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Post by Pony on May 29, 2007 17:07:43 GMT -5
Everybody seems to be very knowledgeable, so I'm throwing this question out coz I don't know many SCIs anymore.
I've been sick since Friday when i started feeling tickling in my Bronchial tube. well, it progressed quick, and I've been very sick all Memorial Day Weekend, including today, but not nearly as bad as Sat, Sun & Monday. i'm a fairly healthy quad, but when I do get sick, it tries to KILL me...I never escape easy when it starts coming on, and I'll tell you it really depresses me coz nobody I know goes through this shit.
At the moment, my lungs hurt and I don't feel good, but it's 100% better than having the shakes and my lungs were so filled, I could barely breathe. When I get sick it goes straight for Pneumonia.
Does anybody know why a bug jumps on me so hard?
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Post by Ouch on May 29, 2007 21:13:14 GMT -5
I can't be sure why a 'bug jumps on ya so hard', but I think a lot of people are having similar sickness that you're suffering from, as I have heard people with similar symptoms around, and I too, have had a bit of a similar problem myself, though it's clearing up.
There's so many factors that are involved in health and sickness, that it would probably be impossible to diagnose you over Paradevo, but hope you're feeling better soon.
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Post by guest on May 29, 2007 22:40:49 GMT -5
Respiratory complications and infection predominate as post-SCI complications. When the injury involves the upper thorax, the normal breathing pattern is permanently altered. The diaphragm does most of the work in quiet breathing. The chest wall muscles (intercostals) are used primarily for deep breathing or coughing. The abdominal muscles also participate in coughing. When the intercostal and abdominal muscles are paralyzed, the entire load is taken by the diaphragm. This results in poor coughing and a high risk of pneumonia. Pneumonia is one of the most common complications of acute spinal cord injury. Preventive measures are very important to reduce the risk of pneumonia. www.spinalinjury.net/html/complications_continued.html |
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Post by Dr H on May 30, 2007 2:20:00 GMT -5
Respiratory complications and infection predominate as post-SCI complications. When the injury involves the upper thorax, the normal breathing pattern is permanently altered. The diaphragm does most of the work in quiet breathing. The chest wall muscles (intercostals) are used primarily for deep breathing or coughing. The abdominal muscles also participate in coughing. When the intercostal and abdominal muscles are paralyzed, the entire load is taken by the diaphragm. This results in poor coughing and a high risk of pneumonia. Pneumonia is one of the most common complications of acute spinal cord injury. Preventive measures are very important to reduce the risk of pneumonia. www.spinalinjury.net/html/complications_continued.htmlThis isn't a post acute spinal injury pneumonia. It does sound like the start of a pneumonia, nervous innervation to the respiratory muscles especially the diaphragm are C3-C5, spinal cord injury around the level of the C-spine invariably will lead to decreased respiratory muscle innervation thus you will have less muscle functioninvolved in the normal mechanisms of breathing-which may affect ability to expel mucus properly from the lower airways (inability to adequately cough), also leads to prolonged stasis of mucus in the airways. Where as other individuals can expel inhaled pathogens(the things that may cause your pneumonia)trapped and isolated in the airways by coughing or expelling mucus, quadriplegics cannot as easily. Fever, weakness, fatigue these are all signs you must look out for early on. Another cause of being so susceptible to pneumonia would be decreased immunity, so if you were per say getting over a UTI or a decubitus injury your body not be able to fight the pending pneumonia as well since it was run down. A well balanced diet is also important for better immunity. My suggestion is to go and see your local health practitioner, Wishing you a speedy recovery. Dr H |
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Post by E on May 30, 2007 6:48:49 GMT -5
Wow. I'm so coming here next time I need medical advice.
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Post by dolly on May 30, 2007 8:43:11 GMT -5
what dr. h said.
;D
sorry you're feeling so crappy, tony. hope you feel better soon.
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Post by Ouch on May 30, 2007 9:23:21 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm a little surprised too...didn't think we were going to have Duke Medical Center all of a sudden jump on and start diagnosing Tony lol  . |
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Post by Triassic on May 30, 2007 10:27:22 GMT -5
God, that's so depressing; 'go see your health care provider'. As Tony told me once in an IRL convo we had-HE often knows far more about SCI than the doc. Most MDs are pretty clueless when it comes to dealing with a patient whose physicality is nonstandard....you have to educate them, and still they don't really get it...get that what is 'abnormal' is actually S.O.P. for you.
Also, doctors offices, clinics are not configured with the disabled in mind. Not hardly.
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Post by Pony on May 30, 2007 12:52:53 GMT -5
Wow, i'm blown away...I was thinking a few responses from other quads my level. Dr H and the Guest, thank you so much for greatly helping me to understand the real workings of this. I learned a lot, and even saved your post for future. That's what I dig about this board, obviously, there's lots of readers out there that might not post very often. Veryyy interesting about the quad-lung not using, or expelling things well from lower lung. Man, that answers a lot!
