Pneumonia and possible smoke exposure
June 19, 2024 7:42 PM Subscribe
I had a bout of mild pneumonia diagnosed at Urgent Care on Monday. Went in because I had a fever of almost 103, was given antibiotics and told to avoid smoking/being around smokers. I am not a smoker. I am not sure about my neighbors. Earlier, I went out on my balcony to get fresh air and laid in my hammock, and now I'm experiencing tightness/shortness of breath.
I did not experience the shortness of breath symptom before my official pneumonia diagnosis on Monday, nor did I on Tuesday or earlier today.
I cannot smell anything—I even brought my hand to my nose with my shower soap but could not smell anything. I saw my neighbors sitting there, but didn't see much because I was in my hammock, so have no idea if they were smoking or not, or even if they are smokers in the first place. I don't know them, period (apartment living).
I felt much better yesterday and today—coughing reduced significantly, thanks to a combination of the antibiotics, Mucinex, and NyQuil Severe. I stayed inside the whole time, but had my window up for a while yesterday with no issue. It only was a while after I stepped back inside from my balcony tonight that I started feeling a shortness of breath. The shortness of breath is mild—I can still breathe, but I do feel a bit more "breathless", if that makes sense. However, I didn't smell anything at all, nor did I feel the typical throat scratchiness that comes after being exposed to cigarette smoke.
My questions are:
-Is it possible that while I was laying in my hammock earlier on my balcony, my neighbors (who were on the next balcony, about 10-15 feet away) were smoking and I didn't know it?
-As I don't have much, if any, sense of smell right now, would cigar/cigarette/vape/weed penetrate that — those smells are very strong. In other words, even though I can't smell or taste almost anything right now, would I know if my neighbors were smoking (even though I wasn't looking their way)?
-Or is the shortness of breath symptom I am experiencing a normal, possibly delayed side effect of the pneumonia and/or antibiotics?
YANMD, but figured I'd ask here before schlepping back over to UC or dealing with the nightmareish advice nurse phone line tree.
I did not experience the shortness of breath symptom before my official pneumonia diagnosis on Monday, nor did I on Tuesday or earlier today.
I cannot smell anything—I even brought my hand to my nose with my shower soap but could not smell anything. I saw my neighbors sitting there, but didn't see much because I was in my hammock, so have no idea if they were smoking or not, or even if they are smokers in the first place. I don't know them, period (apartment living).
I felt much better yesterday and today—coughing reduced significantly, thanks to a combination of the antibiotics, Mucinex, and NyQuil Severe. I stayed inside the whole time, but had my window up for a while yesterday with no issue. It only was a while after I stepped back inside from my balcony tonight that I started feeling a shortness of breath. The shortness of breath is mild—I can still breathe, but I do feel a bit more "breathless", if that makes sense. However, I didn't smell anything at all, nor did I feel the typical throat scratchiness that comes after being exposed to cigarette smoke.
My questions are:
-Is it possible that while I was laying in my hammock earlier on my balcony, my neighbors (who were on the next balcony, about 10-15 feet away) were smoking and I didn't know it?
-As I don't have much, if any, sense of smell right now, would cigar/cigarette/vape/weed penetrate that — those smells are very strong. In other words, even though I can't smell or taste almost anything right now, would I know if my neighbors were smoking (even though I wasn't looking their way)?
-Or is the shortness of breath symptom I am experiencing a normal, possibly delayed side effect of the pneumonia and/or antibiotics?
YANMD, but figured I'd ask here before schlepping back over to UC or dealing with the nightmareish advice nurse phone line tree.
What's the overall air quality like where you're at? I'm guessing other particulate matter could be a trigger too, and smoking is just the most common/obvious thing their patients might encounter.
posted by teremala at 8:08 PM on June 19 [2 favorites]
posted by teremala at 8:08 PM on June 19 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I was tested for COVID, RSV, etc. and all came negative. I don't have any allergies that I know of.
What's the overall air quality like where you're at?
Weather app shows 45 currently, which is good.
it is certainly possible that your neighbours could have been smoking and you couldn't tell
Wow, really? Even though I can't smell/taste pretty much anything, wouldn't I somehow know if somebody was smoking near me? Those smells and sensations are very strong, and I'm normally hyper sensitive to smell. When I was laying in my hammock, I literally smelled NOTHING at all nor felt anything weird at all. Even if I couldn't smell/taste anything, I'd imagine that I would still feel it somehow, with scratchiness or whatever?
