11 Year with Pneumonia - I Don't Know What Else to Do.. Any Advice?

Do you have a recliner? If so have her sleep in that. Laying down the coughing gets worse. Or prop her up, let her sleep as much as she can. If you feel the dr is not helping, get a second opinion. She does need to stay on the meds. Good luck

you are right to be concerned. sometimes docs are quick to overmedicate. I would seek another opinion. this doesnt sound right

She definitely needs to finish out the antibiotics and keep up with the neb treatments every four hours or however often you doc suggested. She should stay in bed under the covers and rest as much as possible. Also give her a cough med for the cough or some cough drop to soothe her throat so she isn't hacking. She is old enough. She should also be getting motrin or tylenol for any sort of fever or if she is really achey. If she gets worse or is having real trouble breathing that isn't controlled by neb treatments take her back to the doc or ER. Pneumonia can very serious. It does have to run its course, but she should absolutely not return to school until she is 100% better. Her chest is clear and she has her energy back. I wish your daughter a fast recovery.

My first truly bad case of pneumonia I was in bed for over 2 weeks... much of it in delirium. I was USMC at the time and in the field, so as soon as I was mobile I was back out again in the field. I over did it (duh) and the pneumonia stretched on in a "walking pneumonia" stage for approximately 4 months, and I've gotten pneumonia every winter since that I spend in a damp environment. The docs said if I had stayed in bed until I was actually well it would have probably run it's course within a month, as it did with everyone else in my platoon who contracted it but who was smart enough to stay on bed rest. So too, none of my old mates have the annual recurrences. Ah well, that's what ya get for being bulletproof & invisible.

The school should absolutely facilitate your daughter staying home. Work can be sent to her to do a bed. If they don't bend over backwards to help your daughter recover, darn well make them. The overstrict attendance policies written to curb cutting class need to be set aside for true medical problems. Ditto Family Medical Leave Act protects parents' jobs while caring for ill children.

What I do when I've got pneumonia:

- Antibiotics
- Tylenol + Motrin to keep my fever below 103 (mine will spike to 104.6 and hold otherwise).
- Codeine Cough Syrup
- Sudafed (Rx type, not antihistamine type)
- Rest. AKA SLEEP. When I start feeling like I can get up I start doing mentally active things instead... for me that also equals school work.
- Push Fluids
- Eat high fat, easily digestible food (aka chicken soup & McDonald's burgers & fries)
- Cold Compresses over my eyes and on the back of my neck almost continuously.
- Avoid drafts and sudden changes in temp.
- Have someone else wash and dry my hair (hair needs to NOT air dry)
- Massages (usually I self massage, but it's great when my mum comes over and helps out).
- Keep in touch with my Doc. I'm super familiar with this illness, and I have "swimmers" lungs (2.5 times larger than the population at large). That said... I keep my doc updated daily if i'm having a bad run (most of my runs these days are walking pneumonia... but I periodically get hit hard).

Oh, this is so hard. The M.'s before me gave great advice and encouragement. Don't be afraid to keep in touch with the doctor if you have any doubt. Don't be embarrassed.

Also, think about what you have in the house or her room. There are things that can be a trigger for asthma. Don't use any sprays or cleaning supplies near your daughter that could aggravate things. I use and sell what I truly believe to be the non-toxic cleaners available, along with other natural and wellness products. i had no idea until I got into this that many of our cleaning supplies can contribute to asthma.

If you don't think your daughter is ready then keep her home on Monday. The teachers will understand. Mother knows best.

I just wanted to respond as someone in the medical field, not all pneumonia is bacterial, so there is a chance that it is viral, in which case the antibiotics are not going to do anything for her. She absolutely should keep up with the breathing treatments and do not be afraid to give her Motrin for the pain. And after all that, let her rest! Do not send her to school on Monday! There is nothing that can not be explained with a note from your doc.

Call the Doctor and see if he expected it to take a few days before the Antibiotic really starts to help. IF your Mommie "gut" is telling you that something needs to be done or is more serious, take her to a different hospital. Children's Hospital is not that far away if you have to. Don't sit back and wait if you suspect that she needs more help than she is getting. In the meantime, have her sit in the cold air for a minute if she is having a coughing fit. DO NOT send her back to school until she is at least stable and on the road to recovery. Finally, don't take chances.

Good luck. I hope she feels better real soon. Scary stuff.
N.

Hi Sandra,

Isn't it just the scariest when our children are this sick?

Now, I am not a doctor, but -- When I was around 12 or 13 I had pneumonia. I will never forget it. I want you to know that everything you are doing for your daughter, I had, too -- the nebulizer, the inhaler, I am sure I was on all sorts of things on top of that. It was a long battle. It was right around Christmas so we have pictures of me from around that time and I looked just how you are describing your daughter.

I don't have an exact path to tell you to follow. But I just want you to know that I think you are doing what you need to do and it is just something you need to wait on. Pneumonia is a serious illness so it needs time, I'm sure, to get out of her body. Just trust your doctor, and if your gut tells you to get a second opinion then follow your trustworthy mommy instincts.