After four nights of barely sleeping because of constant hitting my chest and coughing, I'm starting to break the cycle. I've been through pure hell, but I can feel a turn in the right direction, and my lungs aren't hurting as much when I breathe deep.
EXACTLY about doctors!! Dr H must be a Quad-doc coz my regular docs don't know much about my SCI, and I doubt they could explain about the lungs like he did. In fact, I know they couldn't!! The only reason I ever go to doc is for antibiotics when I need - that's it!
Jason....that's great advice!!! I probably should find a PM&R just to have one!!
thanks you guys...YOU ROCK!!
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Post by benquad on May 30, 2007 12:53:23 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm a little surprised too...didn't think we were going to have Duke Medical Center all of a sudden jump on and start diagnosing Tony lol . It makes sense although they're prob not gonna admit it there are many devs in the Medical field. I live near World renowned craighospital.org/ which is like being a foreign car & living near a dealership & have met many a tech/aide that had many a crush on one or more of their patients. Not that that means they're devs just a thought pardon my rambling |
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Post by Dr H on May 30, 2007 13:44:42 GMT -5
I suggested Tony go and see his MD, to make the actual clinical diagnosis of pneumonia, as someone pointed out on line all a physician can do is offer advice based on a patients description of symptoms.
If it is a pneumonia a simple chest x-ray and blood work up should be conclusive, and if it is a bacterial pneumonia, a course of antibiotics. Physical therapy is also indicated in patients with decreased respiratory function and capacity to get the secretions in the lungs moving since as i mentioned previously stasis causes a host of problems.
I recently attended a congress where an American study published some statics on how many people consult the Internet regarding their specific complaints before going to see their physicians, the numbers where alarming, however the percentages of the general public actually self diagnosing themselves correctly was still low enough to keep us our jobs.
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Post by Ouch on May 30, 2007 15:53:35 GMT -5
I agree with the above that most of the regular docs don't have much knowledge about extraordinary cases of people, A.K.A. those with [physical] disability. Many doctors I have encountered have indeed needed to pretty much be educated about the disability and have shown a lot of ignorance if I didn't.
I have been lucky though, to have found a practicioner that does have a good set of grey matter 'tween his ears, and knows a good deal about different kinds of physical disability and how they can affect people. If there was something he didn't know (which was little) AND that I didn't know (which is a lot) then he would put in the effort to find out what we needed to know. Though, I would seemingly disagree with the old/new blood...in my experience, the older ones had seen a lot and were generally more knowledgable than the younger ones, and were willing to put a lot of effort to make sure the job got done. Some of the young ones I've dealt with, were hotshots who thought they knew everything, and were always types that would stick by the books that they were taught by.
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Post by Valkyrja on May 30, 2007 16:27:26 GMT -5
Tony!... dear... I'm sorry you were so ill!... but I'm glad to know you're better now.
Respiratory problems really socks. All my family (including me) were with a severe viral cold. I'm incredible allergic so, it use to attack my bronchus. It costed me high temperatures, exhausting caugh and 3 o more nights without sleep. And I'm an AB person.
I can't imagine how terrible something like this could be in SCI person.
I wish you well, my friend and a really soon total recovery.
By the way... How informative were the Guest an Dr. H posts!!
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Post by BA on May 30, 2007 17:13:14 GMT -5
Gee Tony, here I was away galavanting on a beach vacation and you were dealing with heavy sick issues. I am glad you are coming around the bend.
Yeah I am a non-technical medical professional, but to put it real simple, quads have a harder time coughing up the shite we call phlegm. Tony, stay out of the smokey bars and see if you can get yourself a spirometer (a little cheap peice of plastic that's fun to blow into and make the ball move - whoopee) to condition your lungs a bit.
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Post by Pony on May 30, 2007 20:10:14 GMT -5
I suggested Tony go and see his MD, to make the actual clinical diagnosis of pneumonia, as someone pointed out on line all a physician can do is offer advice based on a patients description of symptoms. If it is a pneumonia a simple chest x-ray and blood work up should be conclusive, and if it is a bacterial pneumonia, a course of antibiotics. Physical therapy is also indicated in patients with decreased respiratory function and capacity to get the secretions in the lungs moving since as i mentioned previously stasis causes a host of problems. I recently attended a congress where an American study published some statics on how many people consult the Internet regarding their specific complaints before going to see their physicians, the numbers where alarming, however the percentages of the general public actually self diagnosing themselves correctly was still low enough to keep us our jobs. Funny thing is, Dr H, for a c5c6 SCI, I have a very strong Diaphram and get lots of movement and exercise, as I push and do workouts, but when I get a bug like this, it's no match...I really need those other muscles you mentioned. I'm not sure I actually reached the Pneumonia level, but I was definitely headed that way. BTW, I doc has never ordered a chest x-ray...I just grab antibiotics, and run! AB....just knowing you were out teasing dudes in your BLACK bikini on the beach this weekend makes all the horrible suffering I did worth it!!! hehe Thank you, Val, mi querida...quiero estar en tus brazos de noche!! jaja |
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