Pneumonia

[Andrea1189]

About four weeks ago I started having signs of a sinus infection.  After a week and a half I saw the doctor, was diagnosed with both sinusitis and bronchitis and it appeared my asthma was in control, this was a Friday.  (I have had asthma my entire life and at the first signs of a sniffle and some tightness I immediately start a prednisone taper and Xopenex nebulizer). I was prescribed azithromycin and told to continue with my xopenex and prednisone.  I also took cough syrup, sudafed and motrin.  Saturday I was significantly worse and over the weekend it esciladed.  My temperature would go from 96.2 to 100.5 and back down over a 30min period.  Monday I went back to the doctor and she heard "crackling" and a lack of air movement in my lower left lung.  She diagnosed me with community acquired pneumonia. I was prescribed Robitussin with codeine to help me sleep, although all it really did was tire me slightly.  After another week of feeling completely miserable I started to breath better, my nose dried out, and my cough produced less and less green mucus.  Sleeping then was hard, but I was able to take my meds, settle down, sleep for about two hours, wake up again from coughing and repeat.  Now the coughin is much more dry as another week has passed, the nose has basically stopped and the breathing is better.  However, now I can not sleep.  Almost not at all.  Every time I am about to sleep I cough and the cycle repeats.  I have gotten no more than about 4-5 hours of sleep a night since I started being sick.  I was able to nap when I actually felt worse, but now I have a dry cough that keeps me from sleeping.  What should I do? What is causing this?  I have tried taking Benedryl to help me sleep, it has not helped.  

[andydandy]

Forgot to spell check!  Forgive !

[andydandy]

Noting the date on your question, I would assume you have either gone without sleep or hopefully received some help and are better now!
I have had what I guess is adult onset Asthma for 10+ years .. but never any serious problems.  Until late '06 a sinus infection, then mild flu like sumptoms and then the straw that broke the camel's back...my Advair stopped working ... and then an infection!  Family internist sent me to a Pulminoligist who diagnosed MycoPlasma Pneumoniae...He said I didn't have Asthma after a thourough case history...placed me on several drugs, a couple shots in the buns and sent me home.  Honestly I had never been on so many drugs and was sick enough to almost pray to die!  This was off and on for 4 months...many, many nights I spent in a chair because the wheezing was so bad when laying I couldn't sleep.  At one point the coughing almost killed me .. called Pulminoligist to be told I had to be seen to get cough medicine and I told her to tell the Dr I could not come in and that it could not be good to be coughing this much. (as it turned out they called in a prescription but forgot to tell me) finally I remembered I had a refill on some great cough medicine the family internist had given us at one time...must have codeine or something because it allowed me to finally sleep.  Over the counter syrup did nothing!  Histussin-HC Syrup.
I changed Dr's last June when I ended up in the hospital with an O'2 level of 85.  This group of Pulminoligists put me  back on Advair and it was working again!  I slowly recovered until January of this year when I had a mild cse of pneumonia...and again another infection until May.  Then. I was having trouble breathing only...on a nebulizer 4 times a day.  Had a family vacation in NC with 5 children, spouses and 14 grandchildren coming up in June which I couldn't imagine missing.  Family internist gave me a 3 month shot of steroids(never had that before) and Pulmonoligist gave me a vacation pack of steroid pills and antibiotic in case I caught something...I did not have to use the vacation pack and the shot was absolutely miraculous!  For the the first time in a year and a half, I felt like my old self!  Unfortunately it is beginning to dissapate...nose started to run excessively over the last few days along with a constant cough and mild breathing difficulties.  Finally today I realized it was the beginning of something so I started on the antibiotic...I can never through anything off on my own!
Here we go again...sure wish I had some answers.  Any thoughts would be appreciated!  Hope you solved your coughing....
AndyDandy