Any medical people on here?

[joc]

Wouldn't it be better for someone who has pneumonia and hence mega chest productions to be sitting up in bed rather than lying flat? Had to suggest to nurse looking after my dad that by lying flat he was drowning in gunk, sorry but It makes me hopping mad that he was struggling with this - it's not rocket science it's just common sense - urrrghh!

[beki]

Am vaguely medical(psychiatry) and agree with you joc, definately better being slightly raised.

Hope your dad improves.

[lindaandrascal]

When i had pneumonia i COULDNT lay down without coughing, i had to sit up all the time. Its a very unpleasant thing to have! Hope your Dads OK.

[Ann NF]

I`m a former nurse - yes, I`m sure you are right Joc . Unless he has very low blood pressure and they are ensuring adequate circulation to his brain, or, unless he`s in the middle of a physiotherapy session where he might be laid flat or even head down for a short time to enable gunk to drain / be suctioned out. The normal position for someone in your Dad`s situation would be sitting up in bed , propped up by backrest and pillows, or even sitting upright in a chair for a while. He should be encouraged to breathe deeply, to cough up the gunk, to drink plenty ( possibly have IV fluids if he`s not drinking enough) and to keep his legs moving ( ankle exercises) to prevent deep vein thrombosis.
Why not ask to have a word with your Dad`s doctors and his physiotherapist.
I hope he is soon over this. Pneumonia is a horrible thing to have.

[joc]

Thanks guys - he seems to have perked up tonight although when I went in they were shutting the ward down for the night and he was lying flat again! It's hard to interfere when they are doing their job but as he seemed better I thought I'd leave it this time and hopefully he'll get a restful night. He has cellulitis as well and when I checked his arm he had a reddened vein leading away from the canular which I think is phlebitis. I did mention this and the reaction was it goes with the territory! Thanks for your thoughtsx

[fin]

When I had pneumonia when I was a kid the doctor advised I should lie with my feet higher than my head so that all the gunk could drain out (as it were)!!!!!! It was AWFUL. I had measles at the same time (the only consolation was I had 6 weeks off school!)

Your poor dad--it really is a filthy miserable thing to have. Hope he gets better soon x

[polly]

I think so long as your dad is comfortable and able to breathe easily and cough up his secretions he should be ok in whichever position is comfortable for him. Having said that, with a chest infection or pneumonia it is generally easier to breathe when sat/lying in a more upright position.

On the point regarding the cannula/possible phlebitis, it is NOT acceptable to say that this goes with the territory. `Extravasation` or `tissuing` occurs when the cannula has punctured the vein wall allowing the IV fluids/drugs to infuse into the surrounding tissues. This can be very painful and can lead to infection. We check our patients`cannula sites hourly and replace them at any sign of swelling or redness. You are right to raise your concerns.

Hope your dad feels a lot better very soon!