Paging Dr. Hive

[MrsWeasley]

I have had a wet, hacking cough for almost a month, accompanied by vomiting and congestion. In the last couple days I have developed back and chest pain in my right side. It worsens when I cough. want to avoid going to the doctor if I can, especially since it's probably a virus, but I also keep feeling worse and worse and not sure what to think of the right side pain. Any ideas what it is?

[ktgrok]

Um, a month? With pain? Honey, you very well might have pneumonia. A virus doesn't last this long usually. You probably have a secondary infection. Get thee to the doctor asap. And if not pneumonia, it could be pertussis, which you are spreading. You don't want to do that, right? But with the pain and it getting worse it sounds like pneumonia. You need to go to the doctor. Like, right now. 

[Stacia]

I think you need to go to a doctor. It could be bronchitis &/or have developed into pneumonia.

 

:grouphug:

[Ethel Mertz]

May be pneumonia or pleurisy. Sorry, but you really should see a doctor. You don't want to wind up in hospital.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I very rarely go to the doctor for anything, but a month is a really long time, especially considering that you're still getting worse. It does sound like pneumonia or pleurisy to me. Please go your doc or to urgent care ASAP.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Cindy in FL.]

I think a visit with the Doctor is in order. Hope you get the care you need to get well!

[Laurie4b]

Another vote for the doctor. 

[JFSinIL]

I agree could well be pneumonia by now :-( you NEED to be seen, and probably a chest x-ray. Odds are part of your lung is all blocked up by the pneumonia.

Edited January 21, 2016 by JFSinIL

[gardenmom5]

I have had a wet, hacking cough for almost a month, accompanied by vomiting and congestion. In the last couple days I have developed back and chest pain in my right side. It worsens when I cough. want to avoid going to the doctor if I can, especially since it's probably a virus, but I also keep feeling worse and worse and not sure what to think of the right side pain. Any ideas what it is?

 

I would hie thee to a doctor asap.  I understand the not wanting to spend money just to be told it's a virus.  I once ended up in the emergency room with pnuemonia (they had to do an x-ray to confirm it, my blood ox was close to normal, and my temp never hit 101.) . . . . I ended up being admitted.

 

my mother broke a rib coughing so hard with pnuemonia.

the vomiting is possibly because of  how hard you are coughing.  (I did that with pnuemonia.  it would trigger my gag reflex.)

[zoobie]

Doctor!!! Go!!!

 

TB is running rampant in parts of rural Alabama. Pneumonia is bad this year. Go!!!

[mom2samlibby]

I would say either pneumonia or whooping cough.  Go to the doctor.

[Sara in AZ]

When we had whooping cough last summer it induced a lot of vomiting. 👎 Hope you get it figured out and feel better soon!

[Teresa in MO]

another vote for possible pneumonia or whooping cough.  Need to be seen by doc!

[ktgrok]

I saw on another thread you were diagnosed with pneumonia. Poor thing!

[Guest]

Awe :(. Feel better soon!

[MrsWeasley]

A week and a half ago, a nurse diagnosed me with pneumonia and treated me with a nebulizer treatment, antibiotics and an inhaler. I initially felt better after the nebulizer treatment on antibiotics, but I've slowly been getting worse since finishing my course of them to the point where it's almost as bad as it was before I pursued treatment at all. I had a follow-up appointment with someone else in the practice where I was basically told to try salt water gargles. I am still really sick: still have an awful cough, still throwing up, and still have significant chest pain that keep me from sleeping and leave me exhausted. I was sort of taken aback that with a lack of improvement in my symptoms, I got sent home with just being told to gargle with salt water. They want me to return for another follow-up, but given that I paid $100 for my last appointment, I'm wonder if it's worth the expense: it doesn't seem like there's much they can do and I just have to wait it out?

[TCB]

Sounds like you were either not on the right antibiotics or the course was not long enough. Do you have a fever? Did they do a chest x-ray?

[MrsWeasley]

I have occasionally had a fever during the course of this illness, but it's been low and infrequent. I had an x-ray on the first appointment, but not the follow-up.

[bibiche]

A week and a half ago, a nurse diagnosed me with pneumonia and treated me with a nebulizer treatment, antibiotics and an inhaler. I initially felt better after the nebulizer treatment on antibiotics, but I've slowly been getting worse since finishing my course of them to the point where it's almost as bad as it was before I pursued treatment at all. I had a follow-up appointment with someone else in the practice where I was basically told to try salt water gargles. I am still really sick: still have an awful cough, still throwing up, and still have significant chest pain that keep me from sleeping and leave me exhausted. I was sort of taken aback that with a lack of improvement in my symptoms, I got sent home with just being told to gargle with salt water. They want me to return for another follow-up, but given that I paid $100 for my last appointment, I'm wonder if it's worth the expense: it doesn't seem like there's much they can do and I just have to wait it out?

