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What does pnuemonia feel like

theLostMiler

New member
Just wondering. I have been having a lot of pain in my chest, just like in general with breathing lately. Normally its worst when I wake up and tends to get better with treatments and during the day, but night and mornings are hard.

Also every joint feels like it hurts, my tendons, some muscles.

I have been on merrem (2g) and bactrim (DS 2 pills x 3 a day) and inhaled tobi.

My docs dont seem concerned I have these body aches that I think people get with the flu, I have been feeling like I've been fighting off something off an on since october so I still dont have my flu shot.

I just did my last doses of merrum and bactrim last night, I didnt know if such a high dose of bactrim was possibly causing the pain either.

Just feeling crappy in general, not sure if its pneumonia, or the flu or abx or anything but progressive cf either?
 

theLostMiler

New member
Just wondering. I have been having a lot of pain in my chest, just like in general with breathing lately. Normally its worst when I wake up and tends to get better with treatments and during the day, but night and mornings are hard.

Also every joint feels like it hurts, my tendons, some muscles.

I have been on merrem (2g) and bactrim (DS 2 pills x 3 a day) and inhaled tobi.

My docs dont seem concerned I have these body aches that I think people get with the flu, I have been feeling like I've been fighting off something off an on since october so I still dont have my flu shot.

I just did my last doses of merrum and bactrim last night, I didnt know if such a high dose of bactrim was possibly causing the pain either.

Just feeling crappy in general, not sure if its pneumonia, or the flu or abx or anything but progressive cf either?
 

theLostMiler

New member
Just wondering. I have been having a lot of pain in my chest, just like in general with breathing lately. Normally its worst when I wake up and tends to get better with treatments and during the day, but night and mornings are hard.
<br />
<br />Also every joint feels like it hurts, my tendons, some muscles.
<br />
<br />I have been on merrem (2g) and bactrim (DS 2 pills x 3 a day) and inhaled tobi.
<br />
<br />My docs dont seem concerned I have these body aches that I think people get with the flu, I have been feeling like I've been fighting off something off an on since october so I still dont have my flu shot.
<br />
<br />I just did my last doses of merrum and bactrim last night, I didnt know if such a high dose of bactrim was possibly causing the pain either.
<br />
<br />Just feeling crappy in general, not sure if its pneumonia, or the flu or abx or anything but progressive cf either?
 

LouLou

New member
When I last had pneumonia in 1999 it felt like there were little men with matches throughout my lungs striking them up and then blowing them out. The pain was all over and constant. It also felt like I had a belt tied around my ribcage as I was unable to get a full breath. I was also coughing out tons of mucus that was brown. I recall filling a dixie when my roomie (I was in college) said something must be wrong and that I needed to see a doctor. Also, I had a low grade fever and the thought of food literally made me gag. Sick puppy.

Has your doctor sent your sputum off for synergy testing (Ontario)? To me it sounds like you are missing treating one of your bugs. Although you didn't mention your cough or mucus...are they back to baseline or still increased?
 

LouLou

New member
When I last had pneumonia in 1999 it felt like there were little men with matches throughout my lungs striking them up and then blowing them out. The pain was all over and constant. It also felt like I had a belt tied around my ribcage as I was unable to get a full breath. I was also coughing out tons of mucus that was brown. I recall filling a dixie when my roomie (I was in college) said something must be wrong and that I needed to see a doctor. Also, I had a low grade fever and the thought of food literally made me gag. Sick puppy.

Has your doctor sent your sputum off for synergy testing (Ontario)? To me it sounds like you are missing treating one of your bugs. Although you didn't mention your cough or mucus...are they back to baseline or still increased?
 

LouLou

New member
When I last had pneumonia in 1999 it felt like there were little men with matches throughout my lungs striking them up and then blowing them out. The pain was all over and constant. It also felt like I had a belt tied around my ribcage as I was unable to get a full breath. I was also coughing out tons of mucus that was brown. I recall filling a dixie when my roomie (I was in college) said something must be wrong and that I needed to see a doctor. Also, I had a low grade fever and the thought of food literally made me gag. Sick puppy.
<br />
<br />Has your doctor sent your sputum off for synergy testing (Ontario)? To me it sounds like you are missing treating one of your bugs. Although you didn't mention your cough or mucus...are they back to baseline or still increased?
 
