Whooping Cough - get the vaccine!

[happysunnydisposition]

Hi

I am now on day 19 of having whooping cough and thought I would share my experience of whooping cough to encourage people to get the vaccine

I don't want to upset anyone but this is how it feels to have whooping cough and maybe this will encourage you to get the safe vaccine (my better half and kids all have it already)

So I am a dad in my early 40's in good enough health (A smigin overweight but who isint)

Day 1 slight cough, not major just slightly annoying
Day 2 to Day 4 cough getting worse no huge deal but not nice
Day 5 & 6 - at home with fever and cold and slight cough, feeling icky and unwell
Day 7 - feeling great - the cold is gone but the cough seems to be catching in my throat, not sore but now unpleasant - woke up in the night coughing badly and choking - which kinda scared me no end
Day 8 - much worse at night, starting to spit up lots of phlem and choking at each cough
Day 9 - at the doctors and have Whooping cough - family all on Anti-biotics as a preventitive

Day 10 to day 20 (Today)
Every 45 minutes since then I have had a coughing attack that is utterly debilitating, its very like vomiting on an empty stomach.

The "Whooping" in whooping cough is not just sucking in breath, I cannot breath - its like my lungs have been turned off so I am swallowing air not breathing - its really very unnerving especially when on my own in the house

I cant lie down as the coughing has gotten worse when lying down so have averaged 2 hours sleep (i think) in the past 12 days

I look like i have been punched in the face as the repeating coughing has burst blood vessels in my eyes and caused facial busing

Oh yes and I have cracked a rib - which making sitting very sore.

Best of all my doc (Who is great) says my ONLY option is to ride this out, I have a severe case of Whooping cough, and this could last another 10 weeks (Hoping it wont)

So don't put your kids (or yourself) though this!

Hope you recover quickly. A friend of mine caught it too (as an adult) and she was very ill for months.

Hi,

Just wanted to add my experience of whooping cough to encourage people to get themselves and their children vaccinated. My daughter (aged 20 and had all her vaccines as a child) started a bad cough 6 weeks ago. She went to see our very experienced GP after about 3 weeks who said there was no infection and just to wait it out. Two weeks ago I started to cough and realised I had caught it from her. After over a week of bad coughing with no improvement I went to see another of the GPs and my daughter also saw another one. We were both told there was no infection and to wait it out. It was only after I googled my symptoms and saw a thread on mumsnet that I thought it might be whooping cough. As soon as I saw a clip of a child with whooping cough it became very obvious to me that this is what we both had. I am having very bad symptoms and am going back to my GP today mainly to see if I am still infectious and to see if they can give my partner something so he doesn't get it. It is really terrible and very frightening as an adult, goodness knows what it would be like for a child or to see your child suffering with it, so I am trying to spread the word about getting vaccinated and going to your GP if you have any of the symptoms or have come into contact with anyone who has the symptoms so that you can be given anti-biotics as soon as possible to prevent it spreading. Sadly, there is no treatment once you have the symptoms. I am desperately hoping it won't go on for 3 months as I am already very exhausted and feeling pretty low.

I too had it as an adult - 33 BUT I was 6 months pg at the time.
You try the above experiences with a reasonably sized football stuck under your ribs at the same time - really not pleasant. I had only just stopped 'morning' sickness ( 24/7 sickness!!)
I couldn't be vaccinated as I had fits as a baby and the doctors wouldn't allow it.
15 years later, and each time I get a cough, it is worse than it ever used to be, and lasts for longer. It leaves you with permanent scars on your lungs.
Needless to say, both my DC have been vaccinated.

I had whooping cough (as did my siblings) back in the 1950s before there was a vaccination
It was horrendous and I can still recall the awful bouts of coughing as described above. I only wish I could have been spared it and the persistant chest problems I have to this day - by the simple act of having been vaccinated

I really wish our GPs had picked up on what it was as it might have at least spared me catching it from my daughter, although goodness knows how she caught it. It makes me think it is under diagnosed and therefore more likely to be spread unecessarily to others. I will defnitely be raising this with our GPs practice.