Keep an eye on her of course with her breathing. And take her to the ER or back to her doctor if she starts having a lot more difficulty and things get worse. But just love on her even though your nights are long. So she needs lots of milk shakes and hugs. And send her back to school when you feel comfortable. You don't want to worry about her all day. Can you get work sent home?

You're doing a great job! Take a deep breath and you'll get through this. She has the medicine she seems to need.

Take Care,
Emily

Call the dr, there are many kinds of pheumonia and only certain antibiotics work for them. It is best to do a chest x ray and usually they can tell what kind of pheumonia it is from it and prescribe the right antibiotics. She might need a different antibiotic, especially if they gave her the old standard for pheumonia zythromax. She probabky needs somehting stronger , is she on Biaxian or Cipro? Definitely give her another day to heal before going ot school , opheumonia takes a week to even remotely start to recover and then you still have anothe rweek or trying to feel back to normal. has she been tested or checked for Cystic fibrosis? Take milk and dairy products away from her till she gets a bit better, thye make more mucus and will aggrivate and make the pheumonia worse. Please call the dr and see if her antibiotic needs to be stronger., Give her motrin instead of tylenol, she needs that anti inflamatiory (unless she has reflux or an allergy of course). Hope those tips help. You can do that albuterol up to every 3-4 hours too if she seems to be having that much trouble breathing. What are you puttin gin hte nebulizer? Pulmacort or albuterol? Do not do albuterol neb and abluterol inhaler. Do the nebs they WORK much better than inhalers. good luck and hope she is on the mend soon!
J.

Hi- I didn't read all the responses but pneumonia is very serious. I had it in my early 20's and took over 3 weeks to recover. I was working in an office and missed weeks of work.Fifth or sixth grade is not more important than her health, do not send her back to school until she is totally well. You can get independant study for her to work at home and keep up. I would really listen to your gut on this, maybe take her to a different doctor. The antibiotics may just take a while to kick in OR she may be resistant to the family of antibioitcs she was perscribed. Pennicilin and anything in that family does not work for me. It took two whole series before the doctor tried something else and then magically the infection started to clear up. Please do not take this lightly, I was a very healthy and strong 23 year old who could have died from this illness. Remember to listen to your heart if you think something isn't right find a doctor that will listen. Hope she gets well soon!

how long has she been on this antibiotic?? if it has been 2 or 3 days and she is nto showing any signs of improvement then she might need another type of antibiotic.. you shoudl take her back to thedr if she is not improving after 2 or 3 days. I would avoid the ER as that is a horrible place with even more germs and tons of really sick people..

pneumonia is serious. it took my daughter 2 or 3 weeks to get totally 100% better.

You should not stop the drugs and let pneumonia take its course.. she could die.

Lots of good advice, I just wanted to add, definately sleeping in the recliner, my Daughter who is 51/2 has been dealing with this for 4 weeks, it's awful. it started with a sinus infection, (antibiotics 2 weeks) not better, chest x-rays, inhaler etc, we do a steam shower 2-3 x a day that really helps along with childrens mucinex.
Good luck I hope she feels better soon. We went weekly to the dr. to continue checking her lungs and oxygen. I was also told this has been the worst year for coughs they seem to be lasting 4-6 weeks. My poor Daughter coughs so hard she throws up 3-4 times a day.
Just kee a close eye on her, don't send her to school she needs to sleep upright as much as possible.

Our daughter went through this a couple of times and it was terrible. Finish the antibiotic. It will take a while for her little body to get the rest and help it needs. Hang in there.. Do call the Doctors office just to reassure yourself, if you need.

Once our child was really suffering with her asthma, on that trip to the hospital it was a bitter cold night.. Her coughing and wheezing stopped (like a miracle) once we got to the Emergency room. We told the doctor and he said sometimes a moment in the cold will help the lungs open up. We only used this technique one other time when really considering going to the ER and it worked..

No matter what we all say, always follow your mommy heart and brain, this way you will never have any regrets.

I think she need to go the the ER and/or be in the hospital.
They do so even for walking Pneumonia...

Make sure she is hydrated....and if the meds are NOT working... then she needs another type....

Pneumonia is VERY serious... it has caused deaths.

She SHOULD NOT, SHOULD NOT... be returning to school... she is NOT recovered and she is STILL not well. Have her Doc write a note for her. Call the school/her teachers.... and talk to them.
The school can send all her work home.

Next, if she is this sick... and does not FULLY recover with rest and whatever she needs.... then it can permanently weaken her lungs and she can then have o ther lung related colds/conditions as well. THIS happened to my Mom. I, personally have asthma and had pneumonia as well... it is very scary. And you need to let her fully heal/rest/recover.
Which can take a long time.

I am surprised... that the Doctor did not send home any care instructions for her... from the hospital.
I think, she needs to be in the hospital.
My Mom, had walking Pneumonia... with much less suffering/symptoms as your daughter... and they had her IN the hospital for a few days. She was not just "sent home with meds" and that's it.

Her condition does not sound good, and I think personally, that she needs some sort of medical supervision or monitoring.
And, relapses can occur.... so you must keep that in mind. She could just get sick again... because she sounds very weak.

Did you take her to a regular hospital, or a children's hospital???
If it were me... I would take her back to the hospital.

