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.

I was sure I received a whooping cough vaccine whilst pregnant with DD to protect the baby. Presumably the mother is then protected too. DD is 6.

The current spike in pertussis suggests that either these vaccines didn't work or were they only been given for a short window of time and we were lucky to be in it?

The spike is stupid anti-vaxers

and the fact the vaccine only covers you for 6-10 years

but it doesn’t 100% prevent

update … week 3 of whoop
and although we thought we turned a corner late in week 2 we suddenly had a return today of the whoop and 4 or 5 bouts of clear bad whooping

so scary this illness

What a night mare .. thought we turned a corner finally at weekend after nearly 4 weeks and

WOOSH the cough and vomiting back with a vengeance last night

we also found our our Local Authority didn’t vaccinate any of the children in my daughters years at secondary school with boosters so she had no immunity

she is 16 and last night we almost had to call an ambulance the chocking and vomiting was so so bad

scariest night of my life

It is so scary isn't it. I have been there. It will pass just takes ages. Lots of vit c helped us, liposimal or sodium absorbate. We are 3 months or over now and whilst the choking whooping bit has passed we seem to have had cough after cough. Oil vaporizer in room with thyme linalool, steaming over boiling water with some oils...

I think I have this. I wake up at night coughing and cant get a breath at all. It is so frightening and is making me scared to go to sleep. Can anyone advise how to stop me panicking when this happens? The rest of it I can manage (good to know that peeing is symptomatic and not just my poor pelvic muscles) but the choking is so frightening.

Try to sleep slightly more upright than usual.

Steam your face 3 times a day lots of water and vit c to thin mucus. We used coccus cacti homeopathic remedy which really helped to shift it out ..gross...but better out than in...

I had whooping cough when I was about 12. It lasted 6 months and permanently damaged my lungs such that I now get every cough going, and they last 1m+ every time.

You can do exercises to encourage them to be better

Try not to panic (easier said than done) and pause before you breathe in. I’ve found breathing out any air left, like blowing a candle out, before I breathe in works quite well. It’s horrid. The only thing I would say is that it gets less scary the more times that it happens 🤦🏼‍♀️

Can anyone describe the “whoop” feeling?

I had what seemed like a fairly normal chest infection starting a couple of weeks ago with a cough that has lingered and still lots of phlegm.

For the last four or 5 days I have had a couple of spells where I’ve coughed and then feel like I can’t breath and am gasping for air. I wouldn’t say it’s a coughing fit like they describe though, more like I cough two or three times then feel like I can’t draw any air in. Which does make the gasping/whoop sound. I’ve found that breathing through my nose in shallow breaths eases it slightly but each time I have around 20-30 seconds of not breathing in properly. Not long, but long enough that the panic sets in! Doctors have no appointments for six weeks…

Sounds like it

but one of the very clear distinction is the mucus is crystal clear almost clear silicone glue Constancy , as clear as water but as thick as glue

its unique to the condition

many normal chest infections put pressure on the lungs and can cause an occasional whoop

there is nothing occasional about the whoop on whooping cough

you can ask your GP for a blood test but many will fob you off

Thanks for this advice it really helped so much.

Yes the phlegm is like some kind of Ghostbusters slime. Utterly disgusting. Clear and white at times for us. I didn't whoop...just took my breath away after coughing...so not like a normal cough cough cough... it's different. Bloody thing it was so so nasty. I also felt like I was constantly trying to hawk mucus up and out and down and out at the same time and it felt like it was gonna send me mad...

When I had it I was coughing fit to pee myself for about two months. I was diagnosed with whooping cough only because my GP sent me to hospital as she couldn’t work out what was going on.

I had a lovely doctor and we had a good chat and discussed whooping cough (mum had it when she was little) so he did a blood test. Turns out I did have whooping cough (he called me late one evening to tell me because he had just seen the results, remembered our chat and thought I’d find it interesting!).

I’m so glad it helped. I hope it is starting to ease for you.

It’s pretty obvious now that the awful cold I thought I had on another thread is very likely whooping cough. Reading through all the gasping, the feeling better then worse, the choking on phlegm and the puking. DS is totally recovered now but was ill for 4 weeks, then we all fell like dominoes, his GF , then me and then DH. I have been the most ill and am 3.5 weeks in. His GF had a week of being ok and then relapsed. I’m taking it very easy, I do think I have had a mini relapse. It’s an awful illness.

My baby 7 months has whooping cough and so does my 7 year old. I’m exhausted any updates how are you all feeling now @Whoooingcougher @SmallestInTheClass I am so worried for DH he just started sweating a lot, I have had it mild not because I am vaccinated but because I had it 10 years ago it was horrible. But I have forgotten how long it went on for

My baby tonight is coughing and gasping for breath I am so sad for her! She is such a happy baby now she is so miserable no point for the antibiotics because they both started being sick end of February but the cough began properly after 3 weeks.

So it’s almost a month but it’s just getting worse I have never been so tired and scared to sleep I have been holding her the past few weeks I am exhausted

when does this begin to feel better? And how are the coughs after 2 or 3 months? Thank you

Babies need very careful monitoring if she isn’t holding food or water take to see a doctor

also they can give babies some small doses of steroids in hospital

hopefully things improve

My DD 15 had exacy this after contacting whooping cough around Xmas. It's horrible horrible so scary. Sleeping on your front might help the choking issue but if it's really bad then you should consult GP or even go to urgent care.

Sad state of affairs when GPs use euphemisms like "hundred day cough" rather than accepted medical term. Just from my own personal experience of knowing others with these symptoms, I've known at least 10-20 people since Dec 2023 with this. It must be massively under reported.

no we had a report about it at work recently. the proper name is pertussis - there has been a re-emergence in 2024

They won’t call it what it is as it’s reportable and causes them headaches

lazy really

My 17yo daughter has this at the moment. Its been 3-4 weeks of coughing, the nights are very bad, horrendous coughing fits that often end in vomiting phlegm and sound as if she is really struggling to breathe. GP has prescribed clarithromycin which hasn't actually helped but hopefully will stop the rest of us getting it. The poor thing is trying to revise for exams but the lack of sleep and general feeling of unwellness is really affecting her. Judging by what I've read on here, I suspect there is still a long way to go. She has found sipping ice cold water helpful when having a coughing fit. Any other pearls of wisdom would be gratefully received.

Ask for steroids

they make a huge difference

dont be afraid to ask for a 2nd course of antibiotics

my 17yo had it , was scariest 6 weeks of my life

twice we went to call an ambulance

we have all had a booster vaccine as well