How to help relieve Whopping cough?

[seasonsyule]

DS 8yrs old diagnosed with whopping cough today after being really unwell for 8 days.
Dr prescribed really strong antibiotics which required bringing poor DS in freezing conditions as none of the Chemists stocked it as a rare one! Finally on fourth pharmacy found they had it.

First dose in thankfully and wonder if there are any tips, old wife tales etc on how to beat this dreadful thing!

Sorry to hear your DS got it. I have had as my dc, it is horrible and can go on for a long time.

This is a very good website by an English doctor who has done a lot of research on whooping cough.

The antibiotics is to reduce his infectiousness to others, which means that once the course has been completed he would be allowed to go to school or out and about again (he is supposed to stay in isolation until then, i.e. not go where other people are, especially pregnant women, ill people, babies, as it can be fatal in some cases).

Which antibiotics did he get prescribed out of interest?

You need to brace yourself for the long haul, sadly. I couldn't believe how bad and for how long it lasted when my DD had it. But she got better eventually. I don't think the antibiotics actually make the child any better so please do not expect too much. I wish I could be more constructive - the most I could do was to hold on to my DD tightly when she was having a paroxysm to stop her from throwing herself at the walls in distress at not being able to breathe (so causing herself injuries) and to be there to reassure her. I hope your DS is not as bad. It is called the 100 day cough for a reason. Sorry. Please also expect it to get worse before it gets better. Sorry again. I wish you all the best - call on your friends to help out with shopping and taking other dc to and from school etc. Do not be ashamed to ask for help.

DS1 (17) was diagnosed with it back in September. It was bloody nasty, and if I am honest, he is still not 100%. The cold air makes him cough, he is really into running and fitness and is not back to where he was at, and he is at college so goes full days Monday and four mornings, I can guarentee he sleeps at least one afternoon!

When it was at it's peak, he drank warm drinks because cold irritated his throat and made him cough. He liked lemon and ginger tea with a spoonful of honey. He slept fitfully, mainly propped up. I always made sure he had access to a bowl or bucket because he couldn't always get to the toilet when he vomited up phlegm after his coughing fits. As he is older than your DS it was easier, but I was knackered, it is a long time since my kids have had me up so much in the night!

I'll try to have a think. Hopefully SarahStratton will be along in a minute, she and her DD had it so she' ll have good advice I'm sure.

Thank you dikkerertjedap I will have a look at this site.

DS is on Clarithromycin 5mls twice a day.

He is coughing non stop...got heating turned low.worried he will split his lung? As coughing so much. Nearly vomiting on time so severe.

I thought it Was just virus cause that is what GP usually says, but this different GP was good.

Can I give him ventolin too? Will this help. He is weak from coughing. how dangerous is it? it doesnt kill does it? He was prescribed that few months ago after holiday sitting a dog and DS had allergy I didn't know till we had dog for week.

In addition to what Hopping said, if you have a much younger child then you can ask for that child to be given antibiotics prophylactic-ally, if antibiotics are given whilst still in the first stage they can kill sufficient number of bacteria to either stop whooping cough or make it far less serious.

Yes, I agree with Dikkert, DS2 is a severe asthmatic, the day he started coughing the GP gave him antibiotics. He didn't develop whooping cough, which I am really grateful for!

Ventolin won't help, plus it may make his heart go a lot faster.

It is horrible, truly horrible. Keep bowls handy wherever he is, in all likelihood he will have huge coughing fits ending in vomiting. If he really struggles to breathe your only option is to take him to A&E for support with breathing, but this is clearly a last resort.

Once he has had it for a little while, look out for high fevers as severe pneumonia is a well known complication which may need urgent medical attention.

Sorry, there is not much you can do then support him through the attacks, be there for him and let him rest in between attacks. Some people will have only a few attacks per day (and night) and others will have lots.

The second stage (with the very severe coughing) usually will last a few weeks, you then enter the third stage (could still be severe, but longer spells in between attacks) can go on for months on end. Afterwards, he may feel very weakened.

Oh dear sorry missed other 2 posters oh no DS doesn't throw himself against wall how awful for your dd:( hopping

MrsET yes DS worse with cold air so really fed up had to take him to 4 chemists.
Wish I did have someone to help me but unfortunately when you are on your own with dc with WSD people tend to run ESP family. Oops gave DS ice lolly thinking throat hot and sore from coughing. He won't drink hot drinks as his diet/fluids restricted due to sensory sensitivity to foods. Yes he brought a tiny bit of phlem up earlier! That's good then!

He's coughing like mad...my mum said to take him to the seaside as sea air heals it...but must be wrong then?

Ok no ventolin thank you.

