I ignored a flare-up and paid the price.
About 3 years ago I had a COPD flare up. My symptoms were a 99° fever, fatigue, chest congestion, Etc. I did not take time out to go to the doctor because it was the Christmas season and I was busy. One night my fever jumped to 101° and I ended up calling the EMTs. I was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and stayed there for 3 days. Despite going to pulmonary therapy my COPD was permanently worse. I have never recovered completely from that flare up.
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You could have had a flare up without infection. You can't bug your doctor every time you have a flare up. Don't beat yourself up about it. I have had two pretty tough flare ups and several minor ones the past year. I did not call the doctor. I did my flare up plan daily (breathing exercises, inhaler, meds, etc), and got them to clear up. Also, if I had a temperature of 99, I would not even give it another thought. Since, 98.6 is normal temp, 99 doesn't exactly scare me. When I had pneumonia in Oct 2021, I did not have a fever. The only reason I went to the ER was because I was coughing up a lot of blood from my lungs. That ended up being a 5 day stay in ICU. Afterwards diagnosed as mycobacterial pneumonia and Moderate COPD. The COPD most likely weakened your immune system and made you a little more susceptible to pneumonia. My lungs have not recovered fully and never will. All we can do as COPD sufferers is do our best to control it and keep it at bay for as long as possible. I am sorry if I took your post in the wrong way. The way you worded it made it sound as if you were blaming yourself for not jumping on the flare up right then and there. Most likely, the pneumonia is what caused the flare up. The temp rise was your bodies way of saying, "I am hurting, go to the doctor". I also know this post was a warning to all sufferers to not ignore symptoms of a bad flare up. One more thing, if you do not have an emergency flare up plan, get with your medical providers and discuss getting a plan together. Take care and God Bless
Hi again, Victoria, and thanks for sharing this story of yours with the community. This is a very good example of why, in many situations, when one doesn't feel well, it is important to seek medical help. It can always be an issue when one delays medical intervention and care. This is applicable to many diseases but keenly applies to a COPD diagnosis.
I see by your other post here today, you are feeling well. (Even lost a few pounds, congrats!). Here is a link to that post of yours, for ease of reference: https://copd.net/members/victoria-p/status/123427.
We appreciate you sharing this part of your medical history from several years ago.
Wishing you the best,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)I had a similar experience. I spent a week in the hospital. Had to have fluid drained from my chest(both sides). I’ve never been the same since. I had another bout of pneumonia about a year ago. I still have pleural effusion. I’ve been stable now for 11 months. Are you doing any type of exercise or respiratory therapy at home? Exercise and a respiratory therapy regimen that I began at home has made a sea change in my condition. Check out https://pulmonarywellness.org.
thanks for sharing your experience and this program. It is definitely important for everyone to remember to discuss trying anything new (even new programs!) with their doctors before starting because what works best for one might not work for everyone. All the best, Sam S. (COPD.net, team member).
Oh, Victoria, I hear you. Please don't be hard on yourself. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, and we are often so used to saying "eh, I'll be okay" -- how many times have we *all* mustered through an illness without calling the doctor? I probably would have done something similar in your position. Thank you for sharing, regardless. It's an important reminder that getting checked out is never a bad idea. Keep taking good care of yourself now. Hugs. -Melissa, copd.net team
