My DH has pneumonia! And last night it was my turn to go to hospital!

Argh, what next? Spent most of Wednesday afternoon in A&E at Masterton hospital with Nick. I had tried to get him to the doc for days and finally, when he was so sick I thought he was dying, he let me take him in. Doctor immediately referred him to the hospital.

I thought he was having a heart attack in the waiting room - the receptionist (snitty old bag) was blissfully unaware of his state of distress, even with me asking if this was likely to be a long wait - I think she thought I was the patient! As I watched a perfectly healthy looking woman ushered through I started to get more than a little irate and, as nicely as possible, mentioned that the A&E terms, as stated on their A&E wall said that A&E was not a 'first come, first served' place and I thought that Nick (who could not breathe and was clutching his chest FFS!!!) looked a little more like an emergency than the small collection of patients waiting alongside us. Ignored again by the receptionist, it was not until a nurse came through and saw the state we were in that we were rushed through. I alternated between rage at being made to wait at all (as an asthmatic, I know just how high a priority breathing is) and terror thinking that Nick was about to die in front of me! NOT FUN!!!

Anyway, against my better judgement, after a couple of hours of oxygen, intravenous antibiotics, blood tests, x-rays and a confirmed diagnosis of pneumonia (I should be a doctor, I had been telling him for days that is what he had), we were offered the choice of a hospital stay or coming home - Given the choice Nick obviously chose home. I was not so sure but can't exactly make him do what he doesn't want to.

He's no better today than he was yday. I am sleeping on the floor in Amy's room as it is impossible to sleep in a room with him. He barely eats. He is taking his medication but getting him to eat anything with it is very hard. He can't sleep for coughing - we're both exhausted. I can't help but feel a little let down by the public health system right about now.

I have never experienced pneumonia - I hope he is going to be ok soon. I hate seeing him like this and it's stressing me out and he's absolutely miserable - I can't get the fecking gas fire to light in the bedroom and our wood is quite fresh so the fire is not exactly roaring. I keep expecting to go into our room and find him dead. If he hasn't coughed for 10 minutes I creep in to check and make sure - usually he is asleep or just lying deathly still looking about 95.

OK, vent over - Will resume normal transmission and get back to my nurse duties. If anyone has any handy tips for his recovery (Beedee???), please sing out. Thanks for listening

Oh crap! Sorry to hear that Lou, what a shocker hope someone can come on here soon with some advice on what can be done to help a speedy recovery...

Lots of good soup on hand to at least get something into him? Have you got a wee electric heater that can at least take the chill off the air in the bedroom for him?

Know what you mean re A&E, I was up there a few years ago with suspected lung clot two days after an op and it took 3 hours to even be looked at, and only then because hubby made such a fuss. If it had been one, I probably would have been dead by then! [!]

Sending good thoughts your way...

PS when he gets better, give him a good slapping for not going to the doctor earlier!

Good grief! Usually blokes just think they have triple pnuemonia and its just a cold! Your poor boy must be less of a woss than most of em [}]
Hope he's feeling better soon

Bloody hell! Is this your hubby? I heard warm air, quiet and lots of fluids and rest is what they need. BED rest. For at least a week.
Thinking of you!

Oh lou, you poor thing. I hope your hubby will soon be on the mend. I know what you mean about A&E, the system is not perfect and at times far from it. I remember 7 years ago the night my Mum died she was rushed to Wellington A&E and put in a room for what seemed like hours. Infact after 3 hours of being in absolute agoney I lost the plot and it was then she was sen by a DR and given some pain medication. She had a very bad heart anyway and the distress of being in such pain made her worse. to cut a long story short she was taken to theatre at 4.30am the following morning and it was found she had a burst ulcer in her stomach. She was taken from theatre to intensive care and died early that same evening. I know the wait wouldn't have helped her and even if she had of been seen ealier it probably wouldn't have saved her, but just knowing that she had been in agony for 3 hours before anyone would look at her, and that was only because I lost the plot and demanded someone see her. Thats the sad part, she didn't have to be in agony for that amount of time. what an awful way to spend the last part of your life.
i do hope your hubby picks up soon.

Awwwwwwwwwww Smilie, that's just awful Poor you and your poor, poor mum.

I've been giving him hot Bovril drinks and those seem to be going down. We don't have a fan heater but the electric blanket on the bed is on and he has lots of blankies.

