22nd December 2005
I was diagnosed with pneumonia in my left lung about 3-4 weeks ago. Until the end of last week, I was feeling better. Then the symptoms came back. I started feeling weak and really run down. I would get tired very early in the night which is uncommon for me. The coughing never quite went away, but is more frequent now. I have been experiencing a sense of pressure or tightness around the lower part of my rib cage. It can be felt more when laughing, sneezing, or coughing. The worst part is the dizziness and feeling so light headed. About once or twice a day, I will get so light headed that I feel as if I could pass out. I've been feeling a little nauseated, but I don't know if that is due to the dizziness or something else. I've also been running a fever. Last night it was 100.9. If I walk around or do too much, I start getting short of breath. The cold weather makes it hard to breath also. Since I was first diagnosed with pneumonia, I have had two more chest x-rays which have all turned out fine. I have had two blood tests also. The first one was done last Friday and my white count was a little high. My second, yesterday, said everything was normal. Along with the blood test yesterday I had a urine test and a throat swab. Again, everything turned out fine. When I was first diagnosed with pneumonia, I was given Biaxin which seemed to be helping until the end of last week. After they found out my white count was a little high, they prescribed me the Z-Pack. If I was still running a fever after I finished it, I was to call back. The doctor at the clinic yesterday acted as if she didn't know what's wrong. She said it's probably a viral infection, but it seems like with all the medication I've been on that I shouldn't be running a fever still. That's not to mention all of the other symptoms I've been having. She said the dizziness could be due to being a little dehydrated. I have another appointment tomorrow with a different doctor, but I would like to get some opinions from people on here who have had pneumonia. I believe that I never really got rid of the pneumonia to begin with. Any opinions or suggestions as to what I should do will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
