Yes, he's cleared me to return to work as I am able. He said I'm not infectious and just to not over do. I've learned to listen to my body!

Rest, rest, rest! Doctor’s orders! (My degree is from WebMD)

So sorry this has kicked your butt. Hope you get better and enjoy the big day with that precious grandson. He’s a real cutie!

Oh dear - sorry to hear you're still a bit down and out. As others have said, you need to rest and not overdo. Listening to your body is key.

Thanks for the update. Boy, this really has knocked you for a loop. The last time I got pneumonia it wasn't as bad as yours has been. I still missed about 7 days of work and when I did go back I did half days for about a week or so....took me a few weeks to get my strength back fully....so when yo do go back to work just start with a few hours a day and extend as you feel up to it. Hope you bounce back soon....and enjoy your adorable grandson's bday!

Hope you are back to normal soon- enjoy the weekend with your grandson!

Lynn's right, you have to spoil yourself with rest. No matter how small the errand is, you cannot under any circumstances, do it! That's why people end up in the hospital or worse, dead.

Every time you walk or move around you're putting extra strain on your lungs. I know it's boring because you're a go-getter, but you have to lay/sit down until this passes.

Poor you! Scary stuff. Keep taking care. Hope you feel like yourself again soon.

Recently saw an ad for a pneumonia vaccine at the pharmacy counter. Is this new? Haven't asked my doctor about it but did yours mention anything like that to you, neetsiepie? Does this bout of pneumonia make you vulnerable to contracting it again? I always thought pneumonia was the result of complications from colds/bronchitis but I've now heard of a couple of people getting it with seemingly no prior issues. (Don't want to steer your post OT so feel free to tell me to Google my curiosity away. :))

We talked a bit about the vaccines in another thread. I had pneumonia about 20 years ago. I think I caught it from a friend we went on vacation with as she got sick while we were gone. I got sick shortly after. I had a pneumovax in 2012 when I was in the hospital for surgery. I got pneumonia again this year - out of the blue unrelated to any other conditions. I went to urgent care right away when I had a fever after about a week of progressively worsening cough and fatigue (no other cold or flu symptoms). So my pneumonia was diagnosed very early and I only ended up missing a couple days of work since it was diagnosed on a Thursday and I quickly started to improve after I started taking antibiotics.

I checked in with my internist about the prevnar13 vaccination and had that this week. She said I should get a second pneumovax when I'm 65 which will be in 2022. Hoping this will prevent future bouts of pneumonia. It really knocks you out especially if it's not diagnosed early and of course it's the cause of death for a lot of older people.

Neetsiepie, so sorry you have been sick. Rest is key to a full recovery (along with visits from your adorable grandson!)

Tartanmeuo, my doctor recommended the new pneumonia vaccine, Prevnar13, which I received last month.

I am so glad to hear you are feeling better. Don't overdo it. Happy birthday to that adorable grandson of yours. What a joy he must be.

I had gotten a pneumonia vaccine a few years ago but I've heard that it wasn't necessarily effective. Obviously! I'll ask my doc about the new one when I'm completely better. I've got asthma so I'm susceptible to lung issues.

I'm definttely listening to my body-resting and fluids and making myself breathe deeply and cough as much as I can-despite it hurting. Coughing helps to move the impurities. I've scheduled a massage for tomorrow morning so that will help with the achiness from lying around. Doing tiny bits here and there today-just making dinner can wind me so I'm listening very carefully to my body!

Neetsiepie - I was doing some reading trying to understand how effective the pneumonia vaccines are. I didn't dig into it too deeply but I couldn't find a clear answer on that. Obviously not 100% but it doesn't sound like the flu vaccine where it varies every year depending on the type of flu that's prevalent in any given year. With the pneumonia vaccines it sounds like they protect against some but not all types so you could be exposed to a kind that's not included in any vaccine.

Thank you for the info on the vaccines. I'll ask my doctor at my next visit.

Hope you have a wonderful time with your grandson. He certainly is a cutie pie. That age is so much fun!

Neetsie, is there any way you can take an extra few days off of work? Even though the doctor gave you permission, I don't think you're quite ready.

Question about the vaccine, which I last had in 2004 and supposed to last ten years. I had bacterial pneumonia which I got from spraying Windex while washing windows, then inhaled a lot of the mist. Now I cover my mouth and nose with my tee shirt. :)

Bacterial pneumonia isn't contagious like viral, so will the shot cover both types of pneumonia?

I inhaled the windex through my mouth on a Friday, by Sunday morning I had to use my inhaler if I walked from one room to another. Nice thing about small towns, my doctor had her office in town and I called her at home and she met me there. Great service, no waiting! lol

I'll never forget how weak I was for weeks and weeks. Awful.

@3katz, vax effectiveness

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/pneumo/public/index.html

Oakley inhaling Windex probably caused chemical pneumonia, which is very dangerous and can cause life long damage. Bacterial pneumonia could have been a result of the chemical damage. It is very dangerous to inhale even a small amount of any of the cleaning chemicals, including "natural" products. I am glad you are well now.

Oh wow, Neet, hope you are on the mend soon. Yes, I read about Ozzy and Josh from GVF.

mdln - I think I read that exact info. I didn't interpret any of it to apply to me personally as I'm under 65 and didn't have invasive pneumococcal disease. Before I read up on it recently I didn't realize how pneumococcal bacteria cause other things besides your basic "pneumonia" limited to the lungs; i.e. meningitis, invasive pneumococcal disease, etc. I have a better understanding now of how dangerous it can be and why it kills so many older people.

Remember there are now two pneumonia vaccines. I recently took my dad for his physical. He had already had the first vaccine and got the new one. I'm not sure how often you get it.

"CDC recommends 2 pneumococcal vaccines for
all adults 65 years or older. You should receive a dose of PCV13 first,
followed by a dose of PPSV23, at least 1 year later."

Just to correct/clarify some misinformation above: bacterial pneumonia is highly contagious and the vaccines are for bacterial pneumonia (pneumococcal bacteria) not viral.