DD9 has pneumonia - question

[bumbershoot]

Do you have medical training? If not, I think it is a bit negligent to give out medical advice. Pneumonia can be diagnosed without a chest x-ray and the child should rest for at least a week.

She's actually urging MORE caution than this lazy doctor is using, by wanting to make sure of the diagnosis, and you think this is negligent?

 

[Swalphin]

I had pneumonia 3 years ago. I had a clear chest XRAY, and sent home. The next day I kept hearing very distinct crackle sound in my lungs I knew it was something I had never had before. I went to the hospital ER a doctor listened and said yep pneumonia. I had another Xray and there it was. I had to be admitted because of many allergy to antibiotics and they could not get it cleared up. I was really out of it for over a month. Pneumonia is very serious and can kill you. I also had terrible joint pains for 6 months after, they said that is very normal.

 

[arminnie]

Depends how sick you are with it. I have had it several times and it took 2 weeks to just get to a point that I was feeling able to function. This was full blown bacterial pneumonia.

Other times I have had it, it was mild called "walking pnuemonia". I was able to function fine.

There is not one right answer for your question as it is dependent on the person and the severity.

I agree. I had it where I was hospitalized for two weeks and literally almost died. That was 25 years ago and has never happened again.

About 5 years ago I had a terrible pain in my upper back. I bought a new desk chair, thought I was developing back pain. I was shocked to discover I had walking pneumonia. That took months to get over - but the real problem was acid reflux that was getting in the lungs. It was not an infection.

Pneumonia just means fluid in the lungs. There can be many causes and types.

Part of my problem was that I have asthma and I'm allergic to many antibiotics which made it very hard to treat.

That was my problem with my long hospitalization. I got worse for a long one time before I started getting better. I was out of work for 7 weeks and should have stayed out longer.

 

[disfan07]

My PSA for the day:

If you have had penumonia before that you have been hospitalizaed for;

If you have anything conditions that put you at high risk;

If you live or take care of anyone that is high risk

PLEASE talk to your doctor about the pneumonia vaccine. It might not completely prevent it but it can decrease the severity. My doctors are convinced that is why this will only be a week stay for me on a regular floor rather than 1 week in ICU and one week on the regular floor.

Its one vaccine every 5 years.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

My youngest had pneumonia once. I think it was at least a week before he felt better. My doctor said he it was pneumonia, but he wouldn't prescribe antibiotics until a chest x-ray was done.

Hope she feels better soon!

 

[MizTink]

my DD had pneumonia when she was in kindergarten. she missed an entire month of school, but avoided being hospitalized.
i remember being told to try to get her to stay in bed as much as possible, that rest was the biggest thing she needed to keep it from getting worse and also to get over it.

 

[aprilgail2]

I get pneumonia about every other year and my daughter has had it a few times and usually I am out of work and she is out of school at LEAST a week- have never been back before that! I typically end up with pneumonia after catching a cold from my daughter- she will have a slight cold, I will get pneumonia....

As far as it being contagious.....


Is pneumonia contagious?
So, we're back to the original question, "is pneumonia contagious".
Pneumonia in itself it usually not contagious but the organisms, particularly the viruses, that cause pneumonia can be contagious.

Pneumonia can be caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold or influenza and these viruses can be passed from person to person. You may just have a cold but someone else may get a pneumonia. From that point of view, the virus is contagious but not the pneumonia.

When your child has a "cold" or pneumonia it it important to take care to prevent spread of viruses by hand-washing so you minimise the infection being contagious. Also teach your child to cover her mouth when coughing or sneezing.

To prevent the viruses that can cause pneumonia being contagious, it is wise to keep your unwell child away from other children and to keep your well child away from children who may be unwell.

Some conditions causing a type of pneumonia such as tuberculosis are very contagious and you should see your doctor if you have been in contact with someone with tuberculosis. This pneumonia is contagious.

So overall, unless you have tuberculosis, the answer to the question "is pneumonia contagious" is "no", but take precautions not to spread the germs that can cause pneumonia when you or your child is not well.

 

[Tinkh]

You can absolutely get a very good idea that it is pneumonia without going through an x-ray. If you have decreased resonance then you have probable infiltrate in the lobe. Increased fremitus could point to this as well. Lastly, if you have decreased expansion on one or both sides then I would for sure expect pneumonia first in an otherwise healthy child. I think that the doctor is right on in his assessment of a week. Pneumonia is not something you want to play with and give your child ample time to recover. I for sure would not be trying to play out guess the doctor's diagnosis when no one here is going to be whipping out our stethoscopes to auscultate and asses your child's lung. Hoping she feels better very soon!!

 

[Disney Doll]

A good MD can easily diagnose pneumonia without an xray. It's pretty distinctive when one listens to the lungs.It has nothing to do with lazy. Problem is we have become so used to MDs practicing defensive medicine and over xraying and scanning everyone for the obvious, that now any diagnosis that is not acompanied by at least 2 or 3 exposures to radiation, ultrasound waves, CT scans and the like is suspect.

A week is a good amount of time to stay out. Gives the body time to recuperate.

 

[krcit]

Oh, I forget to say that even though my ds had it over a school break when we went for a follow-up, the Dr said to stay out of gym for another week. He just had a follow-up xray and he is all clear

 

[Fintastic]

I had pneumonia three years ago when I was 30 years old and I was out of work for nine days. It was the sickest I've ever been!

 

[castleview]

A good MD can easily diagnose pneumonia without an xray. It's pretty distinctive when one listens to the lungs.It has nothing to do with lazy. Problem is we have become so used to MDs practicing defensive medicine and over xraying and scanning everyone for the obvious, that now any diagnosis that is not acompanied by at least 2 or 3 exposures to radiation, ultrasound waves, CT scans and the like is suspect.

A week is a good amount of time to stay out. Gives the body time to recuperate.

Thanks, he is an older pediatrician so I figured he knows what he's doing. To answer another poster's question: My daughter doesn't have asthma, but she did have a bad cold once that required an inhaler through a tube - that probably means nothing but it was a first for me. This might be off topic but as a baby she did have eczema and I thought I heard of some connection between asthma and eczema at adult age…oh, I don't know.

Anyway, thanks for the info and good wishes everyone. DD has been on the couch all day and is now in bed, so she's resting well.