Đây là một tài khoản chính người của một người phụ nữ với định kỳ viêm phổi.While growing up in West Virginia in the 1940s and 50s, I was frighteningly aware of the prevalence of lung diseases. With coal mining at its peak, large numbers of miners suffered and died from black lung disease. Tuberculosis was not uncommon and neither was pneumonia. Little did I imagine, then or in 1999, when I first contracted the disease, that recurring pneumonia would become my most troublesome medical issue. As bitterly cold temperatures persisted during the winter of 1999, I was not particularly concerned about a lingering cold and cough. But when I developed a low-grade fever and decreased energy, a chest x-ray confirmed that I had pneumonia in my left lung (lower lobe). My doctor prescribed a one-week course of antibiotics and reassured me that the diagnosis was not unusual. I quickly improved and a follow-up x-ray showed that the pneumonia had cleared. My doctor then suggested that I receive the pneumonia vaccine, which produces antibodies against many types of pneumococcal bacteria. End of story. Or so I thought. In October of 2001, at age 60, I began training to run the Boston Marathon. A few days after a long training run in January of 2002, cough and cold symptoms, a low-grade fever, and rather marked fatigue set in. The thought of pneumonia did not cross my mind initially. But, when symptoms didn’t improve, a visit to my doctor and chest x-ray confirmed my second diagnosis of pneumonia, again in my left lower lobe. I felt some relief when my physician, a pulmonologist and a serious runner himself, assured me that cold weather training had not caused the pneumonia. I recovered quickly, after a two-week course of antibiotics, and resumed training, completing the marathon in April. A follow-up chest CT performed in May showed no abnormal result, and a bronchoscopy in June ruled out any malignancy that might have led to pneumonia. Relieved, I assumed I was finished with pneumonia. However, pneumonia wasn’t finished with me. The next bout came three years later, in the right upper lobe. After antibiotic treatment, I managed to be pneumonia-free for the next six years. But in late July of 2011, I experienced a cold and cough in hot weather, which was quite unusual for me. Surely this can’t be pneumonia. After all, it has been 6 years! I began to wonder when tightness in my upper chest and extreme fatigue followed the cold and cough symptoms. Sure enough, I had pneumonia once again. With this latest diagnosis, my doctor became more focused on identifying the possible underlying cause(s) of my recurring pneumonia. The disease hit again just six months later, in December of 2011. After appearing to resolve following two weeks of antibiotics, the pneumonia returned less than a month later. Now, to see if there was an issue with my immune system, my doctor ordered immunoglobulin (antibody) testing. The results were normal. No clues here. Another pneumonia episode occurred in May of 2012, this time accompanied by a 104-degree fever. This one took a little longer to resolve, again with antibiotics. By this time my levels of bewilderment and anxiety were going up a notch with each episode. With the referral of my doctor, I sought out a pulmonologist, one who specializes in the treatment of pneumonia, to undergo additional studies that might yield useful information. Over a two-day period, pulmonary function tests were conducted, and computers tracked the results. I was given albuterol, a substance that aids in breathing and is often administered to people who have asthma. But the albuterol did not increase my breathing efficiency significantly. Other tests ruled out various other abnormalities. With all the information, gathered and evaluated by experts, what happens next? At this point, the doctors conclude that my pneumonia is probably idiopathic. They suggest that I have a follow-up CT scan and additional testing when pneumonia episodes actually occur. They also caution me about exposure around children and hospitalized patients. I asked my lung specialist if he thought this pneumonia puzzle would ever be resolved. His reply was, “Something is going on that we will eventually understand. We just haven’t figured it out yet.” Unsettling and stress producing as this has been, I know I am fortunate to be dealing with an illness that has, so far, responded to medication. Still, every time I get cold signs and symptoms, I worry. And I never take good health for granted.Brenda Melson chuyên nghiệp vào giảng dạy, tư vấn, và trường cao đẳng tư vấn.
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