Front Porch: Pneumonia is no joking matter, especially for older folks

A few words about pneumonia.

This dreaded lung disease has recently become a player in our lives and that of our friends. We are all older now – baby boomers and pre-WWII babies – so this is one of the insults that has descended on us with greater severity.

Anyone can get this lung infection (viral, bacterial or fungal), and all age groups do, but it has greater impact on the elderly because we’re more frail than we used to be, what with our weakened immune systems and all. And the National Institutes of Health informs us that pneumonia is the leading cause of hospitalization and death among the elderly.

Oh, swell.

The good news is that with an early response time and preventative care, this potential killer can be thwarted, thanks to improved protocols and medications that can be employed. On the preventative side, there’s a pneumonia vaccine, thankfully. But pneumonia can visit even so; hence, quick attention is vital. If you think you should go to urgent care or the ER because of symptoms, go! Waiting a day or so to see how things progress can cost you your life.

I’m not talking about the sniffles or a raspy throat. Pneumonia is much more severe – fever, coughing, phlegm production, chest tightness or pain when breathing, inability to get a deep breath and more. Some of the symptoms can be more subtle – low temperature, for example.

There is so much information out there about this, so please just do a simple internet search, and always check with a medical professional. Meantime, let me share a few anecdotes, situations I know all too well.

Last February my husband got sick. We thought it might be a second bite at COVID, but a home test for that was negative. (And, yes, we’re up to date on our COVID vaccines.) That night, rising fever, brain confusion, loss of leg strength and deep coughing prompted a trip to the ER.

It turned out Bruce had Influenza A and pneumonia. After initial treatment at the hospital, he wanted to go home. The doctor wanted to admit him, due to the severity of the situation, but being a man of a certain generation, my husband declined.

I was preparing to overrule him (he wasn’t capable of getting himself out of bed at that moment anyhow), when the doctor leaned in and said she’d seen patient after patient, especially older ones, leave when they really shouldn’t and go home. And then die there.

Bruce agreed to stay, continued treatment and observation for a few days … and recovered. He returned to work and life by my side, which is right where I want him to be for as long as possible. He told me afterwards that when the doctor spoke the hard truth to him in the ER, he thought of his father and how stubborn he could be, and how that stubbornness did him harm health-wise. He didn’t want to go down that road, nor hurt me by doing so.

A close friend, whose family works in the medical field, came down with pneumonia earlier this year. She began treatment right away – antibiotics and other prescribed drugs – and she slowly felt better.

Still, something wasn’t right, and she checked in again with her doctor. A secondX-ray showed that the pneumonia had invaded her second lung, and a stronger course of treatment was needed.

I am happy to report that it all turned out well and that she is currently enjoying the waning days of summer out at the lake with her family.

And, one more little story – Bruce got visited by the pneumonia fairy again in August. It started with a low-grade fever, hacking and spewing, a little brain fog. Off we went to Urgent Care. Community-acquired pneumonia. He got on meds right away, and I am happy to report that he is well again.

We learned at urgent care that there has been an uptick in pneumonia among young people this summer. Not good news, as the World Health Organization reports that pneumonia already is responsible for 14% of the deaths of children under age 5.

We’ve also come to understand that not all symptoms are typical. And we’ve learned (though it’s still an uphill climb for Bruce) that if you think whatever you have might be more than just a little summer cold, err on the side of caution and check it out.

Pneumonia’s no joke, even though American boxer Rocky Graziano once remarked: “I quit school in the sixth grade because of pneumonia – not because I had it, but because I couldn’t spell it.”

If only it were that funny.

Voices correspondent Stefanie Pettit can be reached by email at upwindsailor@comcast.net