What about fish oils?
What is the symptoms of severe pneumonia?
He's had high temp for 8 days already. But coughing only started on Tuesday when. Sent him back to school and he was exposed to cold air on trip out. Hasn't stopped since coughing. Yeh made him sleep for 2 hrs earlier.

Don't take him out Season, it can be really dangerous to pregnant ladies, newborns, people with compromised immune systems. Keep him indoors, let him veg out on the sofa, watch DVDs/CBBC etc and sleep. Honestly, it's nasty!

If he wants an ice lolly let him have one, just cause DS1 liked warm doesn't mean it'll suit your DS! Now is the time to call in favours. Ask friends/ family to take other DC to school, pick up,your shopping etc while you keep your DS indoors.

I only got DS thankfully at times like this mrs ET. Sorry your DS is still not recovered.
GP said it was rife around here!

Almost always severe pneumonia is accompanied by high fever which does not respond significantly to paracetamol and ibuprofen. Also, fever remains high day and night. Child may have difficulty breathing, drawing in at neck/in between ribs. Lips may be bluish. When you do nailbed test it takes more than 3 seconds for nail to become pink again. Child may have very severe cough attacks and literally be gasping for breath.

Thanks dikkerertjedap I will make mental note of those symptoms and thanks for nailbed test too!
He has settled last 10 mins ssshhhh!
Just had second dose...roll on 7 days!
Thank you all for your replies.

luckily ds got 3 weeks off school for hols from tomorrow and hopefully caught this as bacteria starting and be gone in 2-4 weeks! Though it said on that site 7 weeks is average.
Trouble is I thought someone was immunised for life? He had all his injections as a baby 3,4,6 months and sadly MMR 5 in 1 at 1 yrs old.
So why has he got it now?

Oh, I just remembered - being propped up helped with sleeping. We got DD to either sleep in a pushchair (she was only just 4) and/or sorted out beanbags so she could lie at an angle. We DID resort to ventolin on occasion - I can't tell you if it helped or not really so I guess not,but it gave us something to do IYSWIM and the doctor said it couldn't do any harm.

Yes, DD soon got into the vomiting after a paroxysm so remember that bowl.
Please. please get yourself some help now. Just ASK neighbours. You may be amazed at how kind people are. I stopped being able to take my older Dd to school because of not being able to leave/move the little one and eventually a neighbour noticed and started taking her for me. ANother neighbour started walking my dog. I have remained eternally grateful to both - neither knew me well before but we are now best friends and I would do anything for them.

:-) I see your ds was immunised so hopefully he will have a milder form (although I believe there is a new strain out there which is why the vaccination is less effective)

Poor kid :-( my 4 caught whooping cough at the end of Aug, all I can say is dont expect the antibiotics to help, they just make him not infectious after 5 days, and dont expect him to be better anytime soon, with my lot symptoms started on 25th aug and 2 of them still cough at night, and in the cold air, they were really, REALLY poorly, had pumps, baby was admitted to hospital, its grim, they were vomiting up to 14 times a day at its worst, they used to carry nappy sacks with them hope your boy has a milder case than my kids...

TaperJeanGirl FOUR of them at once????? Gosh, that must have been grim. I am glad they are all on the mend.

Yeah, to say it was grim is an understatement, I really thought it would never end, I am really hoping they are properly immune now!

Just checking in to say ds has made v good improvement today 3rd day on AntiB's...the coughing fits have reduced in amount and he has not had a temp since yesterday...so I am safe to say on the mend...possibly Dr got it wrong and just a chest infection? or chesty cough? Going to keep the AntiB's going anyhow just incase. Thank you all!
TJG that is horrendous...it was bad enough few days with ds but 4 of your dc you poor thing and so frightened little one in hospital as couldn't breathe:(
It is such a serious condition that I never gave a second thought too, mainly because I was disillusioned into thinking DS had vacs so wont get it! So this is a shock Hopping and glad if it was very mild and caught early because I have heard some nasty cases here and dik frightened me so much the other day explaining the real symptoms when at it's worse although really good to know and eyes wide open what to expect worst case.
Hope all your dc are getting better too.

Sorry if I have scared you.

If he has improved so much following antibiotics it is almost certainly not whooping cough. Whooping cough only responds to antibiotics during the first stage, when the actual coughing is hardly present. So more likely it was a bad chest infection, also given that he had fever.

TJG the only consolation I was able to find is that, having had the actual illness, my DD should now be immune for life and able to pass her antibodies on to her own babies to protect them for those first few weeks before vaccination. If any of yours are girls, then the same should apply (I think - I am not a medic). I hope everyone is well in time for Christmas!

Seasonyule: I am so glad to hear your good news. Given the number of vaccinations your DS had, he jolly well should be immune to whooping cough by now