Anyone who has had Pneumonia - How long was your Recovery Period?

[MNT568]

For anyone who has had pneumonia, I was wondering how long your recovery period was?

My Mom just had a severe case of pneumonia, she was in the hospital for 10 days, 6 of them in ICU. She has been home for 2 weeks and seems to be doing well.

The doctors in the hospital told her that is it a short term illness for her and that she will recover except that it will take a while to get back to were she was pre-pneumonia. They said that the recovery period is slow and not to rush it. They gave her home oxygen to be used on an as needed basis. Also, she had a visiting nurse come and she said that her levels were very good.

Now she went to her primary care doctor on Friday and she led my mom to believe that this will be a long term illness and that she will have the home oxygen forever and that she should be using all the time.

My mom doesn't like to be sick and she is not a very good patient. She is getting upset that she is not back to her full strength. I keep telling her that she will be but it is going to take a little longer.

If anyone can give me any insight into the recovery period, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

7yodd has pneumonia right now. Her illness was diagnosed "slight", I expect her to bounce back after a month probably.

I had pneumonia 6 yrs ago and it wasn't as bad as your mom's and it took me 1 year before I was 100%. Anytime I was "wore down" I could feel those lungs. My doctor warned me that I had to really watch it and get plenty of rest and drink lots of liquids. To this day it still bothers me.

If your mother is on oxygen I suspect it may be a very long time before she is 100%. I suppose the way to judge it is after she is off the oxygen then give her a year to be 100%.

 

[DawnCt]

Plan on at least 6 weeks and as she heals she will continue to cough up "stuff".

 

[pumba]

she was not sick before but when she had pnemonia ....it did such a number on her that she had to go to a rehab for three weeks to get her strength back.......that was last year and she did have long term problems because of it....besides zapping her strength she also has another problem that will always let her lungs fill up and then it hits again........hope your mom recovers fast and does not have long term like dMIL

 

[Rajah]

When I was in Jr. High I had pneumonia for a month and a half.