Discussion: Pneumonia? From Orienteering?
in: Orienteering; General
Jan 4, 2020 4:07 PM
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Dec 14th was like any of hundreds of other orienteering days for me. The weather was cool for Florida but not cold. I worked up a sweat during my run and then stood around chatting with many of the student orienteers I know. They were keen to talk about their courses and how they were doing. For them this event would determine which teams would be going to their national championships. I also chatted with a couple of ex-student orienteers who still come out. We talked about the courses and I wanted to talk them into becoming course setters and mappers. I ignored that as we talked my sweat was cooling and my body was getting cold. Too late I guess I excused myself to change out of my wet and cold clothes.
Then I had a 2 1/2 hour drive before I could get a hot shower.
The next day mapping - again sweating and cooling and a 90 minute drive to my next hot shower. By then my sinuses were acting up and I'm coughing a bit. Maybe I should take a day of rest. No I was on the road with a mapping schedule to keep. Hours in parks followed by hours of computer work all the while my cough is getting worse.
Over the counter medicine seemed to help a bit but as Christmas came and went the amount of junk coming up with the coughs increased. The cold just would not go away.
Approaching New Year it is getting ridiculous and even harder to breathe. Jan 2 my wife insists we call our Canadian health insurance provider and get approval for a visit to a Florida health clinic.
Approved.
Go to a facility called Urgent Care where we fill out some forms, agree to pay up front and in about one hour have had some tests with technicians, a visit from the doctor who said oh oh we have some funny sounds in the lungs. We're going to take x-rays. The x-rays are done on the spot and still within that hour the doctor comes in to say yes I have some fluid in the lungs indicative of a low grade and treatable form of pneumonia. Prescription: an array of drugs, rest and plenty of food and fluid. I'm working on that now.
That was two days ago. I'm still coughing a bit and spewing up gobs of junk but the chest is feeling better. My wife says no workouts or mapping before the doctor revisit on the fifth day but I can live with that.
Why this long post? To remind you all, particularly you old timers to take care of yourselves and get out of those wet clothes on cold days.
Then I had a 2 1/2 hour drive before I could get a hot shower.
The next day mapping - again sweating and cooling and a 90 minute drive to my next hot shower. By then my sinuses were acting up and I'm coughing a bit. Maybe I should take a day of rest. No I was on the road with a mapping schedule to keep. Hours in parks followed by hours of computer work all the while my cough is getting worse.
Over the counter medicine seemed to help a bit but as Christmas came and went the amount of junk coming up with the coughs increased. The cold just would not go away.
Approaching New Year it is getting ridiculous and even harder to breathe. Jan 2 my wife insists we call our Canadian health insurance provider and get approval for a visit to a Florida health clinic.
Approved.
Go to a facility called Urgent Care where we fill out some forms, agree to pay up front and in about one hour have had some tests with technicians, a visit from the doctor who said oh oh we have some funny sounds in the lungs. We're going to take x-rays. The x-rays are done on the spot and still within that hour the doctor comes in to say yes I have some fluid in the lungs indicative of a low grade and treatable form of pneumonia. Prescription: an array of drugs, rest and plenty of food and fluid. I'm working on that now.
That was two days ago. I'm still coughing a bit and spewing up gobs of junk but the chest is feeling better. My wife says no workouts or mapping before the doctor revisit on the fifth day but I can live with that.
Why this long post? To remind you all, particularly you old timers to take care of yourselves and get out of those wet clothes on cold days.
Jan 4, 2020 4:50 PM
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Gee Gord, what a shock! Your post prompted a bit of research about the pneumonia vaccination my doc recommended a few months ago. Turns out it is also recommended by the CDC if you're over 65. Have you been vaccinated?
Good luck with the recovery. Hope you're back on your mapping schedule before long...we love Florida orienteering!
Good luck with the recovery. Hope you're back on your mapping schedule before long...we love Florida orienteering!
Jan 4, 2020 5:17 PM
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Nick:
ouch.. good luck with recovery. and thanks for posting _ many need a reminder sometimes
Jan 5, 2020 6:10 PM
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I had pneumonia a few years ago now.
I don't think it had anything to do with getting cold or having to wait for a hot shower.
You can contract it for any number of reasons. It tends to be a secondary infection following a cold. The cold is a virus and causes inflammation in the lungs putting you at risk of a bacterial infection, which then causes the pneumonia.
At the time my doctor told me that if a common cold is not improving after 2 weeks then you should seek medical advice / help.
From the time line that you have described this hold true.
I don't think it had anything to do with getting cold or having to wait for a hot shower.
You can contract it for any number of reasons. It tends to be a secondary infection following a cold. The cold is a virus and causes inflammation in the lungs putting you at risk of a bacterial infection, which then causes the pneumonia.
At the time my doctor told me that if a common cold is not improving after 2 weeks then you should seek medical advice / help.
From the time line that you have described this hold true.
This discussion thread is closed.