I was told to avoid being around/near somebody who smokes, which is why I'm nervous.
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 8:20 PM on June 19
What's the overall air quality like where you're at?
Weather app shows 45 currently, which is good.
it is certainly possible that your neighbours could have been smoking and you couldn't tell
Wow, really? Even though I can't smell/taste pretty much anything, wouldn't I somehow know if somebody was smoking near me? Those smells and sensations are very strong, and I'm normally hyper sensitive to smell. When I was laying in my hammock, I literally smelled NOTHING at all nor felt anything weird at all. Even if I couldn't smell/taste anything, I'd imagine that I would still feel it somehow, with scratchiness or whatever?
I was told to avoid being around/near somebody who smokes, which is why I'm nervous.
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 8:20 PM on June 19
If I understand correctly, you're worried you were exposed to smoke because you're having this new shortness of breath symptom and don't know what caused it?
Is it possible that anxiety is contributing to this feeling? If you continue having worsening symptoms, especially difficulty breathing, you could of course seek more medical help. I say this as someone who has had similar symptoms and it turned out to be basically a cycle of increasing anxiety, but also have had bad pneumonia and other lung symptoms that were clearly physical in origin. Symptoms contributed to by anxiety don't feel any less real, frustratingly. I'd see if you can lose yourself in something completely different for a couple hours and then check in.
If you did get exposed to smoke, as far as I know, that wouldn't change anything about the best way to care for yourself, which above all rest as much as possible until you don't feel strained to do things. It can be more time-consuming than recovering from a viral infection. Take care of yourself and don't put too much pressure on getting back to normal right away.
posted by lookoutbelow at 9:11 PM on June 19 [6 favorites]
Is it possible that anxiety is contributing to this feeling? If you continue having worsening symptoms, especially difficulty breathing, you could of course seek more medical help. I say this as someone who has had similar symptoms and it turned out to be basically a cycle of increasing anxiety, but also have had bad pneumonia and other lung symptoms that were clearly physical in origin. Symptoms contributed to by anxiety don't feel any less real, frustratingly. I'd see if you can lose yourself in something completely different for a couple hours and then check in.
If you did get exposed to smoke, as far as I know, that wouldn't change anything about the best way to care for yourself, which above all rest as much as possible until you don't feel strained to do things. It can be more time-consuming than recovering from a viral infection. Take care of yourself and don't put too much pressure on getting back to normal right away.
posted by lookoutbelow at 9:11 PM on June 19 [6 favorites]
I would see a doctor. You need to breathe easier in an immediate way (with eg a puffer, or maybe something more depending). Do you have a pulse oximeter (what’s your blood oxygen level if you do)? What’s your blood pressure and heart rate? Did they take an X-ray?
I think it is probably ok if you were outside and the smokers were also outside. I think the issue is being in an enclosed space with smoke.
No idea about the smell piece but that would be another reason to see a doctor imo.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:48 PM on June 19 [4 favorites]
I think it is probably ok if you were outside and the smokers were also outside. I think the issue is being in an enclosed space with smoke.
No idea about the smell piece but that would be another reason to see a doctor imo.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:48 PM on June 19 [4 favorites]
It is possible to develop allergies at any age and the fact that this happened to you outdoors suggests allergies. Where I live grass pollen has been bad lately. You can look up local pollen counts at pollen.com. If someone smoked a cigarette outdoors fifteen feet away from you it's highly unlikely that you would ingest enough smoke to irritate your lungs unless there was wind blowing it right at you.
posted by mareli at 4:56 AM on June 20 [3 favorites]
posted by mareli at 4:56 AM on June 20 [3 favorites]
Unless you've just moved to a new apartment, I'd assume you'd know if you had neighbors who smoked outside - if you haven't smelled smoke in the recent past, you probably don't live near smokers. Could be anxiety, could be allergies, could be car exhaust, could be just the fact that recovery is rarely perfectly linear. Given that you've described as "mild" I wouldn't worry.
posted by coffeecat at 6:19 AM on June 20 [3 favorites]
posted by coffeecat at 6:19 AM on June 20 [3 favorites]
Secondhand smoke mixed with outdoor air will probably not impair your recovery significantly. I would rest today and see if your shortness of breath gets better. If it gets worse, seek additional care (they can probably give you a breathing treatment or steroid medication at urgent care, for example). A pulse oximeter would be a useful tool if you want to buy or borrow one.
You can also do supportive treatments for your lungs, such as a hot shower to loosen mucus.