 

Call them back, tell them what you told us, and insist you be seen by someone else. They shouldn't charge you again.  Do you have anyone who can advocate for you, because it is hard to be forceful when you feel crappy.  The doctor's office needs to make this right.

[gardenmom5]

A week and a half ago, a nurse diagnosed me with pneumonia and treated me with a nebulizer treatment, antibiotics and an inhaler. I initially felt better after the nebulizer treatment on antibiotics, but I've slowly been getting worse since finishing my course of them to the point where it's almost as bad as it was before I pursued treatment at all. I had a follow-up appointment with someone else in the practice where I was basically told to try salt water gargles. I am still really sick: still have an awful cough, still throwing up, and still have significant chest pain that keep me from sleeping and leave me exhausted. I was sort of taken aback that with a lack of improvement in my symptoms, I got sent home with just being told to gargle with salt water. They want me to return for another follow-up, but given that I paid $100 for my last appointment, I'm wonder if it's worth the expense: it doesn't seem like there's much they can do and I just have to wait it out?

 

:mellow: :svengo:

 

salt water gargles are great for cleaning drainage off the back of the throat.  they aren't going to do squat for your LUNGS.  when I had pnuemonia, the nebulizer tx they gave me in the ER, made me WORSE.

 

go to the ER.  were you diagnosed via x-ray?  or just "listen to the chest, you have pneumonia?"

 

what antibiotic did she give you?  antibiotics are NOT created equal, and some are not going to help with pnuemonia.  the urgent care Dr gave me a 5-day z-pak for "bronchitis".  the ER dr put me on a big-gun antibioitic that was administered IV (took 15 minutes), and I also had to have an antiemetic along with it because the ab made me throw up.

[gardenmom5]

I have occasionally had a fever during the course of this illness, but it's been low and infrequent. I had an x-ray on the first appointment, but not the follow-up.

 

I NEVER hit 101.

[MrsWeasley]

I did have a chest x-ray. I had five days of Azithromycin. I'm still breastfeeding my toddler and have a penicillin allergy, so that may have affected what the antibiotic choice.

[Rebecca]

Dear Mrs Weasley,

 

I am so so sorry you are so sick. You need more and longer antibiotics. You must go to the doctor or call and vehemently state your case, ask to speak to a doctor, and get them to call medicine in for you.

 

I had pneumonia in October. I was nowhere as sick as you are. It is serious.

 

I am SO sorry!!! But you must get more medical care.

 

Two of my tell tale signs were: not getting better and recurrent low grade fever.

[Rebecca]

Pneumonia is tricky and nor all antibiotic is effective. ..that is why they usually want a follow up chest xray to show healthy lungs.

[Laurie4b]

Getting worse is a red flag. It typically means that there is a new bacterial infection brewing. In your case, it may be a resurrection of the old one, but stronger now that it's overcome one round of antibiotics. 

 

You were diagnosed with pneumonia, given antibiotics, got better , got worse and "Salt water gargles" was the recommended treatment? Was the nurse who diagnosed you a nurse-practitioner or just a nurse? Who suggested the salt water gargles? (What is their level of training) What was their explanation/diagnosis? 

 

I think you need to suck it up about the money and go to an urgent care so you can see someone not in that practice. Something is not adding up. (ETA: by "suck it up" I mean make the sacrifice for the cost. I realized it could have been read as blowing off a significant cost and I didn't mean it that way. I mean I think it's important to get a second set of eyes to make sure this is not something that could get really serious if not taken care of now.)

 

 

Also, some insurance companies have a nurse triage line where they will give you medical advise after asking a bunch of questions. (Way more than you think are needed; they are following a script.) They've been very helpful whenever I've called. 

Edited February 3, 2016 by Laurie4b

[MrsWeasley]

The first person I saw was a nurse practitioner. The second person I saw was a physician's assistant. I do have a lot of congestion in my throat, and he seemed mostly concerned about this, as I complained about not being able to sleep from coughing. I didn't look at the diagnosis the physicians assistant had given previously, but now going through my paperwork, he gave the diagnosis as "acute bronchospasm." Thanks for the tip about the nurse triage line: I will check to see if I have that benefit.

Edited February 3, 2016 by MrsWeasley

[TCB]

I think that if you call and tell them you are no better they may well call you in another course of antibiotics to try. You may not have to go back and be seen again and pay another fee. Of course, if you get still worse, or if you are not better after more meds, then they should be checking further. The one and only time I had a chest infection / pneumonia I felt really nauseated. Hope you feel better soon.