Pneumonia is actually a general term, more than an indication of a specific disease. The word covers more than fifty kinds of lung disease from the viral disease to bacterial. In the United States alone, 2 million people get pneumonia every year. In addition, of these 2 million, more than 50,000 of them will die. The viral forms of pneumonia are the worst because it is not treatable with antibiotics. Some of the symptoms of pneumonia include,

– Shivering chills throughout your body
– A fever of 100.5 and above
– Chest pains from all of the coughing
– The coughing will be severe at times
– Your joints will ache and you will feel pain in your bones
– Your lungs will rattle. This is called Rales
– Your skin turns a bluish color
– You might have no appetite
– You may have a bad headache
– Your phlegm, the mucus that you will be coughing up will be gray, green, or rust colored.

Targeting The Weak

There is a vaccine that can help against the bacterial form of pneumonia for adults and everyone who is older than 65 should receive this vaccine. Once you advance in years, you will not be strong enough to withstand pneumonia. It is also recommended that anyone without a spleen or with another chronic disease receive this vaccination as well.

A Rough Ride

If you have pneumonia, you are in for the roughest ride possibly of your entire life. There is not much that you can do except buckle up. Try some of these suggestions for what little relief you may be able to derive from them.

– Drink plenty of fluids. Make sure they are clear liquids. Drink as much as you can to keep your strength up and stave off dehydration

– Unbelievably, chicken soup is good food. Not only will the salt in chicken soup help you to stave of dehydration, it will also help prevent dizziness when you stand. It would be a shame to survive pneumonia, only to fall down and crack your skull open

– Vaporize the air you breathe with cool-mist. Your lungs will thank you for it

– Rest is vital while you have pneumonia so get plenty of it

– Eat only according to your appetite. It would be good if you try to eat a little if you have no appetite at all but only a little if you have no appetite.

Pain Relief

Always check with a physician to make sure you do not have a contagious variety. If you are not contagious and it is okay with your doctor, stay home in bed where you will be comfortable and get plenty of rest. If you must go to the hospital, the staff at all hospitals has now been given the HIPAA Privacy Rule Training. Make sure they offer you a copy of the HIPAA privacy rule when you check-in if you have any questions. You can take pain relievers like aspirin, Tylenol, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen. Do not give aspirin to children as it can cause a rare but deadly condition called Ryes Syndrome. Ryes Syndrome attacks the liver and the brain of children and even teenagers at times.

Author Bio: For more information please visit our Blood Borne Pathogens Training website.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: ibuprofen,HIPAA privacy rule ,physician,dizziness,bacterial,viral disease ,Pneumonia