Got Pneumonia?

laxer · Post by **laxer** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:37 am

So, early last week I rode to work (it's been getting a little chilly lately, but nothing too bad, just nice and brisk) like I always do. As I was at work, the weather turned, and I ended up riding from work to school (45 mins) in the pouring rain, sat through class (2 hrs) soaking wet from the waist down (had my jacket) and then rode 15 mins home. The next couple days I started to feel pretty lousy, and now I've missed a whole week of work, classes, etc. and the doc says I have "walking pneumonia" (feels like I'm the walking dead if I'm honest). I love my scooter, and I should have been more prepared for rain, but damn if this isn't the most miserable I've ever been in my life.

Just a word of caution, I guess, be prepared.

bigbropgo · Post by **bigbropgo** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:51 am

that blows dude! hope you get better soon. hopefully we still have a few more weeks of decent weather to ride in.

michelle_7728 · Post by **michelle_7728** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 3:21 am

I'm sorry to hear that. I've never had pneumonia, but it doesn't sound like fun. Take care of yourself and get better soon.

When you do get better, you might try these.

I use the ladies version, and even in downpours my legs stay dry. Also, they can fold down to almost nothing.

beastmaster · Post by **beastmaster** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 3:34 am

ouch man sucks, drink some hott tea , try some Tylenol am/pm and do some deep breathing exercise , i know you feel shitty but stay active and if possible sleep elevated

viney266 · Post by **viney266** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 5:00 am

Yeah, feel better, and keep coughing it out...

Been there once, and it sucks, but you will get better.

Ethan Allison · Post by **Ethan Allison** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 6:13 am

http://amzn.com/B002ZRQ4XS this looks like it might work as well if you want something cheap. Of course if you REALLY want something cheap you can make a kilt out of a garbage bag..

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:34 pm

Sorry to hear, I had the same thing this time last year. Apparently (according to the PA at my Doc's office..) if you have pneumonia at any time in your life it makes you predisposed to having it again.. sucks.

Anyway, get lots of rest, drink lots of fluids, and feel better soon!

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:35 pm

Ethan Allison wrote:amzn.com/B002ZRQ4XS this looks like it might work as well if you want something cheap. Of course if you REALLY want something cheap you can make a kilt out of a garbage bag..

+1 Excellent thinking. I figure any gas station would have garbage bags and would not mind selilng you one or 2 or just giving to you one or 2.
I bought on sale rain outfit this past summer. It is really big size and I always have it in my underseat compartment. 99% of the time I don;t even know it is there but that one time...Recently I went for my usual weekend ride. It was cloudy but forecast said no rain. Ten minutes into the ride it started pouring. I shoudl have been OK even without the rain suit . My leather jacket and ski pants should have been enough but I did not want to get my leather rained on so I stopped and put my rainsuit on for the first time. It fit perfectly over everything I was wearing. I looked like a butterball but I was dry. I also learned I do not like riding in the rain

A friend said places like Home Depot and others sell rainwear for construction etc. and it may be cheaper then motorcycle places? I have not checked.
Hope you feel beetter soon

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 3:50 pm

AWinn6889 wrote:Sorry to hear, I had the same thing this time last year. Apparently (according to the PA at my Doc's office..) if you have pneumonia at any time in your life it makes you predisposed to having it again.. sucks.

Anyway, get lots of rest, drink lots of fluids, and feel better soon!

Yes. Pneumonia is a bacterial infection where you have fluid in your lungs- however, atypical/walking pneumonia is atypical because it's usually caused by microorganisms other than bacteria.

It's also closely related to bronchitis, which is where you have a mild to extreme buildup of mucus in your lungs due to infection (note: bronchitis can turn into pneumonia if untreated or serious). I have chronic bronchitis- both diseases damage your lungs slightly each time you go through the ordeal, that's why you are more susceptible.

Luckily in your case, walking pneumonia tends to be much less serious that pneumonia- pneumonia can put people in hospitals for extended stays. It is also contagious for 10 days, and generally takes 10-15 days to begin to show symptoms- occasionally longer.

Your trip in the rain certainly didn't help anything by lowering your immune system's ability to work, and having been caught in the rain several times with my coat and lap cover still on order, I 100% advocate the emergency trash bag method- but walking pneumonia is a creeper, and you most likely already had it and didn't know it.

In any case, URI's *SUCK*. Steamy showers may make you feel a little better as well, but not for too long- don't want to add to the moisture in there. I hope you feel better!!

Lotrat · Post by **Lotrat** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 3:51 pm

laxer wrote:So, early last week I rode to work (it's been getting a little chilly lately, but nothing too bad, just nice and brisk) like I always do. As I was at work, the weather turned, and I ended up riding from work to school (45 mins) in the pouring rain, sat through class (2 hrs) soaking wet from the waist down (had my jacket) and then rode 15 mins home. The next couple days I started to feel pretty lousy, and now I've missed a whole week of work, classes, etc. and the doc says I have "walking pneumonia" (feels like I'm the walking dead if I'm honest). I love my scooter, and I should have been more prepared for rain, but damn if this isn't the most miserable I've ever been in my life.

Just a word of caution, I guess, be prepared.

Walking pneumonia is caused by the mycoplasma pneumoniae organism. You got it from someone else who was infected with it, not from being wet.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 4:03 pm

LunaP wrote:Yes. Pneumonia is a bacterial infection where you have fluid in your lungs- however, atypical/walking pneumonia is atypical because it's usually caused by microorganisms other than bacteria.

