Old and new names

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

Thank you for the warm welcome, even though I had posted previously, I had

not properly introduced myself. I see some old names as well as new ones. I

wanted to mention to Aliza that was a strange way of finding out you were MR (do

I have that right?). Let's hope that from here on, you have no place to go but

up the ladder and PCRU.

You all have amazing stories. Maybe we should refer to Zazzy as the Bionic

Woman. LOL. And anyone with small children at home, wow, thank you Lord, my

family was on their own. I am taken aback at how you all have managed to hang

in and you are all here to tell of your experiences. It's like having a

fireside chat, with one story behind the other. A nice cup of hot cider to go

with that would be nice. This is the place for a newbie to be. I just need one

clarification. I know what SOB means to me (LOL), but what does it mean on this

list? I don't have any small children to pick up those acronyms, all I know is

CHR, CCR, MMR, PCRU. LOL.

One in the group wanted to know what it felt like to have pleural effusions.

I couldn't tell the difference, I had pleural and pericardial effusions,

pneumonia, and the cardiologist said I had pulmonary edema and was diagnosed

with a serious lung infection, mycobacterium chelonae. I did have pains

mid-chest, it was tender to touch the chest and was so miserable with chills and

fever I don't remember what came first, the chicken or the egg. LOL. When I

breathed, I just wanted to take a deep breath and clear my lungs, but when I

took a deep breath, I couldn't exhale. That scared me and my husband called an

ambulance. All of the time preceeding this, no one could tell me what was wrong

with me, not even from an x-ray, but before I even got in the ambulance, the EMT

checked my vitals and told me I had pneumonia in my left lung. It's possible as

Bobby said that they mistook the PE for pneumonia, but they did culture after

culture and blood test after blood test. They can tell from your blood if you

have an infection. Now mind you I never had pneumonia in my life and I get the

pneumonia vaccine every 5 years. Wow, 60,000 Americans die from it every year.

I'm glad you and I weren't one of them.

This information comes from the Mayo clinic web site:

Every year, more than 60,000 Americans die of pneumonia — an inflammation of the

lungs that's usually caused by infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi or other

organisms. Pneumonia is a particular concern for older adults and people with

chronic illnesses or impaired immune systems, but it can also strike young,

healthy people. Worldwide, it's a leading cause of death in children.

There are many kinds of pneumonia ranging in seriousness from mild to

life-threatening. Pneumonia acquired while in the hospital can be particularly

virulent and deadly. Although signs and symptoms vary, many cases of pneumonia

develop suddenly, with chest pain, fever, chills, cough and shortness of breath.

Infection often follows a cold or the flu, but it can also be associated with

other illnesses or occur on its own.

Although antibiotics can treat some of the most common forms of bacterial

pneumonias, antibiotic-resistant strains are a growing problem. For that reason,

and because the disease can be very serious, it's best to try to prevent

infection in the first place.

Everyone stay well,

Lottie