Pneumonia w/ vacation in two weeks - Update post #24

[piperdown]

We leave for CA in 11 days, and yesterday DH was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.

I’m thinking he’ll be almost 100% by the time we leave as he very rarely gets sick and we’ve already seen improvement with the antibiotic. My fear is that DD or I will get sick between now and travel day. DD has asthma, and I’ve previously been hospitalized for pneumonia (about 5 years ago).

I was thinking of quarantining him to the guest bedroom, but we’ve already been exposed. We’ve been taking precautions since he started coughing last Thursday. This thing came on so fast. He started coughing on Thursday, fever started late Friday, was down all of Saturday & Sunday and scheduled doctor appointment for Monday. X-ray confirmed the diagnosis Monday afternoon.

I’m thinking if DD and I continue to be symptom free by next Monday, we should be in the clear? Just praying that whatever caused this passes us by.

 

[Disneychix]

I had pneumonia 1 week before I was supposed to run the princess half marathon last feb. no one in my family caught it and I was diagnosed on tues and 'ran' my race on Sunday. Once you get the meds and some decent sleep he should recover quickly. Also, my DH did sleep on the couch for 2 nights...

 

[Poohforyou]

I had the flu a few years ago that turned into pneumonia. I was sick a total of 2 weeks and no one else in my family got either illness. My best recommendation is to have your DH use a separate bathroom and make sure all his dishes/glassware goes through the dishwasher. I hope he feels better soon and you all have a great vacation.

 

[Disneychix]

Two more things: pixiedust that he does get better quickly and I was only kept out of work for 2 days and then I guess I was considered germ free since I could go back to work. I carried around a can of Lysol and sprayed after everything I touched!

 

[MamaLema]

I'm really surprised with the posters that are just brushing pneumonia off. It can be very, very serious. DS took a few weeks to get over it, and even when he returned to school, he was in bed by 7pm, he was so tired...and he's 13.

If it were my family, I would postpone the trip, but everybody's different and recovers at different rates.

 

[mrodgers]

Pneumonia is an infection. You can't catch it from someone...

 

[Sabrefan]

We leave for CA in 11 days, and yesterday DH was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.

I’m thinking he’ll be almost 100% by the time we leave as he very rarely gets sick and we’ve already seen improvement with the antibiotic. My fear is that DD or I will get sick between now and travel day. DD has asthma, and I’ve previously been hospitalized for pneumonia (about 5 years ago).

I was thinking of quarantining him to the guest bedroom, but we’ve already been exposed. We’ve been taking precautions since he started coughing last Thursday. This thing came on so fast. He started coughing on Thursday, fever started late Friday, was down all of Saturday & Sunday and scheduled doctor appointment for Monday. X-ray confirmed the diagnosis Monday afternoon.

I’m thinking if DD and I continue to be symptom free by next Monday, we should be in the clear? Just praying that whatever caused this passes us by.

Aw I'm so sorry I hope the rest of you can stay healthy before you leave! 2 years ago my DD 5 had pneumonia she was back to her old self within a day of the steriods, then I got pneumonia and was feeling better in 2 weeks but was exhausted for well over a month afterwards.

 

[shoney]

I'm really surprised with the posters that are just brushing pneumonia off. It can be very, very serious. DS took a few weeks to get over it, and even when he returned to school, he was in bed by 7pm, he was so tired...and he's 13.

If it were my family, I would postpone the trip, but everybody's different and recovers at different rates.

I agree. A few years ago my husband came home on a Thursday feeling dizzy. On Saturday, he was rushed to the hospital with a very high fever. By Sunday afternoon he was in the ICU. He was released a week later, but it took a very long time for him to get back to normal. He was out of work for 4 weeks! He was an otherwise very healthy 40 year old!

Luckily, none of us got it! I sprayed Lysol like crazy!

To the OP, I truly hope he is feeling better!!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Pneumonia can knock you on your butt for a good, long time. As in weeks to months. Expect he'll be tired, maybe even really wiped out, for a while. I'd plan accordingly if you're going on vacation. Be careful he doesn't relapse if he doesn't let on how badly he's feeling in order to keep up or please you. Be sure he stays well hydrated and takes frequent rests throughout the day.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Upper respiratory stuff really knocks you down, especially pneumonia. Even with rest, fluids and meds he may not feel up to vacation in 2 weeks. While it's very unlikely to spread pneumonia it's not impossible. I doubt you will get sick and I hope he feels better soon.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Pneumonia is an infection. You can't catch it from someone...

Since when are infections not contagious?

Once he starts meds he's no longer contagious but before that he is and they were exposed.

 

[kellyg403]

I hope that your dh recovers quickly!

I had pnuemonia 2 years in a row both times in Sept. My allergies cropped up and next thing you know I was down for the count. The first time I was well within a couple weeks, though it probably took a whole month to feel myself again. This year, it took about 2 months. I had a bit of relapse, went back to work to quickly instead of resting.

