink plenty and take vitamins.

I too had that horrid cough, and a husband who slept through the night with me coughing regularly beside him (not that I was trying to wake him you understand!) I went to our local health walk in centre and was given 5 days of amoxicillin. When they had gone, but the cough hadn't I went to my own doctor. She gave me stronger antibiotics (Doxycycline) which do actually seem to be having an impact (after 3 days of taking them). This was a new (to me) GP, who actually seemed to care if I got better.
So please continue with the amoxicillin but if you still feel bad after - go back and demand something else! Continue to eat what you feel like, drink plenty of fluids and keep as warm as you can. It seems that this cough is everywhere this season!

I think the only way to overcome it is, keep warm, eat as nourishingly as you can, and rest, rest, rest.

It's ok to whinge on here. It's called sharing. It can help you feel better. (hopefully)

Thanks MadGrandma.

I started on this subject because I thought that, with probably thousands of GN'rs out there, there must be some that have been through, or are going through the same or a similar thing and I believe having and giving support to each other throughout such a frightening experience could help alleviate some of our fears. I for one certainly am so pleased to read the advice and support offered by GN'rs

jings yep, sharing a good whinge always helps clear up the old air passages

This happened to me once - fluey cold that started to get better, then suddenly I went to pot - temperature, hacking cough etc. I had pneumonia and needed quite a long course of anti-bs to get better, which I did. Hang on in there.

You are not whinging at all, chest infections make you feel absolutely lousy. Last Christmas Day I found myself in A & E with a patch on my lung, a chest infection and severe asthma attack. At 4 am that morning I truly thought I was going to die, I couldn't get my breath or stop coughing. I live alone with DD 15 mins away, but I wasn't going to call her at that time of night. I ended up having X-Ray's, 2 sessions on the nebuliser and being sent home with 2 lots of anti-biotics, which very helpfully made me sick. I swear they came back faster than they went down. It was touch and go as to whether I had to stay in or not. I think it was about five months before I felt really right again. Such illnesses are frightening when you live alone, and the nights seem endless. I had pneumonia first when 11 years old and was treated with the infamous M & B....... Side effects worse than the illness and they were huge tablets for an 11 year old to get down. Pamper yourself, do as little as possible and save your strength for healing. Lots to drink and eat what you fancy, especially while you feel rough, never mind about eating " properly" at this stage. Sleep when you can, at any old time of the day or night. The body knows what it needs. I found the kindle a godsend, or rather the kindle ap on the iPad. I could download a whole heap of stuff from Amazon and read as and when the mood took me. A lot of chemists round here do a delivery for prescriptions, and stand your ground with the Dr about home visits, if you really are that ill they WILL come to you. I do hope you feel better soon. If you are prone to chest infections one tip I learned was to wash your hands using soap frequently, apparently we pick up the bugs on our hands and then they get transferred to our mouths.
Margaret

Good post MargaretinNorthants.

Sorry you're so poorly, Bohemian. I'm quite alarmed to hear that you're in bed and struggling to breathe. Please don't hesitate to call 999 and have an ambulance take you to A&E. Difficulty in breathing really is an emergency, and there's a lot they can do, like treat you with a nebuliser - it works really quickly.

So many people turn up to A&E with finger-ache, it's almost a pleasure to treat someone with a genuine illness when you know that you can help them feel better in a short time, so never worry about being thought a nuisance.

I really hope you'll be feeling back on top form in time for Christmas.

Don't give up on the antibiotics bo, they do take 48/72 hours to start working. Of course Amoxycillin may not be effective against your particular bacteria which would necessitate a change of meds. Best way to sort out whether you have viral or bacterial infection is to have sputum sample sent to lab for analysis and this will also determine correct choice of antibiotic. Don't let doc put you off-you need to get this sorted.

Have just returned from a night in A&E. I had a spasm late last night where i just couldn't draw in any air, so phoned 111, who after asking questions sent paramedics to me.

I had blood and test, chest x ray and was monitored all night. I only have praise for the whole NHS system, fast and polite. Seems my blood pressure's up, and the cause of the non-breathing is because I wasn't sleeping propped up (well, I started off propped up, but slipped down the pillows at some point).

The best thing to come out of it all is that it's been established as a viral rather than bacterial infection, so antibiotics will not work - I'll just have to resign to stiff upper lip after all.

I wonder why these infections are so hard to establish as viral or bacterial? knowing at the first obstacle would save an awful lot of anti-biotic prescriptions being doled out...

Glad you are now Ok (ish) bohemigran I suppose it takes time for a swab test to show whether it is viral or bacterial, and if you start straightaway on the antibiotics it is possible that they will work quickly.

wishing you a speedy recovery bohemian and a hug (((()))))

Wishing you a speedy recovery but was a bit alarmed to read you were taking regular doses of paracetamol AND hot lemon drinks. Please be careful you are not taking too much.