pneumonia

taylorcat

Registered User
Jun 18, 2006
171
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W.Scotland
Mum now has second bout of pneumonia (I thought it was a chest infection) in around 2 weeks. Is this very serious or can you rally round from pneumonia?
 

elaineo2

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Jul 6, 2007
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leigh lancashire
Hi taylorcat,having just checked with a health site they say that a recurring bout of pneumonia MAY be the signs of a lung problem.However it also says that in a normally healthy person the recurrence may not pose a problem if they are treated as soon as possible.I can't say what they define as healthy though.best wishes elainex
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,441
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Kent
All the best for your mother, Taylorcat. I hope it won`t take too much out of her.
Please keep us informed.
Love xx
 

CassElle

Registered User
Jun 7, 2005
45
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Blackpool
Yes they can rally. Twelve months last Christmas mum was in hospital with Pneumonia and a Water Infection. We didnt think she would last to the end of Christmas Day. All through the day she repeatedly recited the Hail Mary although she was asleep. To make matters worse she had had an operation at the end of 2002 to remove part of her lung for cancer. Thank God she recovered tho she had another spell in hospital 8 months later. She is still at home being cared for by me.

Thinking of you both and praying for recovery

Take care
Casselle
 

Margaret W

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Apr 28, 2007
3,720
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North Derbyshire
My normally fit and healthy husband aged 61 has had pneumonia twice in his life, and rallied round quickly. My 80-year old mother has also had it, and while it too a little time to recover, she did. My 90-year old mother in law was bed-bound when she got pneumonia, and I think that makes a different. You need to be a bit mobile to get the mucus to move, and she wasn't, and she sadly died. She had had a severe stroke. But my experience is that if they can get up and about a bit, it can pass off with antibiotics and light exercise.

Best of luck

Margaret
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
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SW Scotland
Taylorcat, just sending my best wishes. My mum died of pneumonia, but like Margaret's mil, she was 91, bed-bound after a stroke, and very weak from refusing to eat. She wanted to die.

I think it all depends on the age, physical stamina, and will to live.

Please let us know how your mum gets on,

Love,
 

alex

Registered User
Apr 10, 2006
1,665
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Hi Taylorcat

I developed pneumonia a few months ago following an operation but as i'm fit & healthy i shook it off fairly quickly...............on the otherhand Pneumonia put my partner in Intensive Care ............ he survived that, but the second bout resulted in his death at 53, then again he was very, very weak and had lots of other problems...........as Skye said, it depends on the fitness level and the will to live, thats why the doctors will not commit to anything, no one can predict.

What comes to mind is the saying "Its not so much the dog in the fight....... as the fight in the dog" (or words to that effect)

I wish your Mum the best of luck, i'm sure she'll be fighting all the way.

Love Alex x
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
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As has been said. Pneumonia is a big problem if people are immobile - in fact it often develops as a consequence of this.

You can rally from it remarkably quickly, it can respond to antibiotics very well, but if your general health is poor, you're immobile and - yes sadly - have lost the will to live, then it's a quite different prospect.

It does emphasise the importance of being innoculated against it though. This should be offered by the GP surgery to anyone over - 65 I think is now the cutoff age (used to be 75). It is a once-only jab. They will usually ask you about it when you have your annual flu jab. Some people with chronic illnesses under that age may also be elligable - it is very like the flu jab.

I managed to get mine because my dad was getting himself in a very anxious state over it, he;d had his a few years ago and had conviced himself I was going to die of pneumonia if I didn;t get the jab (although I am chrinically asthmatic I still don;t fall under the criteria, I am too young...:D ). I told the nurse that dad was getting himself in a tizzy over it, so she said "well we'll stretch a point if it is causing that much distress"

Of course the jab doesn't confer complete immunity but it can certainly help a lot.

The same jab also vaccinates against meningitis and septicaemia.
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
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SW Scotland
Thanks for the reminder, Nebiroth. John and I have both had the jab, so hopefully that's one complication John will avoid.
 

BeckyJan

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Nov 28, 2005
18,971
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Derbyshire
The same jab also vaccinates against meningitis and septicaemia

You have made a very good point about vaccination - I had one because I was my husband's carer although I was just slightly under age!

Do all pneumonia jabs cover meningitis and septicaemia? I had not realised that and, if so, find it quite comforting - all to do with needing to keep myself healthy as I am the one carer.

Thanks for the info. Best wishes Jan
 

taylorcat

Registered User
Jun 18, 2006
171
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W.Scotland
Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately Mum is completely immobile now. She is also refusing food, although this could be down to the infection. Even before that though she was only picking at her food.

I suppose we will just have to hope she gets over it.

I'll keep you updated.
 

Nebiroth

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Aug 20, 2006
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BeckyJan said:
Do all pneumonia jabs cover meningitis and septicaemia? I had not realised that and, if so, find it quite comforting - all to do with needing to keep myself healthy as I am the one carer.

Thanks for the info. Best wishes Jan

I don't know, I assume there are single vaccinations that only cover pneumonia, but I do know that the one that is now being given as standard for people over 65/those with chronic health problems (eg asthma) and possibly carers under certain conditions, it is the three in one.

There should be leaflets about it at the GP's surgery.

They usually try to "catch" people when everyone comes in for their flu jab (as they are aimed at the same grouping), but I believe that unlike the flu jab (which changes annually and is made available for the flu season) you should be able to have the pneumo one at any time because the vaccine doesn't change and should always be available.

I qualify doubly, since I'm asthmatic and a carer, but officially I was still not elligible as I was too young ( at 44!) but as I said they stretched a point because dad was getting himself in a right old state about it.
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
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SW Scotland
Just been doing some googling:

Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by the bacterium. Streptococcus pneumoniae usually lives harmlessly in the back of many peoples’ throats. However, it can invade other parts of the body and cause serious, possibly life-threatening illnesses, notably:

pneumonia

septicaemia or ‘blood poisoning'

meningitis

One of the main natural defences against pneumococcal disease is a powerful immune system, which fights off the infection. Certain medical conditions and advancing age can weaken the immune system and make you more likely to develop a serious infection.

So it seems that the same bacterium can cause all three illnesses, so the same vaccine will protect against all three.
 

Taffy

Registered User
Apr 15, 2007
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taylorcat said:
I suppose we will just have to hope she gets over it.

Dear taylorcat, I also hope that your mum recovers well. Thinking of you. Regards Taffy.
 

taylorcat

Registered User
Jun 18, 2006
171
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W.Scotland
Thanks. When we went up to hospital last night she did seem a bit better, in that she was awake and talking, although very difficult to make her out. Hoping she will have improved a bit more today.

It's so good to have others to "speak to" who understands exactly what you're talking about.
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
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Skye said:
Just been doing some googling:



So it seems that the same bacterium can cause all three illnesses, so the same vaccine will protect against all three.

Yep I think it depends on where the infection happens: lungs=pneumonia, membrans protecting nervous system (meninges)=meningitis, blood=septicaemia

However meningitis can be caused by other bacteria (and viruses too)

It would be interesting to find out if the vaccine is just against the one bacterium or more than one

As you point out the main problem is that the bacterium is carried by many, if not most, people but is kept in check by the immune system and it therefore harmless...but when the checks fail you get problems...it also means that there's a huge population of carriers as well.

Same thing goes for MRSA.