littlecountrymouse asked:

Hi again! My MC has bacterial pneumonia from near-drowning in a creek. Do you have any suggestions on treatment? It's a post-apocalyptic world and they're in a remote location so there's no power at all at this stage, no doctors, no antibiotics, no way to find out what he's got in the first place but his buddies have rightly assumed the diagnosis.

scriptmedic answered:

Hey there! Welcome back to the blog. 

The short answer is: without doctors or antibiotics, in the austere environment, the character will either recover or die. There isn’t a middle ground. 

Keeping warm, bed rest, warm water bottles, etc. are really all the care that can be given. If fever reducers exist they might help a little, but they only treat the symptom, not the cause. 

The character’s going to be down and out for about two weeks, less if he dies; this could also become an ongoing, nagging issue, because walking pneumonia is a thing and a pain in the ass lungs. Lots of oral fluids – if they have access to these precious items, a solution with water, sugar, and a *little* bit of salt will help. 

But like I said: he’ll either get better or die. (Such is the way.) 

Hope this helped! 

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

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