Recurring self-diagnosed pneumonia

[Javier Chagnon]

About 5 years ago I had a persistant mild to severe cough after what looked like a normal cold or flu.After several months and several visits to the hospital (I was given different things,antibiotics were the only thing that helped) they never gave me a firm diagnostic,the only thing they found was traces of Micoplasma Pneumoniae in my blood test.It did go away after all but ever since when I catch a cold I have a big chance of getting what seems to me a relapse of pneumonia.The first 3/4 days I have normal cold symptons so I take the usual anti-cold complex,but after that I feel my health worsen with deep cough (green-yellow sputum) and frequent shivers.The first relapses I had I used to keep in bed and wait for the symptons to go away with the anti-cold complex and something against the cough,but it didn´t go away nor did it improve after more than a week,at some point I even started coughing sputum with blood.I finally self-prescribed antibiotics (amoxicillin, I guess) and after 3 or 4 days I got over it. It´s happened to me again and I´ve followed the same pattern.My family doctor told me pneumonia is rarely recurring, is it so? Mine I suppose would be "walking pneumonia", as the symptons aren´t very serious (i.e. I have little if any fever), caused by the Micoplasma Pneumoniae that showed in my blood test some years ago. But I´ve read Micoplasma don´t get affected by amoxicillin but by other antibiotics like doxycycline so I´m not very sure. I´ll try to visit a hospital the next time, but in the meantime I´d really appreciate your answers/suggestions. Thank you

[National Jewish]

Recurrent Mycoplasma pneumoniae is unusual.  You should not assume that this is what you have experienced.  The antibiotics that work the best are Zithromax® (azithromycin) or Biaxin (clarithromycin) with Vibramycin® (doxycycline) as a last choice.

It is more likely that some permanent lung damage occurred at or before the time of your first bout of pneumonia.  Now that portion of your lung is predisposed to recurrent infection.

Pneumonias that involve the right middle lobe (RML) of the lung are commonly associated with recurrence.  That portion of lung may sometimes have to be surgically removed to prevent recurrence.  You should have a chest x-ray and blood count with each recurrence.  In addition, the presence of blood in your sputum is worrisome.  This calls for further investigation, even if your current symptoms completely clear.  You should see a pulmonary specialist.  Further testing will almost certainly be done.