Yup Giddy, tis the other half (DH - darling husband).

Oh dear, just what you needed..NOT!
Hope he comes right soon or it might be off to hospital for him..

BD had pneumonia when he was in his early 20s I think, when he gets home I'll ask his what he did when he had it. He probably told me once already, but I don't listen to him!

Hope Nicks feeling better soon no DIY for at least a week tell him!

Oh no Lou ... here's hoping he gets better fast ... Don't muck around if he doesn't come right ... get him back into hospital FAST ... mind you I think being at home when you are feeling sick is a much more pleasant place to be and enhances and speeds up recovery.
Lots of prayers heading your way:)
Cheers

BD had pneumonia when he was in his early 20s I think, when he gets home I'll ask his what he did when he had it. He probably told me once already, but I don't listen to him!

Hope Nicks feeling better soon no DIY for at least a week tell him!

What meds did they send you home with? Any cough mixture? Gees Linctus is very good for chesty coughs, you sip it in hot water and its been around for donkeys years. Also when I had pluersy years ago my Dr gave me one called "Brondecon" tasted like sh*** but was very good.

Pnuemonia is the crappiest thing you can have. I have had it years ago and was soooooooooo crook. My 9 year old grandaughter has just had it, got over it then got that flu with the temps and vomiting. Watch when he is starting to get better that it doesn't hit again as it is worse the second time around, believe me I know.

As for the public health system, you really do have to make a fuss to get seen especially at North Shore. I was taken there a few years ago, there was a guy in his 30's with his mother. This poor boy had a headache but when asked where he couldn't remember. He took up so much time, you could see the nurse getting frustrated. But getting the treatment I needed was worse. In the end I threatend to go in and do my own scan, got up off the gurney and headed towards the scan room. It got done immediatley.

Lou - you so don't need this!

Sending all good wishes for Nick and for you. Can't help with nursing advice but do look after yourself too...

Lou, IF he is no better, then he needs IV antibiotics.. no maybe... no tomorrow.. but off in that little black and white van IF you have your membership.
.what is his temp..????
for every degree it is over 37, he needs a litre of fluid over the 1.5 needed per day,, anything but ethanol... and if you have a nebuliser maybe some saline or even water nebs... do not sneak in the ventolin.. its for moisture only so that he can cough up the slimy slugs sitting there in one cough.
panadol for the rib ache .. and sorry the linctuses have been proven only to help the taste buds and the person giving it.. a big study came out a few years ago and I see another has proven it and now it even got mentioned in the papers a few months ago, but if it soothes the throat ... OK and dont overdose,
Take his pulse and if over 100 at rest, that is 2 mins after the last hacking episode, another ph call to the doc is warranted.
I wont stand up for the pathetic health system, but I will say having been an ER nurse that often the cubicles were full but a chair was often only needed for some, so yes the simple case may go in.. also sometimes those who looked well may have some medical history that needed more urgent attention, like a renal dialysis patient or cancer, needing a blood test there and then, yet not looking ill to the normal joe blogg.
AND nuffink worse than the footy fellas wanting urgent attn so they could get back to their game, with only a sprained ankle.. and if it were fractured time is of no consequence as they wont be going anywhere for days as long as the toes were pink..
The wards are full of hackers right now so the quietness of home is the best AFTER a 2 day course of IV antibiotics so be prepared to find thos p.j's

He has no temp Beedee. I do have a neb so will try him on a water neb. He's on panadol and neurofen as well as the oral antib's. His pulse rate is about 80 so not so bad (it was nearly double that on wednesday). I think he is a little brighter as he is now trying to sit up and play his guitar!

The nurse recognised the severity of his condition as soon as she saw him, it was the stupid woman at reception who completely ignored him. I remember once I had a near fatal asthma attack and the receptionist made us wait in reception with me turning blue and almost unconscious. It was not a good look and she was apparently spoken to afterwards.

I think the thing that annoyed me most was that I was nice and polite and she treated me with total disdain. I was not about to abuse her yet she spoke to me as if I was something she had trodden in on the way in. People in positions like that, no matter the sh*t they have to face, are there to provide a customer service AND should be equipped to deal with people who are very stressed and upset and even tho I am sure she faces her fair share of rough treatment from irate patients, I didn't deserve it. She just made me feel worse