Whooping cough

[TheletterZ]

I have suspected whooping cough, saw OOH dr who agreed it sounds like whooping cough and will treat it as such but no tests. It is really classic whooping noise when breathing in during a coughing fit.

I’ve been given antibiotics.

Anyone had this as an adult and how long will it last? I’ve heard it also referred to as 100 day cough, which I really hope isn’t true especially if I have antibiotics.

My DD was horribly unwell with it, we ended up having to come back early off a holiday and the coughing was so bad she had 3 cracked ribs. Antiobiotics and an inhaler made little difference. She was off work for nearly 6 weeks in total and horribly run down afterwards. It's also left her with a weakness and she gets awful chest infections whenever she gets a cold. Luckily no one else in the house caught it.

DS1 had it as a baby and it took 10wks to go. It was awful, he also had bronchiolitis. Took 3 GP visits and an admission via A&E (5 days admitted) to get it diagnosed and treated. Thankfully he had 1 vaccine already when he got it. What made me more mad was the GP‘s own DD had it at the same time and he still misdiagnosed it. I was a very young mum and they didn’t take me seriously. Even A&E sent us home and the doctor actually rang me the next morning and said she had slept on it and wanted me to bring him back in. It was diagnosed via some horrible test but the doctors knew it was that after observing the cough as that classic whoop makes it easy to diagnose. He had a few courses of antibiotics from memory (he’s 30 now)

I had it for the second time about 5 years ago - I was off work about a month, when I went back I had still got low grade fever and cough for another month or so. I had claggy lungs for months, wheezing, coughing and really tired. I'd say it took around 6-8 months to get back to being ok - I was around 45 at the time

Im worried DD might have whooping cough.

It's horrible she's coughing until sick and really sounds like she can't breathe.

For those with kids that had it did they kiss a lot of school? I can't see her being well enough whilst the cough is like this.

Do the antibiotics help with symptoms at all?

My dd1 (15) didn't miss any school luckily, she just struggled through. She also had to stop taking the antibiotics she was prescribed as the side effects were making her more ill than the cough!

Can’t imagine any child with confirmed Whooping Cough being able to attend school in the first two weeks of the cough, must have been the luckiest child alive, my 16yo has been to hospital twice now in last 3 days we have an adult sat with her 24/7 in that period owing to the horrid cough and choking

last night I had to basically stop her choking on the mucus and vomit

it’s the scariest two weeks of my life

and she is a healthy vaccinated 16yo girl

She didn't get seen by a doctor until around 3 weeks of coughing!

Plus they never actually tested her for WC. Just said it sounds like it's the 100 day cough!

My daughter hasn’t been to school in 3 weeks now, her attendance in last 5 years of school has been 95%+ she is predicted 3 x A* in GCSE’s and right now she is too sick to even read a book

3 different types of antibiotics failed

a steroid failed

you just have to ride it out

it’s so scary and no one seems to care in the NHS

its rampant at present as well in midlands and south london

was it confirmed on serology or culture ?

No. Nothing. They just took our word for it after listening to her chest and saying it was clear.

That really doesn’t sound whooping cough, knowing what we know now there is no way any child infected and poorly can attend school

it’s a reportable disease and as such if diagnosed woukd have set of a chain of reportable issues

sounds more like a viral issue than a bacterial one

whooping cough can only be diagnosed on serology or culture

it’s “suspected” if not confirmed via either of those routes

this is a deadly disease and we are very lax about it , but I suspect we will soon be rolling out booster programmes as it’s rampant

@Tirangapete your experience sounds horrible but sadly more like the route we are headed. It's very very scary when she's choking, my Dd is younger she's only 8 and very frightened

Keep reassuring her : simple hold her hand .. pat her back gently in the coughs and try not to panic yourself, it’s utterly terrifying but actually the risk isn’t that high it’s babies they get concerned about

get the steroids and antibiotics … insist on both .. simple say “it won’t harm her to have extra support”

if she can’t tolerate food or water take her to urgent care

few things

icecream made it worse

DO NOT USE COUGH mixtures

small meals .. we kept to soup , warm rice pudding and lots of water

get her used to having a basin to walk around with ! , give the basin a name , ours was BOB , try get a steam unit , argos sell them

kids read our anxiety and you want her relaxed and trusting you

feel free to DM me if any questions

These are the game changers with the antibiotics they can lessen then course of the illness !

Thanks @Tirangapete

We actually have prednisone already as she's asthmatic and urgent care thought it was asthma attack. But I now suspect whooping cough.

It's totally awful made worse by the fact we are booked to go away on our first ever (very expensive!) child free holiday next weekend and I really don't think we can leave her

I had this recently. Classic whooping but was just told by the GP it was the 100 day cough ( don't think they wanted to call it WC for reasons above). I had a few days of cold symptoms, about 5 weeks of utterly dreadful coughing. Had a chest infection too. For most of the five weeks I was unable to sleep more than 30 minutes at a time, even when sat up in bed. I was almost sick several times a day and suffered incontinence it was so bad. I was exhausted and couldn't work for to be first three weeks, even my office job from home. I started back on a phased return after that and was back full time by about 6-7 weeks. I am about 9 weeks in and still coughing occasionally, especially when I go out in the cold. I am back to gentle running 5k (was easily running 10 miles before this). Feel almost better, but expect that cough will linger.

Forgot to add, I have read that the antibiotics are not often used as they only stop the spread and there's limited evidence they make it any better for the person suffering. Most people don't go to the Dr until they are 3 weeks in, by which time they're not infectious anyway.

If you get antibiotics very early they will change course of the illness

they won’t after 3 weeks

and yes your not LIKELY to be infectious at the 3 week stage

I got antibiotics on the first day of the cough (which luckily I had the classic whooooop noise). While the last week has been tough and the coughing fits have been intense it doesn’t seem as bad as others and definitely getting better. I haven’t wet my knickers with coughing for a few days now!

Yes, I think you're right. It doesn't help that NHS advice is only to seek help after 3 weeks of a cough though! Great to hear you are getting better and that you got prompt treatment OP.

I got it mid November and have only just got rid of it.

I didn’t take any time off, as apart from the bloody coughing, I felt ok. I didn’t realise it was whooping cough until a few weeks in and it was too late for antibiotics.

I am currently 2.5 weeks in to what I think is whooping cough. I finally managed to persuade a GP to prescribe antibiotics on Friday after several earlier attempts. It is genuinely the most ill I’ve ever felt. Last night I woke up with coughing/choking fits every 20 minutes until 3am followed by a couple of hour long sleeps followed by more coughing. I’m exhausted and not even attempting to work from home.

Despite specifically asking, I couldn’t get a PCR test so am waiting on blood test results. These have already taken more than a week, and might not be accurate as it was a bit early to show that way. I’ve got another blood test booked next week which should be more accurate. The most frustrating part is that if a PCR had been done earlier, I might have been able to get the antibiotics when they could have made more difference.

Anyone who also has this has my huge sympathies.

I have found the technique described on this page good to try and catch my breath after a coughing bout. It has helped me to stop panicking in those moments:

https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/better-me/laryngospasm-causes-symptoms-and-management#:~:text=The%20bottom%20line,with%20breathing%20techniques%2C”%20Dr.

whooping cough.net is also really helpful for knowing the signs and what it sounds like.

My eldest son is still coughing from before half term. My younger son and I went down with it together. I’m so relieved my husband is still standing!

I’d also add that the messaging that this is mostly mild in vaccinated kids/adults, makes me so cross. It really isn’t!

Not met a single person with a confirmed case that would classify this infection as “mild”

its utterly irresponsible of the NHS to spout such nonsense a