Well, DUH!

So I went to the doctor to get an inhaler to help me breathe. I told them that I have viral pneumonia and am recovering, but that I need to open up my lungs.

So they send me off to Xray, and the results come back, and they tell me, "Well, you have pneumonia."

DUH!!!!!

Then the nurse practitioner (doctor is out on rounds) tried to prescribe antibiotics for me, and I said what for? Do I have a bacterial infection? And she said, no, but that some small sections of my lungs appear to have collapsed a bit which is why I'm having trouble breathing. Again, DUH!

So I told her, if I don't have a bacterial infection, then there is ZERO point to prescribe antibiotics, and to please give me the inhaler that I came in for which will help OPEN UP MY LUNGS!

OMG, I'm so mad at that NP - how does she think she is helping anybody by trying to prescribe an unnecessary drug? What would antibiotics help, my psychological emotional well being? Oh my head...

Anyhoo...I got my inhaler script so I should be able to breathe again in a few hours after getting out of work. Breathing will be nice.

Next time, I would just call. Thats what I do. I cant stand going in and waiting. Luckily my Dr listens to me and perscribes me what I think I should get

and they wonder why drugs are loosing their potentcy

I hope you feel better soon Betsy....you have to wonder abuot the medical profession at times!

Originally Posted by Pami

Next time, I would just call. Thats what I do. I cant stand going in and waiting. Luckily my Dr listens to me and perscribes me what I think I should get

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Well, I tried that first but the doctor is out on rounds and they were like, well, we can't prescribe anything without seeing you first.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

Well, I tried that first but the doctor is out on rounds and they were like, well, we can't prescribe anything without seeing you first.

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That would upset me to ask you to come in when you had pneumonia

Originally Posted by Pami

That would upset me to ask you to come in when you had pneumonia

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They actually asked me why I didn't come in last week when I had the fever, and I said, I didn't for two very good reasons:

1.) I was too ill to get behind the wheel of a 5,000 pound vehicle and drive
and
2.) It didn't make sense for me to drag myself there for them to tell me what I already knew!

If my sputum (sp) had turned green, I would have gotten there ASAP for antibiotics because that would have indicated a bacterial infection, but I KNEW it was viral, and so what was the point?

It makes me crazy that the "medical community" advises people not to take antibiotics unless you NEED them, yet there are still so many "educated" medical professionals that are so quick to offer them to people when they aren't medically required! What is UP with that!?!

Uh, and these are trained professionals? Might as well kill us all now

I'm so sorry that you are sick, and that you have to deal with incompetence at the same time.

If you aren't better in a few days, antibiotics might be the answer after all. The "good" bacteria from your sinus can get into your lungs and start a massive bacterial infection... has happened to me with viral pneumonia.

Hope you are feeling better very soon! You have had more than your share of being sick and suffering!

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

God that shits me! I know the doctors may have medical training, but i think the patients have more sense! lol

How hard can it be to listen to someone?

It's so frustrating sometimes, I hope your breathing improves and am sending healing vibes your way.

I had the flu 3 weeks ago and I'm just coming out of it finally. I went to the doctor and he gave me a script for Zithromax and a cough suppressant. I didn't fill that script or the one for a cough suppressant. I wanted to cough and get stuff up, the coughing was not bothering me and I was told to take the antibiotic if I didn't feel better in a few days. My DH asked why I went to the doctor if I wasn't going to follow their advice. I said I was worried about pneumonia, they ruled that out and that was all I needed. I am not taking an antibiotic for a viral infection and the cough suppressant acts by anesthesizing the lungs, you can't let it dissolve in your mouth or you may lose your swallowing function. Really if the disease doesn't kill you the cure sure can. I understand these drugs are needed sometimes but I think this stuff is handed out like candy.

Okay, I'm off the soapbox, I work in the medical field and I hate to see how medicine is practiced anymore.

Some people are so stupid and shouldn't work as Nurses or Drs.

Thank you for being sensible! So many people go to the doctor for a cold or flu and expect to leave with a prescription of some kind to make them feel better.

That and not taking your whole antibiotic prescription when you do require one, 's the reason why we have "super bugs" that are immune to all antibiotics now. We have one last antibiotic left that will fight most any bacterial infection, that's called "Vancomycin". Once that stops working on bacteria we call all look forward to dying from bacterial infections like they did before antibiotics were even invented.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

I'm so sorry that you are sick, and that you have to deal with incompetence at the same time.

If you aren't better in a few days, antibiotics might be the answer after all. The "good" bacteria from your sinus can get into your lungs and start a massive bacterial infection... has happened to me with viral pneumonia.

Hope you are feeling better very soon! You have had more than your share of being sick and suffering!

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

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Thank you - everyone, for your good wishes!

I know that viral can turn bacteria - this is my third case of pneumonia, and once I had it so bad I was delerious from fever and had to be hospitalized.

It isn't anything to mess with, because pneumonia is a killer, of this I am VERY aware. However, unless I see a change in sputum, I'm not taking any antibiotics.

I do have an appointment scheduled for Monday with my actual physician to discuss my recovery from Bell's Palsy, and I'll reevaluate the pneumonia with him at that point - we'll see how things go over the weekend for me. So far, the inhaler has helped alot, but after a week of working while sick, I'm feeling REALLY run down again.

I wish I had more sick time available. we "earn" 2 1/2 hours of time per week that is "banked" and from it we draw all vaca and sick time, and I used up what I had available to me last week when I was in bed with the fever.

Sigh...I hate winter.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Thank you for being sensible! So many people go to the doctor for a cold or flu and expect to leave with a prescription of some kind to make them feel better.

That and not taking your whole antibiotic prescription when you do require one, 's the reason why we have "super bugs" that are immune to all antibiotics now. We have one last antibiotic left that will fight most any bacterial infection, that's called "Vancomycin". Once that stops working on bacteria we call all look forward to dying from bacterial infections like they did before antibiotics were even invented.

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Yuppers - and why is it that I, NOT a medical professional know and understand this, but a trained Nurse Practitioner doesn't? Just kills me.

Also, I can't ever take any kind of "mycins," found that out the hard way the first time I had pneumonia - my stomach won't tolerate any of them, and they just make me sicker, which makes treating something like this even harder. If it DOES turn bacterial, I think doxycycline (sp) is probably my only option.

Just keeping my fingers crossed that this gets better rather than worse. I know it can take more than a month to fully recover.

Sending you some vibes!!!
My mom has asthma and a few years ago the flu kicked her but. I just found out she has a viral infection too.

Dang weather! Hang in there!