Same-day illness
Pneumonia & chest infections
We assess and treat chest infections including pneumonia. Unlike most coughs, pneumonia is a genuine bacterial infection of the lung tissue that needs antibiotics — so the point of the visit is telling it apart from the viral infections that do not.
Come in if you have
- Cough with fever and feeling genuinely unwell
- Sharp chest pain when you breathe in
- Breathlessness doing ordinary things
- A cold that improved and then got clearly worse
- You are over 65, or have diabetes, lung or heart disease, and have a chest infection
What happens at your visit
- We check your oxygen level, temperature, pulse and breathing rate — these tell us quickly how serious this is.
- We listen carefully to both lungs.
- We may arrange a chest X-ray if the examination suggests pneumonia.
- If it is bacterial we start antibiotics the same day, and we tell you what should improve and by when.
This is the one that needs antibiotics
Most of what we see with a cough is viral and does not benefit from antibiotics. Pneumonia is the exception: it is an infection of the lung tissue itself, and it does need treating.
Telling them apart is what the appointment is for. Checking your oxygen level takes seconds and is one of the most useful measurements available — it does not depend on how dramatic your cough sounds or how well you are describing it.
Who needs to come in sooner
Do not wait it out if you are over 65, or if you have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, kidney or liver disease, or a weakened immune system.
In those situations pneumonia progresses faster and the margin for waiting is much smaller. The same applies if you live alone and would have nobody to notice you getting worse.
What recovery actually looks like
With treatment, fever usually settles in two to three days. That is the marker to watch — if it does not, come back.
The tiredness is the part that surprises people. Feeling wiped out for several weeks after pneumonia is normal and not a sign the treatment failed. A cough lingering for a month is also common.
Follow-up matters
For some patients, particularly smokers and people over 50, we arrange a repeat chest X-ray several weeks after recovery to confirm it has fully cleared. That is routine caution, not a sign we suspect something — but it is worth attending.
Call 911 or go to the ER for
Severe breathlessness, confusion or drowsiness, blue lips, chest pain, or being unable to keep fluids down.
Common questions
- How do I know if it is pneumonia rather than bronchitis?
- Pneumonia usually brings a higher fever, feeling genuinely unwell rather than just annoyed by a cough, breathlessness, and sometimes sharp pain on breathing in. But the reliable way is examination and oxygen measurement, not self-assessment.
- Do I need a chest X-ray?
- Not always. If the examination and your oxygen are reassuring we may treat without one. We would arrange it if the picture is unclear, if you are not improving, or if you are in a higher-risk group.
- How long until I feel better?
- With antibiotics, fever should settle within about two to three days. Tiredness and cough take longer — often several weeks, sometimes six. If you are not improving in three days, come back rather than waiting it out.
- Can I get vaccinated against pneumonia?
- Yes, and it is worth it if you are over 65 or have diabetes, heart, lung, liver or kidney disease, or a weakened immune system. Ask and we will check what you are due.
This page explains how we care for this condition at our office. It is general information, not medical advice for your specific situation — please talk to us about your own care.
Ready to get this looked at?
Call us or send a request and we will get you in — often the same or next day.