ask: 4 weeks after being hospitalized with pneumonia I still have pain in my left lung, especially if I sneeze or cough - is this normal?
I am a scuba diving instructor and got bronchities while living on a small island in Central America and was given questionable treatment ('doctor' didn't even listen to my chest or give me a check). The cough went away and I carried on diving every day. 3 weeks later the cough came back over the space of 24 hours, I developed a high fever, painful joints and muscles and vomited regularly. Due to the lack of doctor I waited 4 days until the American doctor on the island was here at which point he diagnosed pneumonia and sent me to the hospital on the mainland where I spent 3 nights. 4 weeks on and I feel fine in myself (a bit tired and lethargic) but I still have pain in my left lung when I do any form of activity (even walking and talking at the same time hurts). It is especially bad if I cough or sneeze. I'm supposed to go back to work (diving) next week and I don't if I should. Are there any after-effects of pneumonia that could be causing this? I'm worried that I didn't get it treated early enough that I've done real damage, and am especially worried of pneumothorax when diving.
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If you are still experiencing pain, it is important to be re-evaluated, as your pneumonia could have relapsed, or may need further treatment.
You may not have any permanent damage, but one treatment may not have been enough (assuming you were given antibiotics?)...you may just need another dose or another type of antibiotic.
Does your doctor have access to Xrays or other diagnostic tests?
March 4, 2010 - 3:05pmThis Comment