Lobar pneumonia recovery advice

I am in exactly the same situation. My husband also has COPD. He is also overweight and is 81. I have to check that he is alive every morning and I wake him about 9 am otherwise he would sleep all day. He has a nap after lunch for about 4 hours and then dozes off again during the evening. He is on a number of medications (7) and I wonder if that could contribute to the situation.

A couple of years ago I was in hospital for 3 weeks, with (bacterial) pneumonia and pleurisy. It left me extremely weak and wobbly for quite a while. I was advised that it can take 6 months to recover fully, but since I was apparently fitter than a good many of my age (just luck, I’m not a gym bunny) it didn’t take me anything like as long.

I do well remember wanting to do nothing but sleep, though.

Thank you FranP I think I have just about every single type of support cushion and pillow going. As he has COPD he always sleeps sitting up. He does have some residual infection and came out of hospital on a two week course of oral antibiotics. Thinking of getting one of those adjustable beds and am going to do a bit of research into it.

Might be worth getting GP to ensure there is no residual infection which is hanging around - this is more common than you think because pneumonia is antibiotic resistant.
My BIL has recurring problems with this and finds laying flat makes things worse, so could an extra pillow or one of those support cushions will help him breathe better so less exhausted?

Thanks BlueBelle. I think you are right. His body is winding down and nature knows best. After a long talk with his consultant whilst he was in hospital the second time brought it home just how poorly he is. A reSPECT form was discussed and because he no longer has mental capacity they believe he should not be resuscitated in the event he may need to be. They talked about quality over quantity. Probably one of the most heartbreaking discussions our family has ever had. I think so long as he’s comfortable and settled it’s all I can ask at the moment. Chatting on this site helps me because I can talk to people who have experience and without the emotions of talking with family. It’s a release of my thoughts and concerns.

Let him sleep when he needs to when he is awake fed and water him regularly but his body will be doing what it needs to do He has a lot of ill health his body may be winding down, nature knows best
You are doing everything right by the sounds of it for his situation and what he is able to manage
Let him rest his body is doing what it needs to do

Definitely not easy. I do feel sometimes that I’m out of my depth and lost. Should I be doing something differently or am I not doing something I should be? All the comments and personal stories help. Thank you all

I had an episode of pneumonia in 2019. I was hospitalised for 4 days but still unwell when discharged, I tried to go out and about after a week but I was vomiting by the time I got back home. I decided there and then that I was going to bed and staying there til I felt well again. It took me 4 weeks all told to recover. The only concern I would have is your DH's pressure areas, older skin is vulnerable especially when nutrition is poor, keep up the walking around the house which should lower his risk. Otherwise if he is sleeping at night then let him sleep during the day as well, I am sorry you are going through this, it's never easy 💐

That’s good to know. Again it’s giving me some hope that things will improve because just now everything seems so hopeless. I know because of other health issues he’s not going to get back to anything near normal but just knowing he could definitely improve on his present condition is hopeful. Thank you Annma

My husband was hospitalised with double pneumonia in 2019. He was very poorly and very weak.He had great care in our local NHS hospital,having strong drip antibiotics.He did not return to work for two months, which was too soon in my opinion.It was about six months before he was himself again.He was a workaholic which probably made his pneumonia worse.Since retiring he has lost lots of weight,mountain bikes in the local forest three times a weekend eats healthy food.He is fitter than he has been for years.

Jelly Drops (not sweets) - apologies I got the name wrong!

I’ll take a look. Sounds like a good idea thisisnotme

Jelly Sweets are designed specifically to help with hydration in older people. They’re not cheap but are effective.

Available from Amazon as well as the Jelly Sweet website.

sankev

Many thanks for all your replies. It is very difficult to get the right balance. I think waking him every hour or two to take some fluids is a good idea. I m glad you have eventually got back to near normal theworriedwell and you have given me some hope that he will get there eventually. Babs03 I appreciate you sharing your story. My DH has also had 2 strokes also bleeds 3 years ago now. He did get eventually get back to almost normal after but never quite. Obviously since then things have taken a downward turn. Good luck to you both and remember to look after yourself also.

Thank you I hope your husband starts to improve soon

Many thanks for all your replies. It is very difficult to get the right balance. I think waking him every hour or two to take some fluids is a good idea. I m glad you have eventually got back to near normal theworriedwell and you have given me some hope that he will get there eventually. Babs03 I appreciate you sharing your story. My DH has also had 2 strokes also bleeds 3 years ago now. He did get eventually get back to almost normal after but never quite. Obviously since then things have taken a downward turn. Good luck to you both and remember to look after yourself also.

That’s a difficult and worrying situation for you to deal with sankev and I hope your husband’s condition improves soon .

My concern would be that despite your best efforts he’s unlikely to be taking in enough fluid if he’s sleeping 18 hours a day. Then dehydration will add to his drowsiness and it’s a vicious circle which is difficult to break.

In the day time I would try to rouse him every hour or 2 to take frequent small drinks even if he’ll only tolerate a few sips at a time.

Don’t forget to look after yourself 💐

I totally understand your worry, my DH had a stroke in March and 3 subsequent bleeds on the brain, has been back at home since May and is a similar age to your husband, I know isn’t the same thing at all but he sleeps a lot during the day as well as at night. Like you I encourage exercise when he is wakeful though sometimes he won’t do it.
Sounds like your DH and mine need a lot of time to recover and part of that recovery is getting plenty of rest. But do contact your GP and talk to them about your concerns.
It sounds as if you are doing a great job in very difficult circumstances, I imagine this will have taken its toll on you, especially seeing as your husband only wants ‘you’ to look after him rather than letting the family play a role.
Wishing you all the best. 🙏🏾❤️

I had it last year. I didn't want to go I to hospital so was on a virtual pneumonia ward. I needed lots of rest for months. Doctor said recovery is up to six months but I'd say it was more like 8 months before I felt back to normal.

It's early days but if you're worried ask GP for advice.

This must be very difficult for you to deal with.

At least DH is getting out of bed and doing some walking around.

The amaemia won't be helping his sleepiness, so maybe he needs his bloods checking?

I think you are right to have help from family members too.

When you wrote should I be letting him sleep this amount? I wanted to reply it isn't all on you- and there probably isn't very much you can do to keep him awake.

I would certainly contact the GP and ask for some support with this.