# day 4 of flu - shortness of breath



## mamaMAMAma (Nov 20, 2001)

I'm on day 4 of the flu, and I am feeling lots better. I was in bed 99% of the time the previous 3 days! I even managed to walk the dog with the family around the block tonight. But it's still quite a bit harder for me to breath than before. I caught myself grasping for air while reading the kids a story. I don't have a fever anymore. The area around my rib cage hurts when I cough or when I press down on it. DH is about to send me to urgent care. As I said, I feel loads better. Should I be worried?


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## dessismama (Mar 3, 2005)

I would watch myself closely and if it gets worse, I would go to the ER. Try drinking licorice tea--it opens the chest. My son developed asthma post-flu--it had been completely gone for 7 years and then poof he was at half peak flow capacity and we have been doing albuterol for the past two weeks. It happened after he recovered from the flu (day 8 or so).


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## leafwood (Jun 15, 2004)

i would go into the ER just to be safe. pneumonia can set in quickly and the sooner you are treated the better. hope you are feeling better soon!


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## splotchy1 (Oct 8, 2006)

YES! You need to go get checked out ASAP. I had the flu last week, and H1N! being the most common one going around right now, I felt that I had a normal flu, but it turned into Pneumonia very quickly. The biggest side complication of this new flu is respiratory...so get checked quickly please! It can definitely come on after the fever is gone.


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## BellinghamCrunchie (Sep 7, 2005)

Yes to Urgent Care. Pneumonia is significant with this flu, and it can set in fast, and yes, you can be feeling better and still be developing or already have pneumonia.


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## EdnaMarie (Sep 9, 2006)

Go. Shortness of breath is bad. You don't want to have them sedating you so that they can then intubate you or put you on a rotating thingy. Antibiotics are infinitely superior to being intubated.


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## mamaMAMAma (Nov 20, 2001)

Wow! I have to say I'm a bit surprised by the responses. i was expecting some herbal recommendation. You guys got my attention. If I don't feel loads better tomorrow, I'll call the doc. In the meantime, I'm sipping my garlic lemonade. As I said, I'm feeling almost 80% back to normal. But a quick trip to the doctor doesn't hurt either.


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

I'm agreeing with everyone else and I hate hospitals. But my sister got pneumonia last year after a flu and this isn't something you want to progress. Even if you're a bit better if you still have shortness of breath I'd get checked out.







I hope you feel 100% really soon.


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## Mom2M (Sep 23, 2006)

I agree with the PP, go to the dr. I waited a week with increasingly worse respiratory symptoms and by the time I went I needed an immediate breathing treatment and then used an inhaler for a while.
Hope you feel better soon, I know how awful it can get!
Deb


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## Adamsmama (Oct 24, 2003)

I agree with the other pp don't mess around with shortness of breat after the flu. My baby niece (2 yr old) had type B flu last year and developmed pneumonia after about 3-4 days and she was feeling a lot better and then started feeling sick again. I've heard that with this flu pneumonia is a common illness that follows it. Please get yourself checked. I have asthma and never question antibiotics and or steroids/rescue inhalers when I can't breath -- or just have pain in my chest, IMO, that is the time to use it!


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## veggielover (Apr 17, 2004)

Gonna hijack for a sec...

So...how would they treat pneumonia at a hospital? If it's from the flu, it would be viral...so antibiotics wouldn't help. What else would they do?

Just curious what I may be facing here. Been sick on and off for a couple weeks, and now having a little tightness in my chest. Trying to figure out what to do.









TIA


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## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

OP, what happened?


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## Adamsmama (Oct 24, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *veggielover* 
Gonna hijack for a sec...

So...how would they treat pneumonia at a hospital? If it's from the flu, it would be viral...so antibiotics wouldn't help. What else would they do?

Just curious what I may be facing here. Been sick on and off for a couple weeks, and now having a little tightness in my chest. Trying to figure out what to do.









TIA

Not necessarily ... if you had the flu and then pneumonia it could be viral but it could as be considered a secondary bacterial infection. It could also be bacterial bronchitis. They may be able to give you steroids, breathing treatments, and if it is bacterial then antibiotics. I would get checked out if I were you ... you might just need some albuterol or a low dose steroid (inhaled most likely -- or oral) to get better.


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## FireWithin (Apr 29, 2004)

My son and I also had tightness, asthmatic cough after having the flu last month.
It was the same feeling as past asthmatic episodes. I knew I needed to do something. For me, these kind of things never resolve themselves.
Although I was willing to go to the er for myself and son, I decided to try homeopathy first. It totally worked for us. I was willing to try it, because I believe in it, but I also knew that I wasn't willing to mess around with a breathing issue after the flu.


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## veggielover (Apr 17, 2004)

Thanks, ladies. So what are some homeopathic ways to treat it at home? I've been doing elderberry, olive leaf extract, and GSE for the viral part of the equation. Don't know what to do about the breathing/coughing part, other than hot showers and eucalyptus.


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## veggielover (Apr 17, 2004)

MamaMAMAma- how are *YOU* feeling?


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