Hopefully, with the medications, he will feel better soon. Expect that he will tire quickly when you are on vacation. Pnuemonia can really wipe you out. Its the only think I have ever had where I thought I was a 100% because I could breathe again and the coughing had subsided. In actuality, he will still need to rest. It takes a toll on the body.

Kelly

 

[lovemygoofy]

I'm sure I'm the only one that said this but if my husband had double pneumonia I would be canceling my vacation. I would be canceling so fast heads would be spinning. I wouldn't think twice. He needs to rest and let his body recover.

Having penumonia in just one lung can take weeks if not months to recover from let alone in both lungs. Sometimes I think it's even harder for people that aren't sick often to bounce back. I know when my husband gets sick his recovery seems to take longer because his body isn't used to being ill.

You can always reschedule a vacation, it's really difficult to work around a relapse in health.

 

[ccgirl]

Pneumonia is an infection. You can't catch it from someone...

This is incorrect. Pneumonia is contagious.

Since when are infections not contagious?

Once he starts meds he's no longer contagious but before that he is and they were exposed.

It depends on what caused the pneumonia.

I'm sure I'm the only one that said this but if my husband had double pneumonia I would be canceling my vacation. I would be canceling so fast heads would be spinning. I wouldn't think twice. He needs to rest and let his body recover.

Having penumonia in just one lung can take weeks if not months to recover from let alone in both lungs. Sometimes I think it's even harder for people that aren't sick often to bounce back. I know when my husband gets sick his recovery seems to take longer because his body isn't used to being ill.

You can always reschedule a vacation, it's really difficult to work around a relapse in health.

I agree.

To elaborate:
Pneumonia is caused by a variety of organisms, therefore depending on the organism that causes a particular case of pneumonia, the time that one is contagious varies.

 

[piperdown]

Pneumonia is an infection. You can't catch it from someone...

I don't think you can catch pneumonia, but we can catch whatever it was that caused the pneumonia.

His doctor said that they've had had more than 10 similar cases in the last week, and that if DD or I should start having similar symptoms we should come in immediately.

 

[piperdown]

I'm sure I'm the only one that said this but if my husband had double pneumonia I would be canceling my vacation. I would be canceling so fast heads would be spinning. I wouldn't think twice. He needs to rest and let his body recover.

Having penumonia in just one lung can take weeks if not months to recover from let alone in both lungs. Sometimes I think it's even harder for people that aren't sick often to bounce back. I know when my husband gets sick his recovery seems to take longer because his body isn't used to being ill.

You can always reschedule a vacation, it's really difficult to work around a relapse in health.

DH won't consider it at this point because it'll be at least a year before we can go again. Good news is that he'll have two weeks of rest before we leave. He's a teacher, and school is now out. He was planning some home improvement projects, but I believe I've convinced him that he needs to rest.

We were planning for this to be a relaxing vacation, and if we have to slow down even more, I'm ok with that. We have planned for 5 days at DLR, but it's at the very end of the trip. The plan for the first 9 days is pretty laid back. We'll as much or as little as his energy level will allow.

 

[disney1990]

A friend of mine at work, her husband got pneumonia about 2 weeks ago. His doctor still will not let him go back to work. Why don't you take to your DH's doctor and not the DIS doctors to see what his views are on your vacation plans.

 

[Coconut36]

I'm really surprised with the posters that are just brushing pneumonia off. It can be very, very serious. DS took a few weeks to get over it, and even when he returned to school, he was in bed by 7pm, he was so tired...and he's 13.

If it were my family, I would postpone the trip, but everybody's different and recovers at different rates.

I agree. My best friend (mid 20s at the time) had pneumonia and he was knocked flat for weeks. It wiped him out completely and took a long time for him to fully recover. I know he couldn't work for several weeks..a trip would have been out of the question. Obviously it can vary from person to person so it is really going to depend on how the OP husband is feeling, recovering..etc but I would strongly consider postponing if a family member was ill with pneumonia.

Pneumonia generally lasts about two weeks. Even healthy people may feel tired or weak for a month or more after the lungs clear up.

You can catch pneumonia:

Yes, most types of pneumonia are contagious. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Many different infectious agents can cause pneumonia. Most often it is caused by bacteria and viruses.

When a person with bacterial or viral pneumonia coughs, some of the bacteria and viruses spread out into the air around them. If another person nearby breathes in the air, the bacteria or viruses can then enter their lungs.

 

[mom2febgirls]

My 10 year old was diagnosed the Monday before we were scheduled to leave for Disney on Friday. The initial round of antibiotics was not getting it done when we went back on Thursday. On Friday the Dr said as long as we took it easy (after she checked her out again) we could go. It probably helped that we were traveling with a nurse. We kept hydrated and took it easy and had no problems.

I'd get your doctor's opinion.

 

[npcougar]

Be very careful with the pneumonia. I had it, got rid of it and in less than three days had it in the other lung. It really took the energy out of me. I was sick for a month and it was probably two months before I felt normal. I'm sure they have better meds now though. Good luck!