Not getting better

My husband is a type II diabetic. He is contracted pneumonia and has been on levoquin. He has been on it for six days and has 5 more days to go. He has no appetite, nausea and vomiting with any dairy product, has dropped 12 pounds in the last week and a half. He has the pneumonia in the right upper lobe of his lung. He is also taking Tylenol for his fever.

He is feeling frustrated that the antibiotic is not working. Is his diabetes working against him at this point? His blood sugar levels have remained above 200. Help

[Anita Ramsetty, MD]

Hello,

Pneumonia in someone with diabetes can be very difficult to clear and often is quite severe. In that way the diagnosis of having diabetes does "work against" you to some extent. It is important to try to keep the glucose levels under control during this time when he is healing. Be sure to stay in close contact with his physician to keep him/her updates on your husband's condition.
Take care