I'm on week 12 of 14 the 100 day cough.I cough twice a day in morning and evening he whooping vomiting doesn't stop just gets less frequent . rest of the time it's just a slight cough in the day to clear my throat. Humidity is the killer getting oxygen to brain when you have whooping cough is a nightmare you get headache dizzy and really tired and slow. Get a humidity monitor it will give you a heads up when to ventilate like crazy. The disease hangs on longer and is much worse when humid.on none humid days I almost feel normal!

I had the whooping cough vaccine but caught it when I was in primary school. I coughed so violently I burst the blood vessels in my eyes and the whole of the white bit went red. By the time I went back to school my eyes were still red and some other children called me the devil child

The vaccines and boosters I had - born in 1975 can wear off the older you get there is no cure or preventive injection. You have to see it through for 100days then your immune .If you catch a cold during that time then it's back to full blown whooping cough antibiotics and re start those 100 days ! symptoms change each week I had bleeding blood vessels in eyes, cracked ribs, vomiting, headaches, dizzy etc. In the first weeks est as much garlic , Ginger and tyme as you can even boil it in water and inhale will stop a coughing fit.forget about menthol it makes it worse . Take as much vit c as you can - get 1000mg tablets and take up to 5 a day if you can without pooing! I swear without these I would have been admitted to hospital - I almost was twice.

I had 4 weeks off work plus 2 weeks hols then returned to work but from home 2 weeks after. You must not catch a cold or any viruses whilst you have it or it comes back full blown so don't go to work if there are sick people there.

I hope you feel better soon!

The vit c has salts in it which battles the whooping cough.

Oh gosh that sounds awful! I'm 33 weeks pg and having my vaccination next week. DS is vaccinated and DD will be when the time comes.

Hope you're on the mend soon.

Anyone got any questions just ask as my 100days is approaching!

I had this a few years ago, blooming nightmare. I was so ill. I also fractured a rib, and now when pregnant it hurts all the time.

Cracked ribs are horrible nothing you can do just have to wait months to mend! Vicious circle coughing and ribs.

I'm on 2x co - comadol and 1 liquid ibprophen for pain and swelling so how to cope when pregnant OMG.

Happy, the whooping cough vaccine isn't given to protect you, it is given to prevent you getting whooping cough in the first place so you don't pass it on to a newborn baby. That's why it is offered to pregnant women, not to protect the pregnant woman but to stop her passing it on to her baby.

Hope you feel better soon.

Sorry to hear about your illness but I am not getting the vaccine. I don't want any toxins in my body while I am pregnant with my unborn child. Also, whooping cough vaccine does not prevent WC but instead makes you an asymptomatic carrier, passing the disease onto other people (vaccinated and unvaccinated) without knowing about it. I have done my research! Hope you feel better soon x

The WC vaccine in PG stimulates your immune system to produce antibodies against this, and they cross the placenta conferring some protection on the infant.

This was introduced in UK after 14 babies below the age of first immunisation died of WC.

Oh butterfly! Unless you have a medical degree why on earth would you trust your own research. You are an idiot. I hope to God your idiocy doesn't ultimately harm your child. Have you seen a video of the baby with WC? I suggest you google it.

Please don't tell people what to do. Imagine if someone is damaged by the vaccine. Will you be there to pick up the pieces?

Get well soon.

I knew I'd get crucified for my post lol

Butterfly This research you mention, was it a peer-reviewed paper published in a reputable science journal?

Yes it was peer reviewed not a random Google search

I urge all pregnant mums to get the whooping cough vaccine .
In 2014 I gave birth to twin girls. When my eldest twin was 29 days old I suddenly lost her to whooping cough. I WASNT given nor offered the vaccine while I was pregnant.
My world fell apart the day I lost me beautiful Bella.
I believe there should be more publicity regarding the dangers of whooping cough especially to newborns . Every GPs surgery or hospital had posters about the flu jab in pregnancy, they even have adverts on tv and radio but, never do they mention about whooping cough.
In the pregnancy magazine you are given while pregnant 'Emma's diary' it vaguely touches on the subject Whooping cough.
Whooping cough is back in the community, it can be deadly newborns.
The vaccine protects baby until it is 8 weeks old and old enough to have own vaccine.
My baby Bella didn't make it to 8 weeks.