It's also closely related to bronchitis, which is where you have a mild to extreme buildup of mucus in your lungs due to infection (note: bronchitis can turn into pneumonia if untreated or serious). I have chronic bronchitis- both diseases damage your lungs slightly each time you go through the ordeal, that's why you are more susceptible.

I was out for more than a month my senior year of high school with pneumonia, and lots of other nasty things/infections/diseases, that resulted from an uncommon strain of mono ravaging my immune system (gee thanks sis!). Spent a good three weeks or so in the hospital. Fun fun. Then a few months later I had to get my tonsils out (which sucks when you are a grown 'adult' btw)!!

Anyway, what everyone else said! Always be prepared for rain, or if you know there's a decent chance for rain don't take the scoot!
Once the chance for rain/thunderstorms gets over 40%, I take the car.

Edwub · Post by **Edwub** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 5:04 pm

The term "walking pneumonia" is actually pretty generic, a just-as-generic-but-more-precise term is 'atypical pneumonia', which still doesn't tell ya much, other than a little about the symptoms. Pretty sure they generally try to figure out the exact cause, which is (to me, professionally) neat - let us know <.<

Anyway, it's still usually bacterial (just not the same common guys) or viral, but it can be fungal or even parasitic too!

The lab next door to mine works with Streptococcus pneumoniae

edit for: Whoops, sympathy! Doh! I'm sorry you got sick, and it sucks to get caught out in the rain, period. I can't afford a full rain suit, but I'm thinking about getting disposable polypropylene pants from lab and just tossing them on over my jeans next time I ride in a drizzle.

Buying cheap disposable plastic pants/ponchos may be a cheap and easy-to-store alternative if it's only occasional and accidental rain riding.

jprestonian · Post by **jprestonian** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 7:43 pm

Frogg Toggs are Da Bomb.
.

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 12:50 am

Pneumonia sucks...........
I seem to get 'Walking' just about every year now-a-days (sucks to get old) I call it 'walking' because it doesn't knock me into bed for 2 weeks.

Yeah, you didn't get it just because you got wet, that malarkey is just an old wives tale. Your resistance was down because you got wet and chilled.
I keep an Army PT uniform in my pet carrier all the time, not perfect but it was cheap, wind resistant and it keeps most (OK some

) of the water out. Bonus though, there's big retro-reflective stripes front and back of the jacket.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 3:25 am

Edwub wrote:The term "walking pneumonia" is actually pretty generic

Yeah, it really just means "pneumonia which isn't quite severe enough to keep you from getting out of bed".

jijifer · Post by **jijifer** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 5:25 am

I have had chronic lung infections since birth. Actually diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when I was 1 year old - sent from Alaska to Seattle as Anchorage didn't have the facilities to deal with Cystic Fibrosis. The humid air of Seattle cleared my lungs greatly and my first case of Pneumonia in full effect.

The key is to break up the gunk in your lungs and cough it up. A cold mist humid, especially in dry, dry, dry Denver will help and a good exportant like Mucinex. The longer the gunk stays in your lungs the more prone it is to infection so yep, start coughing it up STAT.

I take Mucinex at the first sign my chest is tightening. I haven't been hospitalized since I was kid but yep - most of my colds sit in my chest. But I had to run a humidifier CONSTANTLY my years in Denver/Boulder because it was just too dang dry.

Good luck. You'll feel better soon.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 3:35 pm

KABarash wrote:Pneumonia sucks...........
I seem to get 'Walking' just about every year now-a-days (sucks to get old) I call it 'walking' because it doesn't knock me into bed for 2 weeks.

I heard they came out with a pneumonia vaccine... maybe you'd qualify and it would help you some? I tried to get them to give me one for the chronic bronchitis, they basically told me I needed 20 or 30 more years before they'd consider it

AWinn6889 wrote:
LunaP wrote:Yes. Pneumonia is a bacterial infection where you have fluid in your lungs- however, atypical/walking pneumonia is atypical because it's usually caused by microorganisms other than bacteria.

It's also closely related to bronchitis, which is where you have a mild to extreme buildup of mucus in your lungs due to infection (note: bronchitis can turn into pneumonia if untreated or serious). I have chronic bronchitis- both diseases damage your lungs slightly each time you go through the ordeal, that's why you are more susceptible.
I was out for more than a month my senior year of high school with pneumonia, and lots of other nasty things/infections/diseases, that resulted from an uncommon strain of mono ravaging my immune system (gee thanks sis!). Spent a good three weeks or so in the hospital. Fun fun. Then a few months later I had to get my tonsils out (which sucks when you are a grown 'adult' btw)!!

Anyway, what everyone else said! Always be prepared for rain, or if you know there's a decent chance for rain don't take the scoot!
Once the chance for rain/thunderstorms gets over 40%, I take the car.

I've been through the 4- infections at once thing... although I wasn't hospitalized, I maybe should have been. I had a viral infection that stayed for WAY LONGER than it should have, left me with an infection in both ears, and a sinus infection turning bronchitis. Not pretty.

Tonsilectomies suck- I haven't had one, but when I was married my husband had to have his out, we were 22... I don't know who was more miserable. Him, or me having to take care of him -_-

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