hi all its me again, been on ra forum last week talking about how I was feeling after high liver count meant I was off all meds for my rheumatoid. A few days later after struggling to breathe for a couple of days, was sent to hospital as emergency suffering from double pneumonia. Am writing this from my hospital bed still on oxygen wondering if my meds of etanercept and methotrexate were to blame for this. And wondering when my flare up will hit, and what I can now take to combat it. This episode as scared me to death and not out of the woods yet
Pneumonia isn't unusual whilst on RA meds. I was hospitalised for pneumonia just over 12 months ago, can't remember a thing about it. RA meds affect your immune system so naturally you are at a higher risk of infection. Par for the course with RA.
Hi carole78111,
i too was in the QE with pnemonia last year , you will be of your meds as the antibiotics you will have intravenously will not work, so to combate your RA you will be on a high dose of steriods.....possibly prednisanol. As this was what they did to me, only after 11 days and the infection had gone was i allowed back on my meds......you will be fine, time is a great healer.
Hi first of all I wish u a speedy recovery. U are in de hospital now. First of all they will try to treat pneumonia after stopping all RA meds because they effect ur immune system and when u have any infection in ur body the recovery process is very slow. In winter season every year my throat infection and cough take months to go. So u r in safe hands. Dont worry hospital will take care.
Hi tony, I am no stranger to the effects of RA meds as I have had this condition for 32 years. Have been on everything till I was accepted. For trial for TNF. What they don't tell
you is that the medication can actually damage your lungs.
Hi stretchy, if you see my reply to tony, yes I have been on intravenous antibiotics and have been taken off my meds for 6 weeks after leaving hospital. Had no typical symptoms of pneumonia, no fever, no cough,have to wait 4 weeks for result of bronchoscopy. They refuse to rule out damage caused by meds till all results back in.
Thank you syedq51 am not in hospital now, left after 8 days. All meds stopped for 6 weeks. I am no stranger to the effects of RA.