K

kfw1963

Guest
One time I had pneumonia the pain was so bad I was unable to get out of bed. I literally tried to sit up and couldn't. The pain was acute and breathing hurt. It took almost 3 weeks before the pain was gone and even then I still had some discomfort. Now not all pneumonia is this bad I had another case this spring and didn't feel much worse than normal. Pft's were down slightly and my 02 sat was low but other than that I felt ok. I guess the bottom line is pneumonia can take many different forms so if you are uncertain you should contact your doc and be seen just to be safe.
 
K

kfw1963

Guest
One time I had pneumonia the pain was so bad I was unable to get out of bed. I literally tried to sit up and couldn't. The pain was acute and breathing hurt. It took almost 3 weeks before the pain was gone and even then I still had some discomfort. Now not all pneumonia is this bad I had another case this spring and didn't feel much worse than normal. Pft's were down slightly and my 02 sat was low but other than that I felt ok. I guess the bottom line is pneumonia can take many different forms so if you are uncertain you should contact your doc and be seen just to be safe.
 
K

kfw1963

Guest
One time I had pneumonia the pain was so bad I was unable to get out of bed. I literally tried to sit up and couldn't. The pain was acute and breathing hurt. It took almost 3 weeks before the pain was gone and even then I still had some discomfort. Now not all pneumonia is this bad I had another case this spring and didn't feel much worse than normal. Pft's were down slightly and my 02 sat was low but other than that I felt ok. I guess the bottom line is pneumonia can take many different forms so if you are uncertain you should contact your doc and be seen just to be safe.
 

theLostMiler

New member
Thanks for answerering guys. I did ask my doctor about it, over the phone, I am 4+ hours away right now, they dont think its pneumonia though.

See a lot has happened in November for me. About the week before Halloween, I started having this weird popping, or clicking sound and feeling near my heart on my chest. I checked my sats and heartrate and nothing seemed abnormal. I described it to my doctor as it felt like gas bubbling to the top and hitting my chest b/c it didnt go with my breathing or with my heart rate. Then a couple days after that, I got this rattle in my left lower lobe, that I could not cough out, I would a huff cough as hard as I could and it would be clear, yet I couldnt shake it. I basically slept only on my right side as those were just annoying, but not necessarily painful.

Well I had a clinic appt. scheduled for the 8th of Nov, b/c I thought I needed ivs, my sats had been a little worse than normal but we all (doctors and I) attributed it to needing ivs for an exacerbation. My pfts were 33%, when I typically range from 39%-41%. So based on all my symptoms I was admitted to the hospital. I got an x-ray done to see if the rattle was a pneumonia spot and it turns out it was a partially collasped lung (so thats pretty much 2 weeks of walking around w/ a partially collasped lung... I even went to S.F. early a couple days to hang out with a friend, and we went walking around a LOT lol).

I had no idea. But it explained the bubbling/clicking/popping sound I had ha.

So when they reinflated the lung w/ a pigtail chest tube and suction, thats when it started hurting... instead of a brick being lifted off my chest, I felt like it was put on my chest... it was crazy.

I had pain pills, which backed me up a bit, then on top of it started bactrim which always makes me nauseous. I was trying to do tube feeds it was horrible.

My docs said that my old culture had my M.A. as pretty much resistant except to tigacycline so they had decided they arent treating that at all b/c I need to have some reserve drugs for after transplant. Then my new cultures showed a pan-resistant psuedo but intermediate to zosyn which Im allergic too (but desensativity is an option). I was on merrem and bactrim and feeling better at the time, so we just went with those at home b/c we based off how I was feeling as well as not wanting to change drugs half way through. Then I got a ct scan which showed in about a year, a tiny cyst, grew to the size of a golf ball, so they are worried about that but cant say if its M.A. or any other bug I have. My doc said I have very atypical cf lungs b/c my cysts are huge where as most cf'ers have little ones.

So it all kinda scared the crap out of me, normally im pretty tough and optimistic but it really hit me that, transplant might be sooner rather than later based on my sensativies. I feel like the past 2 years have been a rollercoaster... it was introduced in 2008 and so its like, transplant is within a year, then I do good for a while and its like transplant is years away, then its like transplant is ASAP... so Im just like, whoa.

