Whooping cough - adults

[flumpybear]

Has anyone had whooping cough as an adult? How did you feel?
I'm waiting blood results but pretty sure it is. Started with cough/generally unwell, and went down hill, doctor thought chest infection so took antibiotics for a week but wasn't better
Went back and doctor prescribed different antibiotics and a week off work.
The next day the very deep coughing started and vomiting, loads of egg white texture mucous .... just can't sleep as violent coughing wakes me up
Sometimes wee a little due to violent coughing
I'm a month in now, last night I had a reasonable night sleep, don't need to sleep sitting up so much now, but feel totally exhausted still.
Today was the first time I felt like I wanted some vegetable soup rather than feeling I have to eat. Seem to be drinking fruit Juice, Cherry coke and hot manuka honey with fruit juice and the occasional glayva at night which helps my throat

Anybody else had this, any supporting comments of when this'll get better

Totally fed up now

My DH started whooping cough in February. He started with an annoying cough for about 10 days which then developed into the traditional whoop etc. He was pretty rough for about 3 weeks - not being able to sleep at night just as you described. He did work part time after having the antibiotics to stop being infectious but came back for a nap most days for about 3 weeks due to the exhaustion.

He gradually got better in between the attacks but it has dragged on on. He was still having some whoops in the summer BUT he was up and functioning sleeping etc so getting on with life.

It is a horrible thing to suffer and you have all my sympathy - hopefully if you are a month in - you will be over the worst and it will very very slowly begin to get better. Look after yourself and rest rest and rest when you get the chance. Do be prepared for it to drag on a bit but you will have periods when you are feeling better in between the coughs and the more sleep you begin to get that will help.

Flumpybear as I mentioned on another thread I think I must have had a whooping cough type of cough two years ago. Symptoms just as described, slept downstairs on the settee sitting up, I'd never felt so ill and it dragged on even after the cough eased a bit. I never had whooping cough as a child and there was no vaccination then.

Thank you @Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten - I'm hoping this is turning now too ... your DH sounds exactly like me now 😷😔

I'm on phased return now, tried to go back full time but not great plan as I was really struggling 😔. DH has it too but he's sleeping/functioning ok it's just the vomiting and coughing

Think we're going to book a trip to the Canary Islands in February to get some warm sun half aSy through winter ... think we'll need it lol 😆

@Oldmum55 - I feel your pain!! 😔😔😔

My friend was completely flattened by whooping cough for nearly 6 weeks and not right for a few months after - truly awful illness!!

Thank you @DamnWhyAreAllTheUsernamesTaken - nice to hear that I'm not being a wuss ! It is horrible tho😵

It is horrible - I had it a few years back, along with DH and Dd1. She wasn’t too bad probably because she still had some resistance from childhood immunisation but we were sick as dogs for months. Only really recovered after 2 weeks summer hol in France so I would definitely recommend you book that stay in Tunisia for Feb.
www.whoopingcough.net/treatment.htm This website has a useful tip to help with coughing- it’s on the treatment page and called Christabel’s method. It sounds a bit crazy, but basically when you’re gasping for breath, if you can force yourself to stop trying to breathe in, just for a second, then breathe out, you stop coughing. You probably won’t be able to do it the first time you try, but keep trying because if you can master it, it makes a big difference.
And lots of sympathy. You know the Chinese call it the 100 day cough? They’re right, I’m afraid.

@MrsBodger - poor you guys! Ug yes 100'day cough, I really hope I feel a bit better though for the latter part!! I've had whooping cough as a kid but was only 4 so don't remember but hoping it's given me some immunity ... 🙏🏻 we'll see !

I'll read that website, thank you .... I've tried something similar to Christabel... I'll read up to see if it's better thsn
What I've been doing

Thanks 👍🤩

Don't knowing this is a stupid thing to do but I'm going to try swimming this
Mornjng - I feel like I'm either flaked out on the sofa or at work now, I need to do something to make myself move and build up my strength a bit ... there's always the sauna/steam room if i get there and can't fade a swim 👍

Being ill is sooooo boring.

I would definitely stick to the sauna or steam room personally.

You may be bored but your body is working hard to recover don't put more pressure on it by too much exercising.

Being ill is sooooooooo boring I agree.

Don't want to be the bearer of bad news but for the next few years when you get a cough it will be whooping cough like.

I managed 10 lengths (240m) and half hour steam/sauna which was lovely - but I'm tired so having a snooze now before popping to work at 2:30 - early night for me lol

I had it as a teenager and it was hideous. The whoops lasted months, possibly a year or so - if I ever had a bad coughing fit it got whoopy.

I also wouldn't recommend swimming - I vividly remember my first swimming lesson when I was beck at school. I definitely wasn't ready for exercise, had a coughing fit in the pool and thought I was going to drown as I couldn't breathe or swim to the side. Horrible.

