Pneumonia diagnosis 20 days from Austin

Douglas Sutherland

What I originally thought was a cold for past week is in fact a mild case of pneumonia. Breathing at rest - no problem. Breathing during walking - labored. 

Im going to do Austin or die trying. I need a few days more of recoup, but I do not plan to do any long distance stuff from here on out, just short interval work.

 

DS

KimB17

Hi Doug,

This same thing happened to me last May.....I missed 2 races, because of walking pneumonia. A sprint tri in June and a run to the top of Mt. Baldy, California in September. June was way to soon for me and Mt. Baldy was at altitude, so I thought hmmmm better not. This started out as a cold then I thought it went away. The only symptoms I had was extreme fatigue and I got winded with my longer workouts. I went to get checked out and the doc ordered a chest x-ray. I went through 2 rounds of antibiotics before feeling good again. If you do this right, 20 days you should be good to go. Obviously (but I'm going to say it anyway), make sure you get plenty of rest, good nutrition and stay hydrated (coconut water worked well for me). If you are taking antibiotics make sure you are doing a good quality probiotic everyday. You probably got this figured out, but don't push it....This threw me for a loop for sure. I thought I had to be half dead before a pneumonia diagnosis was possible. In fact I was still going about my day getting all my workouts in on my plan; I just didn't feel good. There is a balance between mental toughness and listening to your body; finding that balance can be difficult in this sport.
Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!
Kim

Paul Hough

I got sick 2 days before IM Cozumel last year...didn't hardly eat the day before, threw up several times the morning of not sure I would even start. Dialed back to a 'just finish' race plan and did marginally OK on the swim and bike. But I could barely breathe during the "run" leg...felt like an anchor tied to my lungs. Started with a jog but more and more walking as it progressed. Last 8 miles was all walk while worrying about passing out and my wife not being able to find me. Threw up several times afterwards for good measure while coughing up a lung. My wife made an appt with my regular Dr before we even left the island. My wife suspected pneumonia and she was right. It put me down hard for a couple of weeks. If I knew in advance that I had a pneumonia as opposed to just being sick, I would not have raced. It's nothing to mess around with. If you feel well enough to do Austin be sure to really emphasize your recovery phase so you don't have a relapse.

Douglas Sutherland

Thanks for the insight. Im headed down to the pain cave for a brick, need to see where I stand after no exercise in 11 days. Feeling well except for occasional dry hack. No fevers in almost a week. Nervous, but riding the high of watching Kona results filter in.

DS