Maria Grant42 said:Are you experiencing any other symptoms? A cough? Pain in your ribs or just below the sternum? Any joint pain?
If you are feeling generally better—meaning no chills or rigors, and your temperature hasn't spiked above what you previously reported—then it stands to reason that the antibiotic is actually doing its job.
I am a bit confused, though; did your doctor specifically diagnose you with pneumonia or bronchitis?
When is your follow-up appointment?
If the malaise persists, or if the cough and fever continue to drag on, it might be worth getting a chest X-ray. At that point, we’d need to consider switching antibiotics to rule out the possibility that you've developed pneumonia.
Thanks for the reply and for asking the questions I neglected to mention myself.. 😉
I should have noted that I have a very heavy cough. Because I can't clear my throat properly, I've been taking Bisolvon, which has helped significantly; the coughing feels much more manageable now. I had a rengen taken the very first day the fever hit, and everything looked fine. Both the pulmonologist and my primary care physician listened to my lungs and confirmed they didn't hear anything unusual. As for fatigue, I don't feel weak at all!
Regarding the diagnosis, the doctor wasn't particularly specific. She just stated it was an upper respiratory infection and expressed relief that it hadn't moved down into the lungs. It actually surprised me how vague she was with the diagnosis. My follow-up is this Friday, once I finish the last dose of the antibiotic. For instance, I had no fever at all this morning, which is typical—I usually feel fine in the mornings, but by the afternoon, my eyes start stinging and I know the fever is returning.
Other than that, nothing hurts, aside from some chest discomfort from the coughing. That's about it.