All the best,
Susan

Please don't send her back to school yet. I was in this same situation in 6th grade and I ended up being sent back to school and told to just stop being a hypochondriac and drama queen and get over it, etc. I just kept getting worse and worse and having chronic breathing probs, sinus and UTIs, etc. and the end result was that doctor after doctor thought it was all in my head and I was making myself sick, when the truth is that my parents (and myself) were pushing me to go to school and get good grades, etc. I know this is NOT what you are saying, but anyway, I had antibiotic after antibiotic and was on them from 6th grade until I was 21 and finally said enough is enough!! and started fighting for myself and my health with homeopathy and diet. I found out much later that I have autoimmune problems that went undiagnosed all those years (I only found out because my daughters, unfortunately, inherited more severe ones from me....)

Take her to a children's hospital and FIGHT for her. Demand information. Ask the questions you have, no matter how dumb they may sound to your ears. Give them every bit of info- how much is she eating, how often is she peeing, how is she sleeping, how horrible her cough sounds, all the meds she is on (bring them!!) and how you feel about how she is doing. These are important!!!

Another thing you may consider, even after she is better, is to do some testing to see if she has any underlying disorders with autoimmune. If she has a history of breathing probs, UTIs, sinus infections, chronic pain/aches etc. she is at risk for autoimmune disorders.

I would definitely cut out ALL dairy and as much wheat (if not all) while she heals to let her body relax and not have to deal with the added mucous. I would go to Walgreens and get some Sambucol (elderberry supplement) to help boost her immune system, and I would get her regular chiropractor adjustments from a pediatric chiropractor.

If you have any questions, personally since I have traveled the path of a sick child myself, or for me in regards to how I deal with it since my children are often sick, please please don't hesitate to contact me. We have been through a lot of doctors!! If something doesn't feel right, get another opinion.

Hang in there!!!!
M.

I would take her to the ER and have them do a CT scan too see if there is anything else going on.
If they don't find anything else, get a steam vaporizer, Pure Lavendar oil and some Vicks Vapor Rub.
Use the Vaporizer in her room or wherever she is sleeping, the vaporizer should have a spot to put Vicks. Put some Vicks and Lavendar in that area.

Put some Vicks on her feet at night and put some socks on.
I use lavendar in the pure form but some put it in an oil to use it on the skin, You can put a drop of Lavendar oil on her sternum bone on the chest, you can do this several times a day or just at night. If you don't want to put it on her skin because she is already on antibiotics the Lavendar in the steam vaporizer should help her sleep.

Also get some spray bottles and fill with water add about 15 drops of lavendar oil to the water and start spraying the air in the house you can also spray anthing she sleeps on with a fine mist so it doesn't soak everything.

Lavendar Pure is a natural antibiotic anti Viral. I have used it in my house for yrs. My son's grandparents use the spray bottles in their house because they kept getting sick when all the grandkids would come spend time.

If she can handle it get her some anti oxidant vitamins. Try and get her some of the V8 vegtable/fruit juice.

When I say Lavendar pure that isn't a brand it just means real lavendar not the perfumy stuff. You will probably have to go to a healthfood or a natural store to get it.

.

Find a new doctor. If she is that miserable and there is NO relief at all, you need a second opinion. When you get it make sure to tell them ALL of the meds she is currently taking. That way they won't do something that will make it worse.

Do not send her to school if both you and she feel that she isn't ready. Pneumonia isn't something you mess with. Trust your instincts about this!!!

My 3 year old recently had pneumonia and then empyema (basically an infected pus pocket that antibiotics couldn't get to). If your child still isn't improving and you have a gut feeling that it's something bigger, I'd go to another doctor or an urgent care facility to get an x-ray and ultrasound to make sure it's not something like that!

I will be brief as I can. Asthma runs in my family. My grandmother died from an asthma attack nearly 14 years ago. My daughter who is now 26 years had chronic asthma and spent as much time in the hospital as in school due to asthma attacks. My son was born and was very sickly. At 2 years old he was on several different medications at time, albuterol, liquid steroids, prescribed cough meds, motrin,etc....Finally after several visits to Children's Memorial hospital (I don't doubt that Children's is an excellent and highly reputable hospital, we just ended up with a not-so-nice doctor on our last ever visit) and at least two private doctors i finally packed an overnight bag (because that is usually how much time you spend in Cook County's emergency room) and headed for Cook County hospital who have been known received some of the best fresh new doctors ever. 3-4 hours later my my son was diagnosed with walking pneumonia and had a cyst in his lungs and was admitted to the hospital for nearly 5 days. He was taken off all meds and the doctors dissolved the cyst in his lung. He is was never officially been diagnosed with asthma which has always confused me. My son will be 18 years old this month and is doing very well now. Since then whenever he coughs just once i start him on his inhaler 4 times a day which almost always wards off an oncoming cold. Never-the-less my advice:Take your daughter to a hospital emergency room immediately. Children who have difficulty breathing or who have pre-diagnosed asthma are always seen immediately so let them know that your daughter is not breathing correctly and the history of the issue from the beginning to the end. You and your daughter are in my prayers.