pneumonia

[juszczec]

Hi folks

I was sick last weekend when I joined the forum. Turns out I had pneumonia!

The antibiotics have worked well. I suspect the dr will clear me to start training.

He's gonna say start slow. Ok. Slow.

I haven't come back from something like this in years.

Any suggestions for starting slow? Lift weights every other day? Stretch on the days between?

Mark

 

[exile]

Whoa, pneumonia... that's major... how did you come to get pneumonia? If you were run down, or under a lot of physical or other kind of stress that lowered your immune response, then yes, start slow for sure.

I don't know what specific training strategy you follow. But I would keep my workouts short, intense, and kind of spaced out for the first little bit. Long steady workouts will kill you, if you're trying to recover from something like pneumonia. Short intense bursts with plenty, plenty of rest and recovery in between, in addition to being way more efficient, also seem to debilitate you much less.

Hope you recover quickly...

 

[shesulsa]

Pneumonia has a funny way of coming back on you. I've had pneumonia more times than I have fingers on one hand. Reduce your weights by half. Yes, half and increase your reps a tad. Keep your hydration level to 150%, get LOTS OF REST. If you feel bad at all or your fever starts to return STOP WORKING OUT and go BACK TO THE DOCTOR.

Pneumonia is nothing to take lightly and not a relapse you want to have.

Best bet - ask your doc for specific reductions in your training routines and follow those.

 

[juszczec]

Whoa, pneumonia... that's major... how did you come to get pneumonia? If you were run down, or under a lot of physical or other kind of stress that lowered your immune response, then yes, start slow for sure.

I think I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I had a cold. I had committed to working an children's exposition in a convention center, so I was face to face with the public for about 7 hours.

I'm betting I just bumped into the wrong person with the wrong bacteria while I was there.

I don't know what specific training strategy you follow. But I would keep my workouts short, intense, and kind of spaced out for the first little bit. Long steady workouts will kill you, if you're trying to recover from something like pneumonia. Short intense bursts with plenty, plenty of rest and recovery in between, in addition to being way more efficient, also seem to debilitate you much less.

Hope you recover quickly...

Short - that'll be easy. Intense? Hmmmm. I'll have to give this some thought. Plenty of rest? Do you mean days of rest between workouts?

Mark

 

[mrhnau]

He's gonna say start slow. Ok. Slow.

I haven't come back from something like this in years.

Any suggestions for starting slow? Lift weights every other day? Stretch on the days between?

I had it earlier this year. Not alot of fun. Took me a little over a week to get over the crappy feeling and almost a month to get back into full swing. Just take it very slow, get lots of sleep and fluids. Just be patient... If you do start lifting weights, use low weight amounts. Your strength will return, but its going to take a little while.

 

[juszczec]

Pneumonia has a funny way of coming back on you. I've had pneumonia more times than I have fingers on one hand.

I know this is none of my business, so if you'd rather not answer just say so and I won't ask again. Why have you had pneumonia alot? I've heard that it weakens the lungs and makes you more prone to getting it - but this is the 2nd time I've had it in 26 years, so I'm not inclined to believe it.

Reduce your weights by half. Yes, half and increase your reps a tad. Keep your hydration level to 150%, get LOTS OF REST.

Thanks for the advice about the weights. Hyrdrating won't be a problem - I normally drink water like crazy. Since I've been sick I've been carrying a water bottle around with me wherever I go.

If you feel bad at all or your fever starts to return STOP WORKING OUT and go BACK TO THE DOCTOR.

Don't worry.

Pneumonia is nothing to take lightly and not a relapse you want to have.

Best bet - ask your doc for specific reductions in your training routines and follow those.

I've got a follow up with the dr today and will ask him all these, and plenty of other, questions.

Mark

 

[shesulsa]

I know this is none of my business, so if you'd rather not answer just say so and I won't ask again. Why have you had pneumonia alot?

I have a few other chronic medical problems which predispose me to respiratory infections.

I have a cranio-facial defect - I have no sinuses behind my forehead - they never formed, so the sinuses behind my cheeks do all the work - and they work overtime, all the time.

I also have lots of environmental allergies which cause even more fluid in my sinuses and chronic post-nasal drip.

Finally, I have reduced lung capacity from growing up with two smokers, and active allergy cells in my bronchii. So there are perfumes, air fresheners, deodorizers, fragranced items, which all make me cough to the point of heaving.

Fun stuff.

 

[juszczec]

shesulsa

Geez. I feel bad for even complaining.

Have the dr's given you any suggestions about how to prevent future recurrences? How have they worked?

