If this frightening diagnosis is made, patients are usually primarily interested in whether the lungs are recovering from pneumonia. Doctors assure: if you treat the problem responsibly, practice special gymnastics, take medications under the supervision of a specialist, after some time after a full recovery it will be possible to achieve normal functioning of the respiratory system.
Relevance of the issue
As the studies and experience of many have shown, a person can survive for a long time without access to food. The interval that can be lived without water is much shorter, but oxygen starvation leads to irreversible processes after only a second. Based on this, it can definitely be argued with confidence that the respiratory system is the most important among others, aimed at providing the body with necessary compounds from the external environment. It is not only significant, but also vulnerable, and any dysfunction of individual parts leads to a deterioration in the state as a whole.
Before understanding how much the lungs recover after pneumonia, you should first consider the structure of the organ. It is formed by alveoli, which suffer from inflammatory processes in pneumonia. Alveoli are responsible for the exchange of gases, oxygen saturation of the blood. The pulsation of the alveoli, the rhythm of the expulsion of gases and filling with a new mass is the key to human life.
Case Nuances
Doctors' attention to how long patients recover from pneumonia has been attracted for many decades, and not by chance. It is known that with this disease, the alveoli are the first to suffer: both localized in the inflammatory focus, and others that form the lungs. The causative agent generates toxic substances, under the influence of which the functionality of the entire respiratory system weakens. Its restoration requires the application of effort and time - much more than is necessary only for the relief of inflammatory activity.
To understand how much they recover from pneumonia, the sequence of this process should be considered. Rehabilitation is divided into several steps. Such a program will bring maximum effect if you start it rationally, under the supervision of a specialist, as early as possible. The work on the restoration of pulmonary functionality should be constant, taking into account the continuity of treatment: first, the patient is in the hospital, then transferred to the clinic, then the recovery phase in the sanatorium begins.
General terms
So, how to recover from pneumonia? The first rule is careful care of yourself and your health, so that in the first two months after recovery you do not become a victim of a cold. They also completely exclude harmful factors associated with work, abandon bad habits, primarily smoking. Doctors recommend that all two months take measures to prevent ARVI, and if they fail, immediately begin treatment under the supervision of a doctor.
When explaining to the patient how to recover quickly from pneumonia, the doctor will surely pay attention to the importance of hardening, physiotherapy, general strengthening procedures, and therapeutic exercises.
Important nuance
Explaining how to recover from pneumonia, the treating doctor will tell his client about the rules of breathing exercises. It is believed that this measure is one of the most significant in the framework of the rehabilitation course. At first, the exercises are done for a short time and without much effort, gradually the intensity increases.
During the recovery period, the patient is shown breast massage and inhalation with moist heat, alkaline and oily compounds. The rehabilitation period obliges to control the immune status and maintain the body's defense system. For this, the patient is prescribed a course of vitamin complexes and immunomodulators.
Don't stop halfway
One of the common mistakes made by patients is the termination of the rehabilitation course ahead of time. Everyone wants to know how to quickly recover from pneumonia for an adult or child, but the disease requires a long course of support.
Often, complete cure and success of rehabilitation measures is achieved by undergoing spa treatment - without it, all previous efforts can go to waste. Special sanatoriums operating in our country accept clients who have had pneumonia and offer comprehensive services in order to consolidate the already achieved success in normalizing the body's work and also increasing the immune status.
It must be understood that treatment and recovery from pneumonia is always a long work. Success will bring only long-term comprehensive treatment under the supervision of a specialist.
First events
Where to start and how to recover from pneumonia? The first rehabilitation measures begin already in bed. First you need to practice breathing exercises - this will help to stabilize the temperature and improve the condition as a whole. To prevent pleural adhesions, one should bend and turn the body while sitting. At first, gymnastics includes only static movements, and dynamics is gradually added. The final stage is a massage of the chest, abdomen.
Once the patient is allowed to get up, you can proceed to the second step. Explaining how to recover from pneumonia for an adult, a child, the doctor will tell you how to breathe correctly while walking - this is the most important element of rehabilitation in the second stage. Also, the patient is shown to do exercises for developing muscle mass, activating the limbs. Air baths will benefit.
Step by step
Continuing the measures recommended by the doctor, who explained how to recover from pneumonia for a child, an adult, they take into account that the favorable development of the situation allows two weeks after giving up bed rest to switch to free life. This marks the start of the third recovery step. The loads get stronger, the exercises are practiced daily. Shows every day walks for at least half an hour. It is necessary to constantly massage the chest.
One of the general rules of how to recover from pneumonia: if you managed to return to the condition before the disease, this does not mean that the rehabilitation is completed. At least two more months should be practiced remedial measures, walk a lot, take air baths. It is important to allow yourself limited physical activity every day. This will help rule out an early relapse.
