Home Care of Pneumonia

[Dale00]

Just in case you suspect that you or a loved one has or is getting pneumonia
What items might be useful to have on hand?

Based on personal experience and the "wisdom of the internet":

Better info to advise the doctor over the phone or via Skype:
1. Oral thermometer for body temp
2. Finger oximeter to determine % oxygen saturation

If there is no room for you in the hospital:
1. Heating pads or hot water bottles to help with chest pain
2. CPAP machines may help somewhat with getting oxygen into your bloodstream

Discuss

 

[stick4]

Good thread Dale. I'll just post that having a humidifier going will help a lot. That and what you mentioned is all I can think of for DIY Pneumonia care.

 

[KOPBET]

500 rolls of TP.

 

[SlugSlinger]

Antibiotics - Massive Dosages!

 

[MacFromOK]

Don't they also need to be turned from side to side in order to reduce fluid buildup in the lungs?

Not a Doc.

 

[RickN]

They had my head and chest elevated some, plus anything that will make you pee a lot. They had me on large doses of Lasix. Enough that I refused to take any more unless they put the cath back in. Hated it but better than drowning. Your doc should give you a scrip for it if you get pneumonia.

 

[donner]

i was shocked at the end of january to find out i had pneumonia. No chest pain but fever that wouldn't go away.

Got hit with high dosages of steroids and antibiotics (both shots and take home meds). A combination that actually caused more side effect issues for me later than the pneumonia.

I was also told to take deep breaths and hold them. To really force clean air into the deeper parts of my lungs to facilitate healing.

 

[yukonjack]

I just went through this. Kin

Antibiotics - Massive Dosages!

Not entirely true. There is bacterial pneumonia which requires antibiotics and viral pneumonia which does NOT require antibiotics. It's important to get the correct diagnosis.

 

[rlongnt]

Massive doses of expectorant and take the hottest shower you can stand for as long as you can stand it, the steam will help hack that $#!& up out of your lungs. Sleep as inclined as you can. Albuterol is the greatest thing ever but anything that suppresses a cough is your enemy. Got to get that $#!& out.

 

[John6185]

Many died in POW camps with pneumonia because they would crawl up in some dark corner and lay around in their misery. They found out later that they should have been more active to aid in the elimination of fluid buildup in their lungs and more would have lived to see freedom. I read this a few decades ago in my travels. It also can cause sepsis...