what is a tell tell sign of

[pdaddyII]

Bronchitis or Pneumonia ?

I started feeling really ill with tightness in my chest. I've been known to have severe anxiety attacks and thought this was what was going on. However, I was still able to control my breathing and stay calm, but the last attack was the scare of my life. All day yesterday and all night I felt like a pressure was on my chest and throat. My breathing is really shallow unless I force myself to take deeper breaths.

There is alot of pain like stabbing pain in my chest area. Not sure what is up with all that... I did take a treatment last night but it didn't do much for me at all. With stressing about leaving my job, finding another etc... I figured it would be anxiety, but i've never had an attack last for over 24hrs.

Biggest difference is that bronchitis is a NON-productive cough while pneumonia will bring up phlem. If you are bringing up phlem them depending on the color will let you know if
it's viral or bacterial. Viral mostly occcurs in the elderly so I'm guessing it's bacterial which will need to be cultured so the appropiate antibiotic can be prescribed.

Most determenantal diagnostic test is the chest ex-ray or sputum culture. If yo want to know right now....do you have access to a stethascope?

 

[stilleto]

i think i have ebola-zaire.

 

[SpyWizard]

you ladies need to stop smoking...

jk..

I had pluracy when i was 17... that's the stage before pneumonia, water in the lungs.. one of the side effects is you get to spend the rest of your life easily catching bronchitis..

symptoms for me were flu, then rasping, shallow breathing (go figure)..

good luck..

 

[stilleto]

you ladies need to stop smoking...

jk..

I had pluracy when i was 17... that's the stage before pneumonia, water in the lungs.. one of the side effects is you get to spend the rest of your life easily catching bronchitis..

symptoms for me were flu, then rasping, shallow breathing (go figure)..

good luck..

i've had pluracy when i was young too. that was a scary feeling.

 

[heatherrae]

Friskers, is it possible that you have undiagnosed asthma? It sounds like you may be having asthma attacks.

 

[musclemom]

Biggest difference is that bronchitis is a NON-productive cough while pneumonia will bring up phlem. If you are bringing up phlem them depending on the color will let you know if
it's viral or bacterial. Viral mostly occcurs in the elderly so I'm guessing it's bacterial which will need to be cultured so the appropiate antibiotic can be prescribed.

Most determenantal diagnostic test is the chest ex-ray or sputum culture. If yo want to know right now....do you have access to a stethascope?

Pdaddy, explain something to me:

How is it that every time I've had bronchitis (and I've had bronchitis many, MANY times), it was a bad ass cough and crud (usually yellow) was coming up. In fact, I generally didn't get any relief from the "tickle" until something came up.

However, when I had pneumonia I never coughed, not once. It really felt like my lungs were "broken." Granted, I had "chickenpox pneumonia" (my son gave me the chickenpox when I was 27 and I was very, very sick with it) but it was in both lungs and nearly killed me. I was in the hospital for a week on antiviral drugs.

I actually went to the ER twice. The first time I described my symptoms, they did an EKG on me and sent me home (bear in mind, I was COVERED with pox, you couldn't touch anywhere on my face/upper torso and not hit a blister). The second time, 24 hours later, I actually called my (HMO) doctor's office and said "I think I'm dying." Turns out I was.

I am telling you, I have lived it, and viral pneumonia does not always cause a cough.

 

[stilleto]

btw, i am bringing up lots of stuff. like, garbage bags full.

 

[pdaddyII]

Pdaddy, explain something to me:

How is it that every time I've had bronchitis (and I've had bronchitis many, MANY times), it was a bad ass cough and crud (usually yellow) was coming up. In fact, I generally didn't get any relief from the "tickle" until something came up.

However, when I had pneumonia I never coughed, not once. It really felt like my lungs were "broken." Granted, I had "chickenpox pneumonia" (my son gave me the chickenpox when I was 27 and I was very, very sick with it) but it was in both lungs and nearly killed me. I was in the hospital for a week on antiviral drugs.

I actually went to the ER twice. The first time I described my symptoms, they did an EKG on me and sent me home (bear in mind, I was COVERED with pox, you couldn't touch anywhere on my face/upper torso and not hit a blister). The second time, 24 hours later, I actually called my (HMO) doctor's office and said "I think I'm dying." Turns out I was.

I am telling you, I have lived it, and viral pneumonia does not always cause a cough.

There are exceptions to this if there are other factors at work. For example when your body is immunocompromised from pnemonia or bronchitis many other opportunistic infections lurk to invade your body while its defese system is down. The most popular being the common cold. Or perhaps you had allergies?

There is a chance you will have a productive cough with bronchitis early on and it hasn't reached any chronic phase of disease process. Textbook symptoms for it are dry hacky cough without relief. The difficulty breathing is due to inflammation and constriction of the airway causing a 'wheezing' sound from the lung bases. In pneumonia it's the avioli sacs in the lungs that are the cause of the problem and mucus is the main culprit. This is why the lung sounds heard are more 'wet' described as rales or rhonchi in nature.

If you are susceptable to pneumonia I would urge anyone to get the pnemovaccine. It lasts you up to 5 years and your Dr office should have it readily in stock.

 

[pdaddyII]

Pdaddy, explain something to me:

How is it that every time I've had bronchitis (and I've had bronchitis many, MANY times), it was a bad ass cough and crud (usually yellow) was coming up. In fact, I generally didn't get any relief from the "tickle" until something came up.

However, when I had pneumonia I never coughed, not once. It really felt like my lungs were "broken." Granted, I had "chickenpox pneumonia" (my son gave me the chickenpox when I was 27 and I was very, very sick with it) but it was in both lungs and nearly killed me. I was in the hospital for a week on antiviral drugs.

I actually went to the ER twice. The first time I described my symptoms, they did an EKG on me and sent me home (bear in mind, I was COVERED with pox, you couldn't touch anywhere on my face/upper torso and not hit a blister). The second time, 24 hours later, I actually called my (HMO) doctor's office and said "I think I'm dying." Turns out I was.

I am telling you, I have lived it, and viral pneumonia does not always cause a cough.

Have you ever had any pulmonary tests done? Do you have any other umbrella COPD symptoms ie. asthma, emphysema etc.? Do you find yourself short of breath easily with exhertion even when you don't have bronchitis? What was the reasoning for the EKG?

Bronchitis will make you cough, that's part of the package deal. Pnemonia sufferer's don't have that unless the secretions in the lungs are loosened with fluid therapy, percussion therapy or even simply repositioning.

 

[pdaddyII]

btw, i am bringing up lots of stuff. like, garbage bags full.

what color?