Does this sound like Whooping cough?

[TotoroElla]

Almost 2 weeks ago I came down with cold symptoms mild cough, sore throat, then was sneezing and runny nose. About a week ago the cough became more severe. I'm now having these frequent awful coughing attacks. I've never coughed so hard (Tmi - it's made me wet myself and vomit sometimes) and the worst thing it makes me feel like my head is going to explode and I have fainted a couple of times. I just saw today a report that there are lots of cases of Whooping cough. I do have to draw in breath after a coughing fit but not making a whooping sound - but it seems this is less common in adults.

I'll phone my GP in the morning. But for anyone with experience does this sound like Whooping cough?

Yes - definitely sounds like it to me. It seems to be doing the rounds of the UK at the minute, there’s a big outbreak in a town near us

Did they rule out covid/long covid first?Did they test? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/whooping-cough/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20378978 How would they know it's whooping cough and not covid or other viruses without a test? ''Diagnosing whooping cough in its early stages can be difficult because the signs and symptoms resemble those of other common respiratory illnesses, such as a cold, the flu or bronchitis.'' During a covid pandemic, my first thought would be toward covid, rather the whooping cough, for which children are vaccinated. I am not sure if fainting can be a whooping cough, but it can be a covid symptom. https://www.nebraskamed.com/health/chest-and-back/you-asked-we-answered-is-syncope-a-symptom-of-covid

I've had something similar and three lots of antibiotics. Not convinced they've done anything to help, though. I've had three weeks of interrupted sleep, but am gradually improving. The GP did mention "sleeping cough", and most of my coughing seemed to happen at night.

What I can say, is that Who Gives a Crap? loo roll is great for noses. No need for any balm tissues. It has one very soft side, and I've got through a shed-load of it in the past four weeks.

Whooping cough vaccination uptake rates have massively fallen, hence the resurgence

When I had whooping cough it started exactly as you describe. Mild cold, followed by a severe cough where I would cough so hard I puked and actually pulled a muscle in my ribs, and struggled to breathe in during a coughing fit (that's what causes the "whoop"). Unfortunately if it is whooping cough, there's not a huge amount they can do about it this far in, and the cough sticks around for ages.

I'm sure I had whooping cough about 6/7 weeks ago which developed into laryngitis last week. Still got a cough and sore throat. Not much fun.

I’m sure I had it towards the end of last year, it was horrendous but did settle after an out 8-10 weeks. Then a few weeks later I caught another virus which gave me really painful muscles along with a cough which wasn’t as severe as the first one.

It’s not been a good few months!

Dp had whooping cough a few years ago. He was fine apart from a dreadful cough where he would suddenly take very long intakes of breath and make an awful sound - which we now know was the whoop. The cough lasted weeks. It is a notifiable illness. Dp had to be tested at hospital.

3 lots of antibiotics with no effect means: 1. antibiotic resistance or 2. wrong diagnosis, especially taking into account: ''Diagnosing whooping cough in its early stages can be difficult because the signs and symptoms resemble those of other common respiratory illnesses, such as a cold, the flu or bronchitis.'' . So maybe not whooping cough, especially if no test to confirm it? Mayo Clinic: ''Antibiotics kill the bacteria causing whooping cough and help speed recovery.''

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/whooping-cough/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20378978 About antibiotic resistance: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/prevention/antimicrobial-resistance-amr/#:~:text=to%20current%20antimicrobials.-,AMR%20National%20Action%20Plan%20(NAP),optimise%20the%20use%20of%20antimicrobials

I've been diagnosed with Whooping cough.

It is a very distinctive illness, nothing like COVID/long COVID. There is an outbreak of Whooping cough, currently. Yes, the first week it is like a cold but once the cough starts it is very obvious.

I have antibiotics for the Whopping cough but apparently don't really help with symptoms but can make you less contagious.

Think I've had this as never been so ill with a cough. Started out as a normal cold then the cough started with the spasms and not being able to get an in breath.
Asthma as well so didn't help.
Dr gave antibiotics and steriods for a week which have helped a lot but I still have a few of these coughing fits a day.
Not as bad as they were with the weeing myself and being sick.
I suppose I need to accept these bouts could go on for weeks until it's totally gone.

Worth mentioning that protection from the vaccine can wane- I was vaccinated as a child but caught whooping cough as an adult about ten years ago. Never coughed so much in my life. Often "whooped" at the end of a cough fit, was sick, pulled a muscle in my chest etc. Unfortunately I also found the alternative name "100 day cough" to be accurate- was months until I stopped coughing completely.

Anyone know the names of the antibiotics they took?

I've had whooping cough before. Yep the distinctive thing is the sharp rattley intake of breath at the end of the coughing fit. Embarrassingly, I'm a healthcare worker and my first coughing fit was in theatre. The surgeon shouted at me, "get out! You've got whooping cough." I felt awful as had no symptoms until that second but guess the air is dry in theatre so not surprising that was my first coughing fit. I got antibiotics same day, but cough lasted weeks. I realise now I've had it twice. I was diagnosed with asthma first time, but after cough cleared up, I've never had symptoms or needed inhaler since (except 20 years later with whooping cough).

Pretty certain abx were erythromycin. This was nearly 20 years ago, but remember as I'm generally "anti" antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. My 3 kids have never had them.

Sorry, yes. Antibiotics were so I could go back to work. Symptoms lasted weeks and don't really think they helped those. I had a specific time I had to stay off work in hospital after starting antibiotics. Possibly 2 weeks?

Clarithromycin

They say now you shouldn't be contagious anymore after taking the antibiotics for 5 days.

If you don't have antibiotics you are contagious for 3 weeks from the cough starting but you start being contagious prior to that when you start with the cold symptoms that you get before the distinctive cough starts.