pneumonia

[Guest guest]

Dear Kurt,

I hope you are feeling better. I send you a big hug to help with the

recovery, but I also have to pull your ears as a mother would do.

I find hard to believe that you did not act promp, Pneumonia is a very

serious thing for any body, no just us CLL people. I am glad you have learnt

the lesson.

I had two colds over the last 10 months, both cleared up on their own, but I

watched them very carefully and would have gone to the doctor or sister at

the surgery at the minimun suspitions that the cold was not getting clear.

Just for reference I will pass on my experience with pneumonia.

Back in 1972 I had my first baby late November, as all new mothers I fussed

about everything however amll it was. We were living in Germany then.

A friend and neibourg had a little boy and had a cold. I worried about my

baby and took her to see the doctor on a Thursday, he was very king checked

her all over and said she was well, so I went home, he must have thought I

was a very nerves young mother.

On Saturday night I found hard to settle the baby for the night, she was 11

weeks old. I did but I spent the whole night up as she just would not

settle. By 6 in the morning I was very frantic and worried so I woke up my

husband and said we had to go and see the doctor. We lived on a farm about

30 minutes from the town, We got the doctor up and after checking the baby

he asked if we had transport, then he said go to the hospital (50 km. away)

and I will phone them now so they will be expecting you.

We got there and it was the frantic rush or emergency, it was so distresing,

my poor little baby, they put tubes all over her and the nurse said to me in

a very harsh way " why did not not bring her early " .

On Monday morning I went to see the doctor and told him what the nurse had

said and I wanted to know what I had done wrong, he was very good and told

me with pneumonia one hour you are ok and the next you are not. I was not to

know then.

was ok and discharge from hospital, I was only told to stop feeding her

as she was putting too much weight on and that did not help.

My respect for pneumonia stayed with me for life.

Few years later when was 5, a dear friend of mine had a cot-death, her

baby was only 8 months, her father was a senior consultant at a hospital and

the weekend that happened they were staying with her parents. The postmorten

showed the baby died of pneumonia. The baby had not been ill. It was a very

sad time for all of us. We planed very careful how to tell my children, they

had to know as we were all very close friends and the baby was no longer to

be there.

Wheather you are an adult or a young baby, pneumonia is a very serious

condition that, one has to respect and act fast.

I am not trying to put any fear into anybody, just make you aware of the

reality.

with best wishes

Chonette (UK)

dx 10-02

Message: 3

Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 15:19:56 +0000

From: thel.g@...

Subject: Re: r-hdmp

Also Andy, I am taking it very carefully with the pneumonia, the worst of it

is over, but it was touch and go for awhile, it's amazing how you get to the

point where you can hardly breath in or out.....your lungs just fill up with

fluid, it definitely gets your attention. Now my lunds are clearing up,

and I can breath easily again. Now I understand when they say that the

majority of people with CLL die of Pneumonia. With a weakened immune

system there is no way to fight it off.

I caught this cold from my Dad and I was trying to tough it out because I

don't want to use too many antibiotics so that I become immune to

them....well I almost didn't get a chance to use the immunity I was trying

to save. Doc said, next time I get a cold or flu to always have it checked

and take antibiotic most of the time.

So as a lesson to all of you, go get yourselves checked when you get a

cold, it's a pain in the butt always running to the doc, but believe me

pneumonia is nothing to play with.

Ok, hope all are having a good sunday. K.