My doc said that sensativies are somewhat controversial in the cf world and that some docs dont even use them (can you believe that). Basically he said with the culture, "You are picking a tree out of the forest" metaphorically.

On top of this, Im trying to move in with my boyfriend (which is good, but stressful), my mom got a kidney stone and she was my nurse (the only reason I got to leave the hospital earlier) and I am trying to graduate this year, but have missed over 3 weeks of school and counting, not that my teachers arent super nice and accomadating, but Im going to have to make up the work somehow, and I hate to say it, but I wish they would just excuse me of the few things in each class (luckily only have 2 right now) and let me walk without having to take incompletes to make up by next spring, b/c I feel like, I might be living in LA by then (the hospital who said they would tx me, is UCLA).

le sigh. sorry to unload, but its hard not to stress right now... i actually got prescribed ativan for home use now haha.


I looked up some more about Bactrim, and on a testimonal site (which is both good and bad lol) some people did say they felt like super achy and mentioned muscle soreness too (Others were like, I puked and had diarrhea, well duh! its and abx). I think since its such a high dose it was just killing me.

And I had some bad hemoptysis episodes, well for me, and it was over turkey weekend, on on monday my doctors said well if that happens again, I need to go to s.f. to have an embolization maybe b/c it could be that cyst.

I am done with my treatment b/c my docs were thinking that might be the pain so they didnt up me for another week (thank goodness), and I see them in a week for pfts, a CT scan (see what that golf ball sized one did) and check up.

Again thanks for reading, if you made it this far. Its definitely not the worst thing that could be happening, but its still hard to deal with everything going on around me I feel like, and since i still feel pretty shitty, I think I feel less in control b/c I cant really help out with anything.
 

theLostMiler

New member
Thanks for answerering guys. I did ask my doctor about it, over the phone, I am 4+ hours away right now, they dont think its pneumonia though.

See a lot has happened in November for me. About the week before Halloween, I started having this weird popping, or clicking sound and feeling near my heart on my chest. I checked my sats and heartrate and nothing seemed abnormal. I described it to my doctor as it felt like gas bubbling to the top and hitting my chest b/c it didnt go with my breathing or with my heart rate. Then a couple days after that, I got this rattle in my left lower lobe, that I could not cough out, I would a huff cough as hard as I could and it would be clear, yet I couldnt shake it. I basically slept only on my right side as those were just annoying, but not necessarily painful.

Well I had a clinic appt. scheduled for the 8th of Nov, b/c I thought I needed ivs, my sats had been a little worse than normal but we all (doctors and I) attributed it to needing ivs for an exacerbation. My pfts were 33%, when I typically range from 39%-41%. So based on all my symptoms I was admitted to the hospital. I got an x-ray done to see if the rattle was a pneumonia spot and it turns out it was a partially collasped lung (so thats pretty much 2 weeks of walking around w/ a partially collasped lung... I even went to S.F. early a couple days to hang out with a friend, and we went walking around a LOT lol).

I had no idea. But it explained the bubbling/clicking/popping sound I had ha.

So when they reinflated the lung w/ a pigtail chest tube and suction, thats when it started hurting... instead of a brick being lifted off my chest, I felt like it was put on my chest... it was crazy.

I had pain pills, which backed me up a bit, then on top of it started bactrim which always makes me nauseous. I was trying to do tube feeds it was horrible.

My docs said that my old culture had my M.A. as pretty much resistant except to tigacycline so they had decided they arent treating that at all b/c I need to have some reserve drugs for after transplant. Then my new cultures showed a pan-resistant psuedo but intermediate to zosyn which Im allergic too (but desensativity is an option). I was on merrem and bactrim and feeling better at the time, so we just went with those at home b/c we based off how I was feeling as well as not wanting to change drugs half way through. Then I got a ct scan which showed in about a year, a tiny cyst, grew to the size of a golf ball, so they are worried about that but cant say if its M.A. or any other bug I have. My doc said I have very atypical cf lungs b/c my cysts are huge where as most cf'ers have little ones.

So it all kinda scared the crap out of me, normally im pretty tough and optimistic but it really hit me that, transplant might be sooner rather than later based on my sensativies. I feel like the past 2 years have been a rollercoaster... it was introduced in 2008 and so its like, transplant is within a year, then I do good for a while and its like transplant is years away, then its like transplant is ASAP... so Im just like, whoa.

