Pneumonia - uggghhhh!

[ZumbaMami 12]

I went for my 6 week post-op on Tuesday & found out that I have bacterial (walking) pneumonia. I told my surgeon that I was having intermittent sharp pain in my right side, under the rib cage and I mistakenly believed that I had worked out too hard on Monday. He sent me for a ct-scan then an x-ray. I am shocked since I don't have a cough, cold symptoms, no fever, nothing. Post-op I used my spirometer faithfully & never had any breathing problems. Has anyone heard of this complication so far out from surgery?

[Berry78 4,259]

Wowsers! Glad he figured it out! Without symptoms, it may have been brewing a while. You also may have picked it up more recently. Any trouble with acid reflux?

[James Marusek 5,244]

According to the internet:

Walking pneumonia is a bacterial infection that affects your upper and lower respiratory tract. It’s also called atypical pneumonia, because it’s usually not as severe as other types of pneumonia. It doesn’t cause symptoms that require bed rest or hospitalization. It might just feel like a common cold and can go unnoticed as pneumonia. Most people are able to carry on with their daily lives.

This type of pneumonia is considered atypical due to the fact that the cells causing the infection are resistant to penicillin, the drug that is normally used to treat pneumonia. About 2 million people in the United States get walking pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae each year. Walking pneumonia can last anywhere from a week to a month.

http://www.healthline.com/health/atypical-pneumonia#overview1

Since walking pneumonia can last anywhere from a week to a month, this might be something that you picked up after surgery.