Yes, didn’t have the distinctive whoop but I would be on the floor vomiting with a coughing fit. Took me ages to get back to normal in regards to activities and even so I can honestly say I have never been the same since.

I was vaxed approx 2 years before contracting it. I imagine if I had not been vaxed I would be dead.

Don't want to be the bearer of bad news but for the next few years when you get a cough it will be whooping cough like.

This. I’m coming up to 5 years on and still get ‘the cough’ I had back then. It doesn’t drop me and cause vomiting etc now but it’s the same bastard cough, I’d know it anywhere.

I'm fairly certain as is my gp that I had it starting just before last Christmas and lasting into Feb.

I'm agoraphobic which apparently means I shouldn't expect my physical health to matter that much so no tests but dr prescribed antibiotics on the assumption it was.

Horrible Christmas and new year and didn't start to feel right till midway through Feb. And even then very much a gradual thing.

Been coughing lately with a cold and still sounds quite "whoopy" but isn't (here's hoping) as bad as last year!

It was my mum on hearing it suggested it might be and dr via phone appointment agreed it could be.

I was shocked as I've had all my immunisations and boosters but apparently my age (46) meant that the immunisation I had may have worn off or not covered the strain I caught. So I wonder if adults over say 30 should be getting immunised again?

Not my area of expertise but I'd be interested to know.

Thabks for all your replies 👍
I've had it as a child and always get bad coughs plus nownhave an inhaler as my chest is always rubbish first sign of a cough or allergy, but it's not helping with this whooping cough at all

I figured it would be around a while - had a snooze before going to work earlier on after my swim and I literally felt like I had to drag my bones out of bed I was so tired - and coughing at work too

Swimming was fine but I know my pool would be empty and I swim next to the edge plus it's not very deep so touch the bottom - I'll see how it goes

So I wonder if adults over say 30 should be getting immunised again?

But these days most adults over 30 would have been revaccinated. Pregnant women are vaccinated and partners get done and it has become ‘the thing’ for new parents to demand that anyone who even glances sideways at their baby has been done so that covers grandparents, family etc.

Not sure about there but here pregnant women are covered (free) via the national program. A few years back all pregnant women’s family including grandparents were covered but that has now cut out, so essentially now they pay but it’s quite minimal.

So children have it on a schedule, teens get topped up in the school program, pregnant women are done and due to awareness at this time their families/friends tend to get done again and then it is available again (free) on the schedule for people aged 65yrs and over. So add all of that up and people are being reimmunised.

There's a cure for whooping cough if you go to high altitude. I cured my kids this way, google it , it worked for us !

HoppingPavlova that is not the schedule in the uk. The vaccine is not given to over 10 yr old unless a pregnant women

flumpybear glad you enjoyed your swim and hope you get some rest tonight

I'm wondering if I was vaccinated when I had my 2nd child 6.5 years ago .... I just can't recall properly 🧐

Confirmed whooping cough 🤢😔

Got an interview next week ... let's hope I don't cough/vomit or cough/sudden bladder incompetence!! 😱

HoppingPavlova even if that's the case - and it's the first I've heard of this - that's still missing out a lot of people. I had dd before I was 30, and at that time it was not mentioned to me nor was it mentioned when dd was being vaccinated. This would have been almost 18 years ago mind you. Also what about women that can't or don't want to have DC - they're left uncovered as are any other adults not alerted by the presence of a new child in their lives - why shouldn't they be protected?

I think it's highly unlikely to be "most".

Are you in the U.K.?

Hope your interview goes well and you're feeling better soon op.

No, I’m not in the UK.

Yes, you are right, there is nothing for women who don’t have babies unless they choose to have it privately. Again, nothing for men unless they decide to have it privately. The whole point of my post was that by giving it as standard to pregnant women (who have the right to refuse) and giving pregnant women eleventy billion pamphlets about the fact that anyone who comes into contact with their baby should be covered raises general community awareness. This means awareness is raised amongst women of this age group, not only the mum but sisters,SIL, friends, brothers, BIL and also the older generation such as grandparents and all the people grandparents gossip with about impending new grandchild. From that increased awareness you will get a chunk of people who will opt to be vaccinated (they will pay privately but it’s not dear at all).

So again the point is vax when kids are babies, toddlers and start school, vax again in high school. NO vax’ing on schedule as adults but increased awareness for most around the time people have kids (unless you don’t have kids, don’t know anyone having kids who is constantly banging on about it or you live under a rock). Then it comes back on schedule for the elderly where the GP will give a reminder when you reach the magic age. That’s how it works here so while you may not be covered via schedule completely throughout your life I would argue that it’s something that most people are periodically made aware of these days via different mechanisms.