Hi - I Was Diagnosed With Pneumonia On Saturday -

Posted on Mon, 15 Oct 2018

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Mon, 15 Oct 2018 Answered on

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Question : hi - i was diagnosed with pneumonia on saturday - started levaquin on sunday - i had not really had issues breathing - tonight i felt tightness in my chest - my throat felt like there may be phlegm but could not cough anything out - then suddenly i had a strong cough and a 2 inch stringy fleshy looking thing came out - is that phlegm? the consistency was not like nose mucus - is this coming out because of the antibiotics ?

Answered by Dr. Dr.Arnab (50 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
could be some impacted/collected secretions secondary to pneumonia...

Detailed Answer:
Hello there,
Welcome to 'Ask A Doctor' service...
I've gone through your query in details...
I can understand your concerns...

Well, the stringy, stickiness of the secretions tends to increase during the first few days of treatment, which perhaps came out due to forceful coughing. Yes, they aren't similar to those from the nose, as due to a different structure and prolonged collection.

Good to know the antibiotics have been started already. You should be seeing improvement within a couple of days only.

Additionally, for symptomatic relief, I'd suggest the following:

-Start taking some steam inhalation twice to thrice daily, it'll help as a decongestant and ease the tightness and other associated symptoms to some extent and clear the secretions/drainage (if any)...

-Start doing Chlorhexidine gargle twice daily...avoid forceful coughing...avoid going to any overcrowded places for the time being, if at all you need to visit, then use a face mask.

-Avoid any form of cold-drinks, dairy products and sour foods as they can further aggravate this situation...

-Please drink a lot of fluids. Have plenty of warm liquids (soups, broth, porridge etc.), they'll act as an immunity booster and fasten the recovery.

-Ensure thorough handwashing with antibacterial handwash before and after handling any mucus, secretions, phlegm...

Let me know if I can assist you further...

Wish you a good health...

Take Care
Kind Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee