Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsPrognosisCausesDiagnosisTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Prognosis
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
When someone comes down with pneumonia, it can affect anywhere from a small portion of one lung to large parts of both lungs. When pneumonia is affecting both lungs, it is significantly more severe than pneumonia affecting only one lung. When you have pneumonia in one lung, your healthy lung can compensate while the lung with pneumonia recovers. However, when you have bilateral pneumonia, you don’t have the luxury of one good lung to take over. This puts you in a more delicate state.
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Double Pneumonia Symptoms
It doesn’t matter if you have pneumonia in one lung or both lungs; the symptoms are still the same.
If you have trouble breathing, chest pain, a relentless, ongoing cough, or a fever over 102°F that is not easily controlled, it is best to call your primary care physician for an appointment. These symptoms indicate a more severe infection with the potential to cause a more serious, chronic condition like:
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Every case of pneumonia is different, and everyone’s body reacts differently to infections. While some people will feel better in a week or two, some people may feel lingering symptoms for three to six months.
Those with severe underlying medical conditions are more likely to experience severe forms of pneumonia. In turn, this makesrecovering from pneumoniaa more complicated process. Not only will they take longer to recover, but pneumonia may also become a reoccurring condition.
Because pneumonia—specifically bilateral interstitial pneumonia—can quickly become deadly, it’s crucial to seek out medical treatment if you feel no improvement or begin to feel worse. More importantly, seek out emergency care if you’re struggling to breathe at any point.
Successful OutcomesWith timely medical care, most people will successfully recover from bilateral pneumonia.
Successful Outcomes
With timely medical care, most people will successfully recover from bilateral pneumonia.
It’s also possible to get pneumonia if food, liquid, or other things besides air somehow finds a way into your lungs—this is known as aspiration pneumonia.
Some people are at a higher risk of getting pneumonia because of their age or underlying health conditions. Some risk factors for double pneumonia include:
They will also put a device called apulse oximeteron your finger to see how much oxygen is running through your body. When you’re perfectly healthy, your oxygen levels will be in the very high 90s—likely around 98 to 99 at any given moment. When you’re sick, though, this number starts to dip into the low to mid 90s or even lower.
Using a Pulse Oximeter
Suppose your healthcare provider sees a low oxygen saturation reading on the pulse oximeter and hears crackling in your lungs. In that case, they will know you likely have pneumonia at this point.
Suppose they question the severity of your pneumonia or your response to treatment. In that case, your healthcare provider may suggest getting an X-ray or lab tests. Often, the X-ray will confirm what they’re hearing with their stethoscope and indicate pneumonia in one or both lungs.
When the healthcare provider orders lab tests, the goal is to find out which organism is causing the infection. This way, they can see if it’s better to treat you with a new or different medication or if something else is going on altogether.
Treatment for bilateral pneumonia is based on many factors. To start, your practitioner will want to find out if it’s viral, bacterial, or fungal pneumonia. From there, they will be looking at the severity—which with double pneumonia is often quite severe.
If you come down with bacterial pneumonia, there’s a good chance it will respond to an antibiotic such as amoxicillin or azithromycin. However, when it comes to viral pneumonia, there is not much healthcare providers can do medication-wise. With viral pneumonia, your practitioner will be focusing on helping ease symptoms. They will often recommend the basics: lots of rest and staying hydrated.
Oxygen and Hospital StaysIn some cases of viral pneumonia, your healthcare provider will put you on oxygen. In more severe cases, they may recommend a hospital stay and a procedure to remove fluid from your lungs through suction.
Oxygen and Hospital Stays
In some cases of viral pneumonia, your healthcare provider will put you on oxygen. In more severe cases, they may recommend a hospital stay and a procedure to remove fluid from your lungs through suction.
Most people will find comfort with some basic self-care when they are sick. Some recommendations include:
Drinking Plenty of Fluids
Staying hydrated is essential to your recovery from pneumonia. Many people will benefit from a drink that includes electrolytes such as Gatorade or Pedialyte.
It may also be worthwhile to try some peppermint tea. Peppermint tea seems to help break up mucus, decrease inflammation, and soothe a sore throat.
Using a Humidifier
Humidifiers are great at helping keep your airways open, which in turn enables you to breathe a little easier. Humidifiers also prevent your skin from drying out, so the fluids you are drinking can spend more time working on your cough and less time keeping your skin from drying out.
Get Lots of Rest
Rest is crucial with any illness, but especially pneumonia. Resting isn’t just about getting sleep; it’s also about reducing the day-to-day chores you are responsible for. It may be helpful to find someone who can meal prep for you or deliver meals. Maybe they can also help with laundry and other basic household chores. Getting help with cleaning will also prevent you from directly breathing in cleaning chemicals that could irritate your lungs.
A Word From VeryWell
Pneumonia is a common infection for both children and adults. While it can be an easy-to-treat illness if caught in the early stages, chronic lifelong problems occur for some people.
When it comes to recovering from bilateral pneumonia, it’s important to follow your healthcare provider’s instructions, take any medication on time, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and most importantly, don’t push yourself to get better faster. While everyone is more than ready to feel better when they are sick, pushing yourself too hard may set you back even further when it comes to pneumonia.
And remember, never hesitate to reach out to your primary care provider if you have any concerns while recovering from double pneumonia.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Lung Association.Pneumonia symptoms and diagnosis.MedlinePlus.Aspiration pneumonia.American Lung Association.Learn about pneumonia.Yale Medicine.Pulse oximetry.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Lung Association.Pneumonia symptoms and diagnosis.MedlinePlus.Aspiration pneumonia.American Lung Association.Learn about pneumonia.Yale Medicine.Pulse oximetry.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Lung Association.Pneumonia symptoms and diagnosis.MedlinePlus.Aspiration pneumonia.American Lung Association.Learn about pneumonia.Yale Medicine.Pulse oximetry.
American Lung Association.Pneumonia symptoms and diagnosis.
MedlinePlus.Aspiration pneumonia.
American Lung Association.Learn about pneumonia.
Yale Medicine.Pulse oximetry.
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