Mark

 

[exile]

Short - that'll be easy. Intense? Hmmmm. I'll have to give this some thought. Plenty of rest? Do you mean days of rest between workouts?
Mark

Yes---exactly. Short burts of intense activity probably won't harm you; it's the long, steady low-intensity activities which are typically catabolic and eat away at your immune system. Sprinters do what is essentially a high-intensity anaerobic activity---a lot of effort in a very short time. But all the studies on athlete's immune response that I've seen target low-intensity aerobic activity as being the toughest on your resistance. Apparently, almost everyone who runs a marathon in respectable time winds up getting sick right afterwards---there was some huge epidemiological study I read about in a couple of different health/fitness mags two or three years back which tracked the post-race perfomance of marathon runners, and they found that people afterwards got sick in numbers way higher than chance against the background. The theory that the researchers put forward was that marathon training and running is catabolic and metabolizes protein reserves, including immune system components (stuff that should instead be being used to build white blood cells and the like).

That's why I suggested short, intense workouts and mucho recovery time between them. Sprinters, apparently, don't get sick after even record-setting performances...

 

[shesulsa]

shesulsa

Geez. I feel bad for even complaining.

Have the dr's given you any suggestions about how to prevent future recurrences? How have they worked?

Mark

Hey, Mark ...

Don't feel bad for complaining - pneumonia's nasty!

As for me, I have to keep the sinuses I have irrigated with a mild saline solution, I'm on asthma meds to keep the bronchi open and reduce inflammation in my lungs, I have to avoid a lot of scented products, chemicals, etcetera, and I have to recover my cardiovascular fitness and perform breathing exercises, limit dairy intake.

Avoiding the scented products isn't always possible. Last year around this time I was shopping at Target with my daughter and started coughing to beat the band. We ran outside just in time for me to hurl. My daughter had the good sense to look around at what might have happened before we ran out and said a little girl had grabbed a Febreeze bottle from the shelf and was spraying merrily in the immediate vicinity of where we were. Then I have to disinfect as part of my regular cleaning in my house and no matter what I do, there are some kind of fumes and odors associated with the process.

The asthma meds help to a certain degree, but I think rotating allergy and asthma medication helps more than just staying on one or two drugs all the time.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Rest up and get better. Do not rush coming back to train. I have only had pneumonia once and it took me about a month to recover fully. Best of all listen to your doctor's advice.

 

[juszczec]

Hello all

The dr's told me not to do anything but stretch until after I get done with the antibiotics.

Rest up and get better. Do not rush coming back to train. I have only had pneumonia once and it took me about a month to recover fully. Best of all listen to your doctor's advice.

Did your dr's tell you one pneumonia infection makes you more prone to getting it again? Did they give you any advice about preventing it in the future?

Mark

 

[bydand]

Yeah, it was about a month to clear up everything for me as well. Just follow your Dr's advice and you'll be fine.

Shesulsa, have you tried a small industrial/commercial grade resperator when you are cleaning/disinfecting the house. The ones made by 3M are easy to change filters on and there are a vast number of different types of filters made for them. I used to have to carry one while working in a paper mill in case some of a chemical spill, and some of those chemicals are much worse than anything you can buy as a cleaner. You can find them in home improvment stores by the paints and solvents.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Hello all

The dr's told me not to do anything but stretch until after I get done with the antibiotics.



Did your dr's tell you one pneumonia infection makes you more prone to getting it again? Did they give you any advice about preventing it in the future?

Mark

To answer your question. My doctor just kept me at home and pretty much did not let me do anything. (I am married to her) Rest definately seems to be the most important thing in my mind. (however I am not a doctor

) Listen to what your doctor said and just stretch and let your body rest and heal.

 

[bydand]

My doctor just kept me at home and pretty much did not let me do anything. (I am married to her)

Man, that would be tough. No sliding a little on what the Doc said. Then again, it would probably be the best thing for most guys for keeping ourselves healthy.

 

[juszczec]

Got the ok to start training on Monday.
Tuesday went to the gym and did bicep, tricep, a little shoulder and core.

Ha. Take that pneumonia.

Mark

 

[shesulsa]

Shesulsa, have you tried a small industrial/commercial grade resperator when you are cleaning/disinfecting the house. The ones made by 3M are easy to change filters on and there are a vast number of different types of filters made for them. I used to have to carry one while working in a paper mill in case some of a chemical spill, and some of those chemicals are much worse than anything you can buy as a cleaner. You can find them in home improvment stores by the paints and solvents.

Not yet - I'm likely to return to alternative products for disinfecting. What I worry about right now is that if I'm getting recurrent pneumonia at 40/41, what will my lung health be in 10 years? 20?

I'm looking into an air cleaner for my home.

 

[L Canyon]

Hi folks

I was sick last weekend when I joined the forum. Turns out I had pneumonia!

The antibiotics have worked well. I suspect the dr will clear me to start training.

He's gonna say start slow. Ok. Slow.

I haven't come back from something like this in years.

Any suggestions for starting slow? Lift weights every other day? Stretch on the days between?

Mark

I had it a few years ago - I was so weak, physically and mentally, I forgot my birthday.

I'd say do 30 minute classes until you're back to regular stamina - and drink a lot of fluids!