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robert888 Asked July 2010

Pneumonia - post antibiotics and recover, what's it like for an elderly person?

We took my 86 y.o. dad to the ER about a week ago because of a fever and listlessness. In a CT scan they discovered pneumonia in both lungs. A few days later the culture showed a klebsiella bacteria and also candida albicans and glabrata. He is on amox/clav and Diflucan. Although the docs wanted him to stay in the hospital, we brought him home. He's still listless and not eating and now has phlegm. We wonder are people still plegmy and coughing even after 3-4 days of antibiotics? He has anemia also, so this is probably really taking it out on him. We are not sure he can recover. Would like to hear others experiences with pneumonia. We don't mind providing him with "hospice" care or just supportive care with fluids if we are on that road. It's scary seeing him so zonked out in bed. A week ago he was able to get around the house. If it just takes a long time to recover then we can also persevere. Not knowing is tough.

robert888 Jul 2010
Hi Tennessee. So for your dad, it wasn't like he took the antibiotics and then 3 days later he was feeling and looking better? Your dad was still "down" for several weeks? From my younger friends, they say that after the antibiotics they go from lying in bed - to feeling fine, like overnight, although they then finish the course of antibiotics.

tennessee Jul 2010
Once it took my dad months to get over pneumonia,he was like you described our dad but slowly pulled through,that was the worst case,other times the pneumonia hadn't set in as bad.Pneumonia is rough on anyone esp. old folks.

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robert888 Jul 2010
Was it common to have a low-grade fever and phlegm afterwards for many days?

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