1. < Lung Health

I think i have pneumonia but im not too sure!

Posted by alexandriadel01 @alexandriadel01, Dec 4 11:32am

Hello! I’ve gone to an urgent care already but since i was negative for covid & flu they didn’t do much for me! I’ve had a fever for 5 days now 103-105 , i can’t stand without getting super dizzy! when i sit up i start to feel weak in my legs and feel like im going to pass out , i feel super hungry but can only take 3 bites and then feel super bloated and have no appetite, recently today on the 5th day loose stool just showed up, bad night sweats , puddles of sweat in my bed every night! tylenol is not working , i have a wet & dry cough , heart races when i do anything , but only thing is im not wheezing like people with pneumonia usually would. i can take little breaths without coughing constantly but i do get very tired easily ! pls help any opinion matters 🙁

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Health Support Group.

vic83 | @vic83 | Dec 7 11:24am
In reply to @sueinmn "While PA's have significantly less training than a doctor, Registered Nurse Practitioners have not only a..." + (show)
@sueinmn

While PA's have significantly less training than a doctor, Registered Nurse Practitioners have not only a Master' degree or PhD in nursing, but also 6000 hours of RN in person practice before they can be a RNP, taking significant course work & a registry exam.

In fact, our health clinic Urgent Care is staffed with RNPs, not PA's for just this reason. And the South Texas "stand-alone" ERs, their equivalent of Urgent Care, are staffed with both, with a connection to a triage doc as needed.

PS My daughter, an ER nurse for years, would have sent you directly to the ER - her rule of thumb -"If you might need an IV, go to the ER"

Jump to this post

Given the way our healthcare system is organized with profit driven private insurance, and so people know who is treating them, I would suggest we have clearer designations - MD, NP and PA most people would not be well informed. So why not something like Medical Level 1, 2 3? Actually Medicare coding makes a distinction between high level, moderate level , low level decision making for when one sees an Specialist vs someone else.
I found the following definitions on differences
Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) are both important roles in healthcare, but they have some key differences, including:
• Training model - NPs train using the nursing model, while PAs train using the medical model.
• Specialization - NPs often specialize in a patient population, such as family, pediatrics, or women's health. PAs are trained as generalists, but can specialize in an area of medicine, such as emergency or internal medicine.
• Practice authority In more than half of US states, NPs have full practice authority, meaning they can work independently. PAs always work under a doctor's supervision.
• Education - NPs typically complete six to eight years of education, including undergraduate and graduate-level training. PAs need a master's degree and patient care experience
A nursing model training focuses on a holistic approach to patient care, considering the patient as a whole person and their environment, while a medical model training primarily focuses on diagnosing and treating the disease itself, with a more biological and disease-centered perspective; essentially, nursing looks at the "whole person" while medicine focuses on the specific pathology causing the illness

REPLY
vic83 | @vic83 | Dec 7 11:27am
In reply to @kndaustin71 "My point exactly! In fact an astute, experienced nurse, if reviewing your symptoms, history etc. could..." + (show)
@kndaustin71

My point exactly! In fact an astute, experienced nurse, if reviewing your symptoms, history etc. could have very well been able to identify signs/symptoms of C-Diff! Many of the NP's graduate from a BSN program and go directly into a Practitioner Program with absolutely no clinic (Hospital, Clinic, LTC) experience and are not mentored by a physician upon employment! Let me see an experienced, over 20 years, RN (or LPN in some cases) that has had direct patient care contact rather than an NP who has just graduated from NP school. To boot, the insurance companies are charged just the same as if you had seen a physician.

Jump to this post

Regarding charges....see my other comment about how Medicare codes visits - based on level of decision making required.

REPLY
vic83 | @vic83 | Dec 7 11:31am
In reply to @kndaustin71 "My point exactly! In fact an astute, experienced nurse, if reviewing your symptoms, history etc. could..." + (show)
@kndaustin71

My point exactly! In fact an astute, experienced nurse, if reviewing your symptoms, history etc. could have very well been able to identify signs/symptoms of C-Diff! Many of the NP's graduate from a BSN program and go directly into a Practitioner Program with absolutely no clinic (Hospital, Clinic, LTC) experience and are not mentored by a physician upon employment! Let me see an experienced, over 20 years, RN (or LPN in some cases) that has had direct patient care contact rather than an NP who has just graduated from NP school. To boot, the insurance companies are charged just the same as if you had seen a physician.

Jump to this post

And you will love this, on the way out the guy comes into the waiting room and asks me if I think I need to go to a hospital? I only think that he should be the one telling me!!!! Anyway he sends me home telling me to drink lots of Gatoraid. I actually told him what I had by asking about the antibiotics and he still missed it, just told me they didn't have kit for stool sample!!!
My C-diff was caused by Amoxicillian - known for it!
But in Florida..... they had a scandal about their nursing programs not doing proper training and giving out fake diplomas

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.