Some pneumonia is not bacterial and won’t get better with antibiotics. Not sure if they tested the type you have or are just treating with antibiotics because it might help.
posted by mai at 7:24 AM on June 20 [3 favorites]
You can also do supportive treatments for your lungs, such as a hot shower to loosen mucus.
Some pneumonia is not bacterial and won’t get better with antibiotics. Not sure if they tested the type you have or are just treating with antibiotics because it might help.
posted by mai at 7:24 AM on June 20 [3 favorites]
Losing your sense of smell also makes me wonder whether your pneumonia is secondary to a COVID infection. You may have tested negative for Covid (i.e. active Covid is gone) but still have developed pneumonia later after the active infection. It is a known thing that happens.
Keep an eye on the shortness of breath and if it worsens or persists see the doctor again, because there are treatments.
Do they know it is bacterial pneumonia for certain? (If it is not bacterial, then they might put you on steroids rather than antibiotics - like dexamethasone).
If you have or can get or borrow a pulse oximeter then that would not be a bad thing.
(With that said, since this developed after you were outside, it could also possibly be allergies to something outside complicating things and you could try taking some allergy medication like claritin or benadryl maybe.)
posted by gudrun at 7:35 AM on June 20
Keep an eye on the shortness of breath and if it worsens or persists see the doctor again, because there are treatments.
Do they know it is bacterial pneumonia for certain? (If it is not bacterial, then they might put you on steroids rather than antibiotics - like dexamethasone).
If you have or can get or borrow a pulse oximeter then that would not be a bad thing.
(With that said, since this developed after you were outside, it could also possibly be allergies to something outside complicating things and you could try taking some allergy medication like claritin or benadryl maybe.)
posted by gudrun at 7:35 AM on June 20
Shortness of breath , chest tightness is not normal.
It may serious
You certainly want to mention this symptom.
You can can use a rescue inhaler. blue puffer. A fast acting bronchodilator for relief. It's called Ventolin.
You should have one with you.
Ask for a spacer as well.
Makes it easier to use the inhaler.
My pneumonia progressed from occasional being breathless where the inhaler really helped . Until it did not
4 days after starting antibiotics I ended up in ICU on a ventilator.
Not fun.
" mild " pneumonia can turn serious very quickly
posted by yyz at 7:39 AM on June 20 [4 favorites]
It may serious
You certainly want to mention this symptom.
You can can use a rescue inhaler. blue puffer. A fast acting bronchodilator for relief. It's called Ventolin.
You should have one with you.
Ask for a spacer as well.
Makes it easier to use the inhaler.
My pneumonia progressed from occasional being breathless where the inhaler really helped . Until it did not
4 days after starting antibiotics I ended up in ICU on a ventilator.
Not fun.
" mild " pneumonia can turn serious very quickly
posted by yyz at 7:39 AM on June 20 [4 favorites]
Pneumonia is fluid in the lungs, and lying in a hammock places your body on the level -- so is it possible that the fluid in your lungs just shifted around and feels differently?
posted by wenestvedt at 7:42 AM on June 20 [6 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 7:42 AM on June 20 [6 favorites]
I came in here to ask what wenestvedt did. Is it positional? My bout of pneumonia was almost fifteen years ago at this point but I still remember certain positions aggravated my symptoms (lying on my back was one of the worst offenders for me).
posted by nat at 8:37 PM on June 20 [1 favorite]
posted by nat at 8:37 PM on June 20 [1 favorite]
To respond to your question about not being able to smell a strong odor like smoke: I lost most of my sense of smell in January due to some non-COVID respiratory illness, and I can’t smell skunk (the animal, not the weed) at all, no matter how strong it is.
posted by telophase at 7:58 AM on June 21
posted by telophase at 7:58 AM on June 21
Response by poster: Wanted to respond with an update — the tightness has disappeared so far, despite stepping outside multiple times. Still can't smell/taste, unfortunately, but am still coming up with a lot of mucus and coughing some, so it should hopefully pass soon. Thanks!
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 7:21 PM on June 22
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 7:21 PM on June 22
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When something similar happened to me a few years ago (minus the pneumonia), a nurse practitioner recommended after the fact that if the shortness of breath happened again, I should try taking a Claritin, and if that didn't help then escalate to Benadryl. If that doesn't help either, going back to Urgent Care would probably be a good move; breathing difficulties can escalate to a Very Very Bad Situation very quickly.
posted by heatherlogan at 7:59 PM on June 19 [4 favorites]