Pneumonia - how long to pause?

barliman2001

About two weeks ago, I started to notice that my general energy level was going down. Dog walks were getting shorter and slower, walking up staircases was getting harder, and after a few days, I was experiencing shortness of breath after quite normal everyday pursuits. I'm not talking extreme weightlifting there - things like getting up from bed, doing the laundry and so forth. I began suspecting I was in for pneumonia like I had had it one week before my wedding... finally, I found myself short of breath while sitting in an armchair. At that point, I decided that things need not get worse, and called an ambulance. The medics agreed with me that my left lung sounded weird and brought me into our local hospital, at three a.m. There, they immediately activated the additional emergency team, did a lung x-ray and ultrasound, took my blood and after an hour, told me that the x-ray showed a large shadow, the ultrasound was not healthy and that the inflammation indicators in my blood were above normal levels. The diagnosis was pneumonia with concurrent pleural effusion. They put me on IV antibiotics and diuretics for a week and only yesterday released me home, more because of needing the space for COVID-19 cases than because I was fit to go home... I've been carefully taking all my medication and doing the exercises ("try taking a big breath through the nose and then blow the air though your lips. It's quite hard work - oh, you don't seem to see that as hard work, are you doing it correctly? You must feel your belly muscles slightly stiffened." - "Feel for yourself." - "OK... wow, that's hard as a rock, how come you are looking such a soft fat teddybear and have such abs?" - "It's because I f#ck ninety-one physiotherapists per day." - "You are such a poser... why, then?" - I get out my mouthpiece from my trousers pocket and buzz Amazing Grace - "Oh, you're a trumpet player?" - "Yes." - "In that case, you'll know all the exercises I can offer you better than myself. I'll take myself off."
Now's the big question: I'm still somewhat short of breath... has anybody any idea when my condition might return to normal, and whether I should start practising gently or desist for a time?

GeorgeB

@barliman2001

Wow, sir, your experience scares the hell out of me. Even though my lungs are healthy, at 85 years of age, one never knows when something like pneumonia can rear its ugly head. I can't offer any advice, I just wanted you to know I feel for you and wish you a speedy recovery.
I'm sure Doc will reply to your thread once he sees it.
George

ROWUK

@barliman2001 My take is that the body talks to us - and we make decisions based on what we heard and understood. Soft, slow, easy repetitions, long tones without articulation in the beginning - just exhale into the horn and let come what comes. Do this for a couple of days. If your body does not complain, add articulation. Avoid anything with compression.

Dr GO

A few thoughts. The pleural effusion may still be present. It can take 3 to 6 months for this to resolve. The fluid will restrict lung volume with can make you feel short of breath. Alternatively it also takes 3 months for the airway inflammation to resolve. Bronchodilators really do not help much in either case.

I would recommend using the incentive spirometor that was introduced in a recent post. Also a 3 month course of an inhaled steroid may benefit. Also when sleeping at night, having a cool mist vaporizer may benefit in residual secretion clearance. We should never underestimate the healing power of water.

Getting a follow up chest x-ray in 4 to 6 weeks is advised.

Not sure if you had received the pneumovax series, but if not, I would advise getting this done to help prevent a future pneumonia.

Hope this advice helps . Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Dr GO

By the way, playing your trumpet as much as possible is advised. Playing will increase positive end expiration pressure (PEEP), which will open more airways helping to ease the breathlessness feeling.

When I was hospitalized a few years back, I had my pocket trumpet with me and while playing, my pulse ox readings increased by 6%. So playing the trumpet is essential to a more speedy recovery.

barliman2001

@dr-go Thank you very much, Doc.

Dr GO

@georgeb said in Pneumonia - how long to pause?:

@barliman2001

Wow, sir, your experience scares the hell out of me. Even though my lungs are healthy, at 85 years of age, one never knows when something like pneumonia can rear its ugly head....
George

So George, if you have not received it yet, get the Pneumococcal Vaccine, Pneumovax 24 at this time. Then the hell scare goes away.

GeorgeB

@dr-go said in Pneumonia - how long to pause?:

A few thoughts. The pleural effusion may still be present. It can take 3 to 6 months for this to resolve. The fluid will restrict lung volume with can make you feel short of breath. Alternatively it also takes 3 months for the airway inflammation to resolve. Bronchodilators really do not help much in either case.

I would recommend using the incentive spirometor that was introduced in a recent post. Also a 3 month course of an inhaled steroid may benefit. Also when sleeping at night, having a cool mist vaporizer may benefit in residual secretion clearance. We should never underestimate the healing power of water.

Getting a follow up chest x-ray in 4 to 6 weeks is advised.

Not sure if you had received the pneumovax series, but if not, I would advise getting this done to help prevent a future pneumonia.

Hope this advice helps . Wishing you a speedy recovery!

I knew you'd eventually reply to this Thread. After reading all this I certainly do not want to get pneumonia. I will take your advice, Doc and get the needle.
George

fels

I had pneumonia several years ago (before COVID), although not as severe as described here. Was diagnosed a few days after a quintet Christmas gig. I did not not play for a couple of weeks and was weak for longer. I used a "recovery routine" based on selected Schlossberg drills and that was very useful. I still use them now as part of my rotating warm-up routine. And yes, I now have had the pneumonia vaccine.

barliman2001

Update: Our local hospital released me on 15 March, saying that I would only need to finish the course of antibiotics they would give me - but they only gave me one additional day. Since then, the pneumonia slowly came back, until yesterday, when I had to call the ambulance again and they delivered me not to the same hospital (full of Covid), but another one some 20 miles away. They put me into a single room due to my sleep apnea which means that in between IV antibiotics, I can practice to my heart's content...

administrator

@barliman2001 said in Pneumonia - how long to pause?:

Update: Our local hospital released me on 15 March, saying that I would only need to finish the course of antibiotics they would give me - but they only gave me one additional day. Since then, the pneumonia slowly came back, until yesterday, when I had to call the ambulance again and they delivered me not to the same hospital (full of Covid), but another one some 20 miles away. They put me into a single room due to my sleep apnea which means that in between IV antibiotics, I can practice to my heart's content...

Best wishes from the TB community. Hope you get well soon! At least you have a trumpet with you

barliman2001

@administrator Thanks.
I've already conducted my first lesson in hospital - one of the nurses inherited a trumpet from an uncle (a rather decrepit but still functional Cerveny) and now wants to learn. Thanks to the good advice in Ivan Hunter's booklet Trumpeting 4 Fun (which, by the way, I am translating into German just now for publication sometime after Easter) she played her first note after only three minutes...

GeorgeB

@barliman2001

If she played her first note after 3 minutes I'd say you are a fine teacher, sir. I wish you a speedy recovery.
George

barliman2001

@georgeb It's one chapter of Ivan's book.