Pneumonia!

[AndrewMeronek]

I just got back from a bar gig. I've been getting my butt kicked hard by pneumonia the last week.

For safety: I'm 99% sure I'm not contagious; my fever broke earlier this week. But my body is definitely still in recovery mode.

I don't think I've ever really had pneumonia before - certainly not like this - where the infection has settled into my lungs like a hobo in a city park.

It sucks. I DO NOT RECOMMEND!

But anyway, it felt good to get the ol' body working again. There's nothing quite like some aggressive trombone big band lead playing to force the pipes to loosen up.

Time to pound my face into my pillow.

[LeTromboniste]

Oh man that sucks! Had pneumonia last fall, really awful. Make sure you do properly rest and do absolutely nothing for some days (and more than might feel necessary), even if you broke the fever and things are getting better. That thing can linger and cause complications otherwise, plus your immune system is now likely vulnerable to other infections because it's still fighting that pneumonia. Don't make the same mistake I did and underestimate it.

Mine started in the last couple days of September, I had no gigs the first week of October so I stayed home and did nothing, but then resumed a heavy schedule of gigging and teaching even though there were some persistent symptoms (I'd been warned that the cough can linger for some weeks and is not a cause for concern per se). It took over a month for the symptoms to clear out. But just as they were finally subsiding, I got really, really bad sinusitis, worst I've ever had. And when that was finally clearing out after 3 weeks ish, I started having the same deep lung cough again. No pneumonia, and no bacteria or virus that the doctors could find, "only" inflammatory bronchitis: leftover inflammation from the initial pneumonia possibly made worse by the sinusitis/rhinitis. It took weeks and a cocktail of corticosteroids (oral and inhaled) to get rid of it. So I was sick altogether from late September to almost Christmas, which left me exhausted to start the new year, and all these trips to the doctors, x-rays, bloodwork and medication put a big unexpected 4-figure dent in my finances. Still playing catch up on both fronts now. Definitely would not recommend!

[ghmerrill]

If you don't mind sharing this information ... what variety of pneumonia are we talking about? Is it mycoplasma pneumonia (AKA "M. pneumonia")? This is just a matter of curiosity for me (and partly left-over post-retirement professional interest)?

[atopper333]

Yeah, I had a bout with it and Flu A earlier this year. I ignored it and tried to work through it and wound up admitted into the hospital for seven and a half days and nearly went to ICU. The pneumonia was hard to shed as it appears I have scarring in my lungs due to multiple bouts with Covid. Definitely one plus on the rest…the body needs it. It’s been three months since I was discharged and I still can take full deep breath without having pain in the ribcage, and still have no endurance for physical activity.

Quite the nasty strand of respiratory ailments this year…can’t be to careful enough! I’d rest as much as you possibly can….

[LeTromboniste]

If you don't mind sharing this information ... what variety of pneumonia are we talking about? Is it mycoplasma pneumonia (AKA "M. pneumonia")? This is just a matter of curiosity for me (and partly left-over post-retirement professional interest)?

In my case, they didn't tell me the specific bacteria.

[AndrewMeronek]

Oh man that sucks! Had pneumonia last fall, really awful. Make sure you do properly rest and do absolutely nothing for some days (and more than might feel necessary), even if you broke the fever and things are getting better. That thing can linger and cause complications otherwise, plus your immune system is now likely vulnerable to other infections because it's still fighting that pneumonia. Don't make the same mistake I did and underestimate it.

At this point, this is what I'm not looking forward to. Many people have experiences of the 'ol body taking a while to fully heal . . .

My doctor has me hitting a solid round of antibiotics right now to make sure there's no resurgence, plus emphasis on probiotic foods. I also plan on making sure that I get enough sunlight - vitamin D is known to do great things for the immune system.

Speaking of food, for now I've started with two flavors of probiotic foods that are easily available where I live and reasonably tasty:

- Chobani Less Sugar Madagascar Vanilla & Cinnamon Greek Yogurt (Chobani makes other "less sugar" yogurts, but for some reason this is the flavor the stores around me carry.)
- Bubbies Fermented Kosher Dill Pickles

I've come to be a fan of "gourmet" pickles, but the room-temperature shelf-stable ones like Safie's are not probiotic. But the Bubbies brand uses a salt-fermenting recipe - a very different thing, with no vinegar. Bubbies also makes some really good fermented sauerkraut.

[AndrewMeronek]

In my case, they didn't tell me the specific bacteria.

Nor I. If for some reason I still have the infection after my antibiotics are done, I'd expect them to take a culture at that point.

[ghmerrill]

I'm a huge fan of pickles -- eating them, that is. Unfortunately, since I had a large kidney stone a couple of years ago I now avoid them except for infrequent indulgence. Pickles are very high in sodium, and high sodium is generally not what you want if you're facing certain medical issues -- especially with advancing age. It will increase your blood pressure and also raise calcium in urine which increases the chance of (calcium -- the most common) kidney stones forming. So I've really backed off pickles now. Just not worth the added risk for me. Kidney stones are not fun. In terms of probiotics, I've found some easily available probiotic capsules that are much more effective for me than any "natural" approach I've found.

[TheConnArtist70H]

Sorry to here this, I did not know how serious pneumonia was until my father was admitted to Hospital with a broken Leg. He contracted this whilst in hospital, and it took him from us within 36 hours.

Hopefully yours is not as bad as the strain he got, We all hope you make a speedy recovery

Al

[AndrewMeronek]

Pickles are very high in sodium, and high sodium is generally not what you want if you're facing certain medical issues

Definitely a good point. I do not have high blood pressure or kidney stones (knock on wood!!!) but I'll also note that there can be a surprising variety of salt in different brands of pickles. For example, the ubiquitous Claussen brand pickles have 990mg per pickle, whereas Agrosik Polish Dills have 115mg. I can clearly taste the difference, although the Agrosik I would consider a semi-sweet pickle because they add some sugar as well.

[ghmerrill]

... the Agrosik I would consider a semi-sweet pickle because they add some sugar as well.

Oh, good. So you get diabetes in addition to your other complications from sodium.

After a certain age, if you aggregate all the recommendations about eating and nutrition together, you come very close to "Don't eat anything, and drink only (preferably purified) water." Or maybe there are some vegetables and fruits you can eat. Unfortunately, that approach tends to leave you with a "healthful diet" but very low energy -- so that you can't exercise and remain active at the required levels. You can't win the "live forever" game (even assuming you'd want to). Then it's just a matter of where you want to draw the line -- or try to. After that, you decide that you might as well eat pickles and wash them down with the "water of life" (a combination that might require ingesting a certain amount of antacid substances -- which may contain other things you shouldn't ingest).

[AndrewMeronek]

Today I went to the local Meijer (common in Michigan, competitor to Wal-Mart) and found a few other probiotic foods:

Buttermilk
Kefir
Kambucha (Synergy brand)

So - for the buttermilk I'm looking for recipe ideas. I'm not really into buttermilk biscuits, so at least for starters I'm thinking of using it to make cream-based soups and dressings.

[ghmerrill]

Most probiotics work the way they do because of the different varieties of bacteria in them. And they're sensitive to heat. If you cook them (as in biscuits or soup) you'll be killing the bacteria -- and so eliminating the probiotic activity to at least some degree. Apparently heat-killed probiotics may retain some "health advantages" -- but not what the active bacteria provide. So cooking your probiobitc may or may not produce what you're looking for. It depends a lot on the specific strain of bacteria and what your goal is.