In short: the most important
From the above it is approximately clear how long the body recovers after pneumonia: it takes several months, in some up to six months. If you recall that previously the disease was considered fatal, it seems reasonable to pay such a price so as to exclude relapses in the future and no longer endanger yourself.
Recovery involves proper nutrition, physiotherapy, medication, gymnastics, a visit to the sanatorium. If one of these steps is neglected, a good condition will soon be replaced by fatigue, a craving for sleep in the daytime. Such manifestations indicate an incomplete therapeutic course, an increased likelihood of an early relapse.
Inhalation as a recovery method
Another patient, having heard prognosis for rehabilitation, will be surprised how long the body recovers after pneumonia! This is true: the disease is severe, and the normalization of internal systems takes a lot of time, requires effort. The process will go somewhat faster if therapeutic inhalations are done from the very beginning. Poisonous components, sputum accumulate in the lungs, due to which the alveoli cannot function normally, volumes of connective tissue increase.
The most useful at home are considered essential oil inhalations. With pulmonary inflammation, fir and thyme will help. You can use frankincense oil. They are good at once from two sides: at the same time, the activity of the inflammatory focus is suppressed and sputum excretion is stimulated. Useful baking soda. It is convenient to use special devices for inhalation. Tests have shown that increased levels of recovery, the speed of rehabilitation when using UHF devices.
Oxygen saturation
One of the important rehabilitation stages is the saturation of the circulatory system with oxygen. Physiotherapy exercises are effective here. The approach should be comprehensive, combine exercises and gymnastics of the respiratory organs. Turns, inclinations, and dynamic activity activate the work of medium and small muscles.
If during the training period a severe cough begins, the assistant doctor squeezes the patient’s chest, increasing the pressure inside and stimulating sputum discharge. For greater effectiveness, exhale deeply and in jerks. They practice breathing training: the doctor explains the difference between different forms of breathing, and teaches them to use them one at a time to stimulate the body.
As the procedure is completed, massage should be done. This is especially important for rehabilitation after pneumonia in elderly patients.
Symbiosis: humans and microorganisms
One of the steps of the rehabilitation course is stabilization of the microflora composition. The period of treatment of pneumonia is accompanied by the use of various antimicrobial compounds, which often stimulates the inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes of various systems and organs. Patients treated with pneumonia often suffer from dysbiosis, tremor. There is a possibility of impaired heart function, convulsions and muscle weakness. Women are susceptible to candidiasis.
To minimize the negative consequences and improve the condition during the rehabilitation period, you should take formulations to restore the balance of microscopic organisms, especially in the intestinal tract. For this, pre- and probiotics have been developed. Use them should be under the supervision of a doctor.
Proper nutrition is the key to health
The rehabilitation period requires proper nutrition, adhere to a strict diet. This will increase the chances of a full recovery and elimination of negative consequences. Neglect of nutritional rules can provoke complications, disruption of various systems and organs.
The first and most important is the complete exclusion of unbalanced nutrition. The base of the menu must be formed from products that stimulate the immune system and supply vitamins and minerals to the body. Retinol, ascorbic acid and B vitamins are especially important. They completely refuse smoked, salted, pickled, spicy, canned. For the recovery period, coffee and tea (strong), alcoholic beverages are contraindicated.
Nutritional nuances
For rehabilitation to be effective and fast, you need to eat fully and balancedly. The menu should have a lot of protein structures, phosphorus and calcium, as well as a reasonable fat content. Useful nicotinic acid, vitamin C and magnesium. Doctors recommend drinking more - this allows you to quickly remove toxic components released by microflora, as well as poisonous compounds accumulated during the illness.
Herbal decoctions and infusions are useful in the recovery period after pneumonia. The best are pharmacy chamomile, lemon balm, thyme, mint. Drinks prepared on these herbs and their mixtures quickly remove dangerous compounds from the human body, as well as eliminate pathological microflora. The use of decoctions and infusions in food allows you to quickly stabilize the respiratory system, and therefore, improve the condition as a whole.
Rules and restrictions
Recovery from pneumonia requires regular use of fermented milk products. Different forms of natural yogurt, fresh cottage cheese and sour-milk drinks will benefit the patients. In the pharmacy you can buy sourdough on lactobacilli, bifidobacteria. Food should be used only one that does not irritate the mucous membranes of the digestive system. Dishes are steamed, boiled vegetables and chicken are used.
Stewed and fried during the rehabilitation period is completely prohibited. Restrictions apply to cooked in the oven. It is especially important to comply with these conditions regarding fish and meat dishes. But you can cook curd casserole, but without a crust.