Waiting once again!!

So my fear came true today.  Surgery will not be Monday as planned.  They still haven't figured the pneumonia issue out.  Doc says little improvment in my chest xrays from Mon when I had them done.  I understand the reasoning, but this whole thing has been so frustrating!  I have had so many xrays and been on so many meds lately, I feel I am going to start to glow soon.  There has got to be something else wrong, I do not feel as though I have pneumonia.  So hopefully surgery will be in a couple weeks like they said, I can't handle any more setbacks.

Be patient.  It is important to have the surgery as safe as possible, so the doc needs to have your lungs healthy.  Because of the location of the surgery, it takes a long time for you to be able to take deep breaths.  I had a hard time breathing after my surgery and I couldn't imagine if I had pneumonia. 

I'm sending some prayers your way.

I have read a couple of your posts and I am sorry for your set back. I had a similar issue a couple of months ago where I had a chest X-ray because I was having a little bit of chest pain on and off. The doctor at the ER had diagnosed me with a "touch" of pneumonia. I took 10 days worth of antibiotics but my symptoms never got better. I followed up with my PCP and he refered me to my cardiologist. He repeated the X-ray and said I had what they call "Pericardial Effusion". It is when the pericardial sac around your heart has a little more fluid in it than normal. It actually shows up on chest x-rays almost like pneumonia does and can often be mistaken as such "according to my cardio". I am not a doctor, and I can only share my situation. However, it wouldn't hurt bring it up to your PCP. They can treat the extra fluid with NSAIDS like ibprofen for about a week, and it goes away. However, in my case, since I was allergic to NSAIDS, they treated mine for 10 days with Colcrys. Not saying this is the case with your X-rays. I am just sharing my personal experience.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery so you can have your surgery soon.

I am sorry you have to wait,..I know how it feels,I am in the process of waiting as well. I am trying to be patient and tell myself things happen for a reason. Good luck to you.

I sympathize with you.  I got pneumonia shortly after my RNY and I didn't feel like I had pneumonia either.  I went to the ER because I thought I was dehydrated, which I was, but they listened to my lungs and then ordered a chest x-ray and told me I had pneumonia.  I had been feeling kind of short of breath when I walked even a short distance but otherwise I had no symptoms that would have made me think I had pneumonia.  They gave me oral antibiotics and IV fluids and sent me home.  A week later I was dehydrated again so I went back to the ER.  I didn't feel any worse than I had the week before but they did another chest x-ray and said the pneumonia was much worse even though I'd been on antibiotics for a week.

It was bizarre.  I really don't understand how I could have been that sick and not know it.  I think I was lucky that I got dehydrated and went to the ER because otherwise I don't know what would have happened.  I ended up on a respirator a couple days after I was admitted to the hospital.  I really wonder if I would have died if I hadn't gone to the ER for fluids.

I was probably glowing from all the x-rays too.  They probably did a chest x-ray every other day while I was in the hospital, which was for three weeks, and then a few follow up x-rays after I was discharged.

Did you ever go for the CT scan they were talking about? This would definitely give them more information of what is going on in your lungs than just a plain x-ray.

Yes, I had that on Thurs and they still had me come in on Fri for another chest xray.  They said not a whole lot of change from Mon.  Needless to say I am very frustrated with the whole situation and plan to take matters into my own hands.  I am calling my doc on Mon to see if she will refer me to a pulmonologist.  I just don't feel like this is pneumonia!  I have read countless articles online and my symptoms jsut don't don't point to that.  I mean I am on week 6 of having this stupid cough!!  I just don't want to wait another 2 wks only for them to say its not any better!  Anyway, thank you all for your replys, its so nice having support from people who "know".  I will keep you all posted and will join you all on the losers bench eventually!!

I am so glad you are seeing a pulmonologist. That is the best thing to do. My PCP is also a pulmonologist and it always makes me feel more comfortable.  I had a CT of the abdomen a month ago and they found a 4mm nodule on my left lung.  I immediately showed it to her and she got a copy of the films.  She said since it is so small, they can't biopsy it, so I am going for a repeat CT scan of the chest next month - 2 months after the original one to see if it grew.  She said there are only 2 ways to biopsy a lung nodule - a broncoscopy which is a scopy in which they use a CT scan use a guide to locate it so they can biopsy it but CT scans are usually filmed via 5mm cuts, so a nodule 4mm in size is very often not even seen and the other option is an open lung biopsy which is major surgery and something that tiny they probably can;t even see with the naked eye without really poking around and I am not letting anyone cut me open like that without knowing more info.  So she standard protocol for a nodule that size is to repeat and watch within 6 months but to ease my mind, she would send me back in 2 months.  Then depending on what we find, we will decide from there.  If no change is found in 2years, then it is known to be benign.

I wish you the best and keep us posted.