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Hi everyone.  I'm recovering from pneumonia but I'm getting totally annoyed at how long it's taking! I'm a lot better than I was but I still have a stupid cough. The biggest problem is that I have absolutely NO energy.  I get exhausted walking upstairs. I can't really do anything but sit around which is driving me nuts and I have a need to sleep a lot which I totally hate. I don't like doing nothing!  I know pneumonia is a serious thing but I'm 20 years old and in otherwise very good health. I did talk to the Dr about it and she told me that my lungs were filled with fluid and it's going to take time for them to fully recover. I trust her and I think she's a good Dr but it seems like I should be all recovered by now. I totally HATE this! I feel like I'm 80 instead of 20. For those of you who have had pneumonia how long did it take for you to fully recover?

Hi Julia,

Sorry to hear you're battling pneumonia.  It can definitely drain you.  For me it usually takes a couple of weeks or month to feel back to my old self.   If I had a bad cough during the pneumonia and I really irritated my lungs, the cough can go on for much longer.   I had one friend who had a nagging cough for almost a year.

Hope you start feeling better,
Paige :)

I've had pneumonia more times than I can count. No fun! I am longer lived and have COPD, so it takes longer for me to recover. Your lungs take a lot of damage during these episodes. The virus or bacteria have toxic output that damage the tissue. Your lungs have to heal and regenerate, and the byproduct is mucus. The cough and phlegm won't end til the lungs finish healing. Kinda like a bruise that lingers for a long time. It can take 2-3 months or more to be fully recovered. If you are on hormones it is compounded because the body is changing there as well. I found for me I get a lot of relief with Gatorade or similar fluids, it helps the mucus get wet and solid so you can cough it out. It doesn't really matter how old you are, the body is regenerating tissue which just takes time. Hope this helps and get well soon.

Hi sweetie. I'm sorry you're still struggling but unfortunately recovery period for pneumonia is long, because each time someone has pneumonia, the lungs are injured as well, that's you have so little energy, because you are not breathing as efficiently as you would without it. So, yes it can take as long as 3 months. I hope you feel better soon.

Were you prescribed anything for the pneumonia?
Having had double pneumonia, I know how bad it sucks. For that reason, I had vaccinations for it. Even with prescription medicine, it took over a week for mine to clear, and I was 16 at the time.

I never had but a family member did, took them about 2 weeks to get over it and for all the gunk to come out of the lungs