Cara,
I posted specifically to start a discussion on the topic. In my opinion, flu can be bad enough so that people should
decide to either get inoculated or not, rather that just forget because it's under the radar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian
Hi David
That seems a long time to have pneumonia, was you on antibiotics all that time ?, still having pneumonia which of course you didn't know and having the flue & pneumonia shots must have had been just far to much for your system to handle, all at the same time.
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I didn't know about the RSD connection and i didn't know about the shingles shot, my uncle been going through hell for the last 5 years because of dame shingles.
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The main symptoms were weight loss (about 25 lbs.), weakness, fatigue, non-productive cough, periods of clammy sweating, and low grade fever. I had two courses of antibiotics back in July that made things much better but didn't cure it.
A CT scan showed a large mass in my upper right lobe. Two biopsies, two more CT scans, and then a PET scan showed no cancer. The lung specialist believes I have "necratizing pneumonia". The doctor said I'll not be 100% healthy until the lesion is resorbed, a process about a year long. The lesion is getting smaller. The CT scan looks similar to the left side of the picture at
http://www.archbronconeumol.org/imag...10/6366012.JPG , except the golf ball size lesion is in the middle of the lobe . Articles describing the disease are at
http://www.drkoop.com/ency/93/000121.html#cont , and
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...44/ai_11666504 .
Articles in the google search mention many different breathed in agents that can cause it. Even yeast can cause it. I did breathe in a lot of dust, including mold infested dust and general construction dust for several weeks just before this started. It doesn't seem to take much to make me sick again. I remain weak and tire easily.
The shingles inoculation is new this year. Talk it over with your doctor before just asking for it. The inoculation is with live, attenuated virus. If his immune system is compromised, like happens with steroid therapy, there is a chance of catching chicken pox from the vaccine and getting very sick. On the other hand, I can immagine the vaccine ramping up the immune system and stopping his shingles. The doctor would know a lot more about it than I do.
"Shingles" sounds so harmless, but the disease is such a horribly painful thing. He has my sympathies, hopes, prayers, and wisher for getting well soon.