My doc said that sensativies are somewhat controversial in the cf world and that some docs dont even use them (can you believe that). Basically he said with the culture, "You are picking a tree out of the forest" metaphorically.

On top of this, Im trying to move in with my boyfriend (which is good, but stressful), my mom got a kidney stone and she was my nurse (the only reason I got to leave the hospital earlier) and I am trying to graduate this year, but have missed over 3 weeks of school and counting, not that my teachers arent super nice and accomadating, but Im going to have to make up the work somehow, and I hate to say it, but I wish they would just excuse me of the few things in each class (luckily only have 2 right now) and let me walk without having to take incompletes to make up by next spring, b/c I feel like, I might be living in LA by then (the hospital who said they would tx me, is UCLA).

le sigh. sorry to unload, but its hard not to stress right now... i actually got prescribed ativan for home use now haha.


I looked up some more about Bactrim, and on a testimonal site (which is both good and bad lol) some people did say they felt like super achy and mentioned muscle soreness too (Others were like, I puked and had diarrhea, well duh! its and abx). I think since its such a high dose it was just killing me.

And I had some bad hemoptysis episodes, well for me, and it was over turkey weekend, on on monday my doctors said well if that happens again, I need to go to s.f. to have an embolization maybe b/c it could be that cyst.

I am done with my treatment b/c my docs were thinking that might be the pain so they didnt up me for another week (thank goodness), and I see them in a week for pfts, a CT scan (see what that golf ball sized one did) and check up.

Again thanks for reading, if you made it this far. Its definitely not the worst thing that could be happening, but its still hard to deal with everything going on around me I feel like, and since i still feel pretty shitty, I think I feel less in control b/c I cant really help out with anything.
 

theLostMiler

New member
Thanks for answerering guys. I did ask my doctor about it, over the phone, I am 4+ hours away right now, they dont think its pneumonia though.
<br />
<br />See a lot has happened in November for me. About the week before Halloween, I started having this weird popping, or clicking sound and feeling near my heart on my chest. I checked my sats and heartrate and nothing seemed abnormal. I described it to my doctor as it felt like gas bubbling to the top and hitting my chest b/c it didnt go with my breathing or with my heart rate. Then a couple days after that, I got this rattle in my left lower lobe, that I could not cough out, I would a huff cough as hard as I could and it would be clear, yet I couldnt shake it. I basically slept only on my right side as those were just annoying, but not necessarily painful.
<br />
<br />Well I had a clinic appt. scheduled for the 8th of Nov, b/c I thought I needed ivs, my sats had been a little worse than normal but we all (doctors and I) attributed it to needing ivs for an exacerbation. My pfts were 33%, when I typically range from 39%-41%. So based on all my symptoms I was admitted to the hospital. I got an x-ray done to see if the rattle was a pneumonia spot and it turns out it was a partially collasped lung (so thats pretty much 2 weeks of walking around w/ a partially collasped lung... I even went to S.F. early a couple days to hang out with a friend, and we went walking around a LOT lol).
<br />
<br />I had no idea. But it explained the bubbling/clicking/popping sound I had ha.
<br />
<br />So when they reinflated the lung w/ a pigtail chest tube and suction, thats when it started hurting... instead of a brick being lifted off my chest, I felt like it was put on my chest... it was crazy.
<br />
<br />I had pain pills, which backed me up a bit, then on top of it started bactrim which always makes me nauseous. I was trying to do tube feeds it was horrible.
<br />
<br />My docs said that my old culture had my M.A. as pretty much resistant except to tigacycline so they had decided they arent treating that at all b/c I need to have some reserve drugs for after transplant. Then my new cultures showed a pan-resistant psuedo but intermediate to zosyn which Im allergic too (but desensativity is an option). I was on merrem and bactrim and feeling better at the time, so we just went with those at home b/c we based off how I was feeling as well as not wanting to change drugs half way through. Then I got a ct scan which showed in about a year, a tiny cyst, grew to the size of a golf ball, so they are worried about that but cant say if its M.A. or any other bug I have. My doc said I have very atypical cf lungs b/c my cysts are huge where as most cf'ers have little ones.
<br />
<br />So it all kinda scared the crap out of me, normally im pretty tough and optimistic but it really hit me that, transplant might be sooner rather than later based on my sensativies. I feel like the past 2 years have been a rollercoaster... it was introduced in 2008 and so its like, transplant is within a year, then I do good for a while and its like transplant is years away, then its like transplant is ASAP... so Im just like, whoa.
<br />
<br />My doc said that sensativies are somewhat controversial in the cf world and that some docs dont even use them (can you believe that). Basically he said with the culture, "You are picking a tree out of the forest" metaphorically.
<br />
<br />On top of this, Im trying to move in with my boyfriend (which is good, but stressful), my mom got a kidney stone and she was my nurse (the only reason I got to leave the hospital earlier) and I am trying to graduate this year, but have missed over 3 weeks of school and counting, not that my teachers arent super nice and accomadating, but Im going to have to make up the work somehow, and I hate to say it, but I wish they would just excuse me of the few things in each class (luckily only have 2 right now) and let me walk without having to take incompletes to make up by next spring, b/c I feel like, I might be living in LA by then (the hospital who said they would tx me, is UCLA).
<br />
<br />le sigh. sorry to unload, but its hard not to stress right now... i actually got prescribed ativan for home use now haha.
<br />
<br />
<br />I looked up some more about Bactrim, and on a testimonal site (which is both good and bad lol) some people did say they felt like super achy and mentioned muscle soreness too (Others were like, I puked and had diarrhea, well duh! its and abx). I think since its such a high dose it was just killing me.
<br />
<br />And I had some bad hemoptysis episodes, well for me, and it was over turkey weekend, on on monday my doctors said well if that happens again, I need to go to s.f. to have an embolization maybe b/c it could be that cyst.
<br />
<br />I am done with my treatment b/c my docs were thinking that might be the pain so they didnt up me for another week (thank goodness), and I see them in a week for pfts, a CT scan (see what that golf ball sized one did) and check up.
<br />
<br />Again thanks for reading, if you made it this far. Its definitely not the worst thing that could be happening, but its still hard to deal with everything going on around me I feel like, and since i still feel pretty shitty, I think I feel less in control b/c I cant really help out with anything.
 

