Strange virus with night cough/ gasping/ vomiting

[ArchesOfWisteria]

Has anyone else’s kids been through this. My 3 are older primary/ teens with no previous health issues.

the first a while ago woke up panicked in the middle of the night a few times, looked like an asthma attack but wasn’t quite. Resolved in a few minutes, but High levels of panic and coming out of her room terrified. Lasted a few nights.

The teen has had it really severely. Last night again vomiting but instantly on wake up. Episodes in the day of gasping/ whooping noises. Not like a typical cough. He had one bit it stoped two weeks ago. He’s even fainted.

Ive been to A&E, useless and would only discuss the head injury he got when fainting and shut me down on the rest if I asked questions. The GP shut me down a bit and ‘reassured me about fainting’ and gave a leaflet on fainting. It’s not really my concern though. He’s a healthy very fit boy who’s really not been able to access things for weeks or sleep properly because of these episodes. I’ve been spoken over each visit.

I’ve wondered if they are panic attacks, but that doesn’t quite feel like it fits. Some episodes have been in the middle of focused exercise he loves and stopped him, walking down the street chatting etc. he has no history of anxiety either, nor does he seem depressed or unhappy. He’s an easy going kid with friends and he’s generally doing well.

Now the third has a mild version, coughing and night vomiting but not severe.

I’m getting worried about the teen, it started on June 25th with an episode at night of waking up in a panic unable to get his breath. Carrie don for a while at night, but is now in the day. He’s getting nervous to walk alone outsode after the faint and outdoor episodes. It’s disrupting his sleep and it’s unsettled him. He’s at the point of tears. Relaxation techniques and strategies have helped shorten the episodes, but they still happen out of the blue.

Before I go to the GP for a third time, can anyone suggest anything to say?

I wonder whether it might be whooping cough. There's a lot of it about at the moment.

My first thought was also whooping cough. We had the same symptoms in the night.

There’s a lot of whooping cough around

I thought whooping cough too. Record him next time it happens and show the GP, or you could google the sound of whooping cough as it’s recognisable. Hope he recovers soon.

My 13 year old, previously well, had similar last year, except no vomiting, for around 6 weeks, with 3-4 being really bad, especially at night. Choking, essentially. Many times a day and night. Frightening.

Laryngospasm’ best describes it.

GP refused to test for whooping cough. Whole family had some of the symptoms and two of us (though not the DC who was v unwell) tested positive for covid.

Eventually got to see a paediatrician who did tests, showed some lung function impact and reflux. uncertain what it was, but suggested covid most likely and said he’d found some US cases.

i am still scared it could happen again.

Whooping cough!
I am on week 14 & the choking stopped around week 10.
Exactly the same symptoms & the choking thing is utterly terrifying.

The thing that worked well for me:

• Always having water with you so when you feel a cough coming, sips of water seem to prevent the explosive cough.
• if possible, hold breathe or keep breathing slowly out at the end of a cough & try to suppress the sharp breathe in which seems to make the throat close. This prevented about half the choking episodes.
• when the choking occurs (no noise in or out & completely closed throat), I found a weird thing helped.

Close mouth and pull nostrils open & forward with fingers (making nostrils wider, this sometimes appears to relax the throat / spasm.

It is really, really awful & I feel for him. Fainting is so upsetting, but tell him to try the above& see if any of that helps xx

It's whooping cough

Also, I forgot.
Don't sleep lying flat.
I have spent 13 weeks sleeping propped up on a recliner & with pillows.
It's all so much harder to cope with, when you have had no sleep!
Consider sleeping upright until the worst of it passes.

I started a thread about this in December when I had the same ☹️

Sorry, last thing!
Small meals & nothing acidic to eat.
Plain food made a huge difference & I used Rennies to manage acid from choking vomiting

DC also slept upright for weeks.

It sounds like whooping cough.
DD was ill for weeks before getting a diagnosis. No one suspected it because she’s vaccinated, but the vaccine didn’t prevent it.

Whooping cough. There are high levels of it this year. We had it in April and its was the worse I've been for many years (waaay worse than Covid.)

Throwing up from coughing is a tell tale sign of WC as is the characteristic "whoop" when you try to inhale.

It might sound awful but if it happens again, film it on your phone and show the doc. Sometimes it's helpful to be able to show them what's happening (then they actually take it seriously!)

I hope he's okay!

Also to add - my term got awful viral pink eye from it. Eyes all stuck together. Took weeks to get anywhere near recovery and the cough lingers.

*teen not term!

I had those symptoms and it was Covid.