Is it likely that i have Pneumonia?

[onesickpuppy]

All my life I have seemed to catch every Flu-Bug that comes-around.
I tend to be sick longer than the average person.
I should also mention that I'm a Beer Drinker!
Back in early November, I caught what I believe to be yet another Flu.
I was not aware that Alcohol-abuse weakens the bodies' ability
to fight sicknesses such as the Flu.
After being sick for over a month now, it occured to me that my
frequent Alcohol intake may be inhibiting my recovery. DUH!
I have been off the booze for 2 weeks now, yet I am still sick!
My Symptoms are: Body Aches, Weakness, some coughing which I can
feel discomfort in my upper chest when I cough,
some upper chest discomfort even when I'm not coughing,
chills at times, night sweats at other times.
This week, I went to a local walk-in urgent care centre.
I was assigned a "Doctor's Assistant".
They drew my Blood and ran several tests
such as Liver-Function(because of the Alcohol)
they also checked my temperature, blood pressure, etc.
The "Dr." says that everything seems normal except for some
inflamation. He also had my Chest XRayed.
He said that He cannot see anything wrong in the xrays,
but He will have a more experienced Dr. look at it and let me know
what they conclude on Monday.
I strongly suspect that I have some form
of pneumonia, which grew-out of my Flu+Alcohol abuse.
What do You think? Also, If this IS Pneumonia, will it go-away on it's own
as long as I stay away from Alcohol, rest, take vitamins and plenty of fluids?
Thanx so-much and Merry Christmas!

[charchar]

My daughter has been in the hospital now for 4 days for dehydration and they gave her iv fluids wide open for 2 of the days she started to gain weight quickly like 20 pounds in 2 days. She is normally a very small girl.(110 lbs Friday and by monday 130 )she was transferred to another hosp. and they took xrays of chest because chest pain and rapid breathing and ct of abdomen for her very swollen belly .They said that one third of  her lungs are filled  and she has fluid all in her extremedies and belly.They said it is from fluid overload.She is 21 years old. They now have her started on some lasix and it it comming off really good .But how easy is the lungs going to clear. Or is she in more danger than we are thinking. They act like everything is going good because of the fluid comming off. But she isn't coughing up anything. She is short of breath but not as bad as she was yesterday. Does anyone know if the fluid comes out of her lungs and releases it through the kidneys like the rest or will she have to cough it out or will it simply just dry up.??? This may sound like silly questions but I have no idea about the lungs.And she is starting to have fever 102 up and down.  thanks for any info you can share.

[onesickpuppy]

The Dr. put me on "Ketek" about 4 days ago.
Once I start AntiBiotics,
How long should it typically take to recover?
Thanx!

[National Jewish]

Yes, alcohol abuse definitely weakens one's resistance to infection and to inhaled irritants, such as cigarette smoke.  What you describe could be pneumonia.  It may or may not go away on its own.  If it is going to go away, it should be doing it now.  If you continue to cough and have chest discomfort and, especially if you have fever, it is likely that the pneumonia will require treatment, probably with an antibiotic.

[onesickpuppy]

Thanx!

[starion]

I believe pneumonia generally shows up on x-rays, so I'd wait until Monday & see what the docs have to say.  Staying away from alcohol, resting, eating properly & lots of fluids is still a good idea to help you recover.  Viruses can last a long time & there aren't many effective treatments for them.  If you worsen or don't improve after whatever time interval the docs suggest on Monday, you might want to have a re-check to be sure you don't develop an infection.
Starion