JennifersHope

New member
THough I am not a CFer I have had pneumonia over 28 times, usually it presents itself with shortness of breath, inability to lay flat and a sharp pain over the area where teh pneumonia is,

Hope you feel better soon,
 

JennifersHope

New member
THough I am not a CFer I have had pneumonia over 28 times, usually it presents itself with shortness of breath, inability to lay flat and a sharp pain over the area where teh pneumonia is,

Hope you feel better soon,
 

JennifersHope

New member
THough I am not a CFer I have had pneumonia over 28 times, usually it presents itself with shortness of breath, inability to lay flat and a sharp pain over the area where teh pneumonia is,
<br />
<br />Hope you feel better soon,
 

CFkitty

New member
Can you get a sputum culture to see what grows? My doctor is big on cultures so that he treats the bugs effectively (they have varying sensitivities and resistances).
 

CFkitty

New member
Can you get a sputum culture to see what grows? My doctor is big on cultures so that he treats the bugs effectively (they have varying sensitivities and resistances).
 

CFkitty

New member
Can you get a sputum culture to see what grows? My doctor is big on cultures so that he treats the bugs effectively (they have varying sensitivities and resistances).
 

theLostMiler

New member
Yea i do cultures regularly with sensativies... I getting resistant to a lot but those are outdated a bit, i am waitng on my m.a. Last time i was only sensative to tigacyclne

I think everything was from bactrim, online others (non cfers) had problems with lower doses than i was on and i stopped on monday and by wednedays i was finally getting unsore... I hae another pneumothorax, though still not painfill, amen, but its smaller, they are thinking it will heal on its own.
 

theLostMiler

New member
Yea i do cultures regularly with sensativies... I getting resistant to a lot but those are outdated a bit, i am waitng on my m.a. Last time i was only sensative to tigacyclne

I think everything was from bactrim, online others (non cfers) had problems with lower doses than i was on and i stopped on monday and by wednedays i was finally getting unsore... I hae another pneumothorax, though still not painfill, amen, but its smaller, they are thinking it will heal on its own.
 
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