Pneumonia

by Loran
(Virginia)

I went to my doctor twice the first time he said it could just be a cold then it got worse and so I went back. My throat is swollen, my right lymph node is swollen, I am very nauseous, I am very winded from doing normal activity and I am a very physically active person, I have a low grade fever, I have lost 3 pounds doing nothing in 2 days which is unusual, I am stuffed up, and sometimes I feel like light headed as if I am in a cloud. I do not smoke or drink. I have been given antibiotics for suspected pneumonia, but I got x-rays and they came back with nothing there. Is it possible to still have pneumonia and it just hasn't developed in the lungs? I have no idea what I have but it is causing issues with doing everyday activities. My doctor said he believed that I was possible that I got pneumonia from the streptococci bacteria but the X-ray said I didn't have anything in them. I have been around two people with strep and at first me and my parents believed I had strep.

Sore throat, fever and lymph node enlargement

The most common reason for a sore throat, fever and lymph node enlargement is a viral upper respiratory tract infection. This won’t respond to antibiotics and will only settle through your bodies own self defence mechanisms. However, there are many other causes for this and streptococcal infection is just one. You mention about a normal chest x-ray when your doctor questioned pneumonia. A normal appearance of a chest x-ray doesn’t exclude pneumonia, but it is less likely. Pneumonia is often thought of as dramatic, but most pneumonia’s or chest infections are dealt with by family physicians.

My advice to you is to rest, drink plenty of fluids, regular antipyretics such as Paracetamol or Aspirin (in adults) and complete your antibiotic course. If you have soluble Paracetamol or Aspirin (in adults), you can gargle this and then swallow which will help your swollen throat. If this doesn’t settle, it will need to be investigated further, but in most cases such problems usually do settle.

My name is Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI and I am a consultant physician and gastroenterologist in the UK. I have an interest in internet based medicine and administer this site in my spare time. I hope you find this site useful and informative. If you have any suggestions, please Contact Me or if you would like to comment on my site, please do so by Clicking Here. If you like the site and would like to make a donation to support what I am doing please do so by Clicking Here. Thank you for visiting and please drop by again!