Such a serious disease as pneumonia lasts almost a month, and with a purulent form – several months. During this period, doctors restrict the movement of the patient along the street, prohibit sports activities and prescribe bed rest. Since the disease is protracted, body hygiene still needs to be observed. You can wash yourself with pneumonia, but with certain restrictions.
Even among doctors, opinions about water procedures are contradictory. Some experts are trying to play it safe and believe that it is prohibited to do so. Others advocate personal hygiene and do not prohibit showers or even bathing. The best option would be the golden mean. Bathing during a period of illness is permissible if a number of certain rules are strictly observed.
When is it allowed to wash
Water procedures should not be completely ruled out, because:
- When the body is steamed, there is an active release of sweat, which contains many toxins and toxins. Removing harmful substances from the body contributes to recovery.
- Dead skin cells are washed off, as a result of which the skin is enriched with oxygen. As a result, the blood supply is increased and the healing process is accelerated.
- Taking a warm bath relaxes, reduces coughing, and improves mood and sleep.
During pneumonia, the so-called subacute period is distinguished, during which the patient’s condition improves. The following changes are taking place:
- breathing stabilizes, shortness of breath stops;
- intoxication signs (weakness, apathy, headache) decrease;
- the pulse is normalized;
- the temperature drops to 37.1-37.5 ° C or to normal values.
In this condition, the patient’s regimen is changed to half-bed or sparing. During this period, it is permissible and even recommended to take a shower, but it should not be abused. At the same time, you need to swim in moderately warm water equal to the temperature of the human body.
Cool douches, even if the patient was actively tempered before illness, must be excluded. You cannot wash in hot water, as this is fraught with overheating and an increase in the load on the cardiovascular system, especially if there are concomitant diseases.
Taking a shower should be quick, the optimum temperature in the bathroom is about 25 ° C. Dry yourself thoroughly after bathing. It is advisable to carry out the procedure with a break of 1-2 days, however, you must first consult a doctor.
When swimming is prohibited
If a person suffers from a severe form of pneumonia, for example, purulent or bilateral, bathing can only aggravate the situation. It is also prohibited in the following cases:
- at the beginning of the inflammatory process;
- at a temperature (especially with a fever);
- with intense cough;
- if the person’s well-being is unsatisfactory.
This does not mean, however, that hygiene procedures must be completely excluded. The main thing is to follow certain recommendations:
- With pronounced symptoms, you should replace the water procedures with rubdowns with a soft towel soaked in warm water.
- Rubdown is carried out gradually, you do not need to be completely naked immediately so as not to catch a cold.
- Before leaving the room after a shower or bath, dry yourself thoroughly with a towel, dry your hair and put on dry clothes.
- After water procedures, it is advisable to wrap yourself in a blanket so as not to endanger the body due to a sharp temperature drop.
There can be no question of visiting a bath or sauna. This is possible only after a few months after recovery. Swimming in the sea, river or other open bodies of water is also allowed only after full recovery. And sunbathing is allowed when 3-4 months have passed from the moment of recovery from pneumonia.
Dangerous consequences
With pneumonia, the human body is greatly weakened, so water procedures can seriously harm.
During bathing, due to getting into conditions of high humidity, the patient’s cough intensifies and the sputum discharge increases significantly. The appearance of abundant mucous secretions indicates the multiplication of pathogenic bacteria. This can be fraught with such serious consequences:
- After leaving the bathroom, a sharp temperature drop is inevitable, as a result of which the body can overcool.
- Purulent pneumonia poisons the body, the state of health is greatly deteriorating. After a hot bath, nausea and vomiting are possible.
- Even if the patient takes antipyretic drugs and the temperature is kept at 36.6 ° C, the body overheats after the bath. In such a situation, the temperature can jump, which will lead to the creation of a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microorganisms in the damaged lungs.
- Shampooing is not recommended: it can easily get cold, since the immune system is very vulnerable during this period.
- You can only wash your body with baby soap. Other hygiene products may contain allergic components, which is likely to cause a coughing fit.
All of the above factors can provoke the development of dangerous complications.
It is not water that causes harm, but high humidity, sudden temperature changes and improper bathing or showering. In addition, during water procedures, the pressure in the body changes, the patient experiences stress, and this can become serious stress for the exhausted body and even lead to fainting.
Is it possible to bathe the child
When it comes to washing a baby, the situation looks a little different. It should be borne in mind that a child’s body, unlike an adult, can both quickly raise the temperature and rapidly lower it. As a result of this, water procedures must be treated with extreme caution, especially if the baby is not even a year old. Bathing a child in the bathroom with pneumonia is strictly prohibited.
If we are talking about a teenager, there are less severe prohibitions here, since the older the child, the less harm water does to him. Moreover, at this age, children can already take a shower, and this is less harmful and dangerous than bathing in the bathroom.
According to pediatricians, children can be bathed if their body temperature does not exceed 37.1-37.2 ° C. But this indicator should not be considered decisive. It is important to take into account the condition of the child as a whole, the period and severity of the disease, the established regimen. All water procedures must be discussed with a doctor.
In the first 7 days of illness, the baby is not bathed, but only wiped with wet wipes or a diaper dipped in warm water. Even this procedure is carried out only when there is a real need for it, for example, if the diaper is dirty or the baby is sweating a lot. You can also wipe your baby with warm water if there is a need for a quick temperature drop. You cannot wash your head.
Swimming with pneumonia is permissible if the state of health is satisfactory, there is no fever, cough and weakness for several days. It is important that the water temperature does not exceed + 37 ° C, and it is necessary to limit ourselves only to the necessary procedures, not to take a bath for a long time.
It will take about a month to completely recover from pneumonia. If the patient has an abscess or bilateral purulent pneumonia, treatment may even take several months. Naturally, during such a time it is impossible to ignore hygiene procedures, but it is necessary to strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations.
