What the hell is this bug I've caught!

[LuisaAndTheDonkeys]

Awful cough, not all the time but really vicious bouts that make breathing difficult, lots of drippy snot, just feeling lousy and have been unable to do anything for several days at a time. It's not a normal cold, I'm into my 3rd week of it. I thought it might be whooping cough but the doctor is not convinced and thinks it's viral. Negative covid test so it a not that either.

Anyone else has this?

Me. Started on Thursday - mine is a constant cough that eventually makes me sick and a burning throat. No congestion or typical cold symptoms. Everything aches today but don’t know if that’s just from coughing so much. Zero energy and supposed to be prepping the house for visitors and for an interview next week. I feel desperate 😩

I clicked assuming I'd see an insect to identify! 😂

Coughs can take weeks to clear. Lemon/honey/hot water is more effective than shop bought mixtures at suppressing and soothing a cough. Chicken soup can help inflammation and get as much rest as you can.

Me too. I've had two lots of anti biotics as blood tests indication inflammation markers. Medics are testing me frequently, but maybe it is 'just a common virus.
I'm coughing for England with no result, talking is spasmodic with severe heaving of abdomen. Bugger it!!

Sorry to disappoint, not that sort of bug

It's not just the cough though, it's the 'being wiped out and unable to function' aspect. Every time I rest then think I'm feeling better it hits me again.

Adenovirus is going round at the moment hospital full of it with poorly kiddos and elderly.

@LuisaAndTheDonkeys I feel exactly the same. I can’t get up off the sofa at the minute, it’s awful.

I have this.its disgusting. I'm on week 3 and thoroughly fed up.

I don’t want to depress you op, but you might want a read of/to join this thread….
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5027336-what-fucking-fresh-hell-is-this?page=1

Oh wow, I have found my people. So many suffering the same bug. I'm off to read the other thread and will report back. Hope you all feel better soon.

Dh has had a cough like that for weeks. Fortunately he's no longer waking himself up (and me!) 4 x a night unable to breathe and wrenching anymore. Just once a night. Hes immunosuppressed which is why we thought he couldn't get rid of it but loads of people have had the 100 day cough 🥹

Thanks to man coughing on a train, with no attempt to cover his mouth, I had four days in bed with cough and streaming cold, also felt knackered. Just starting to get back to normal.

We have it here too. It started with DC bringing it home from school, with a fever and cough. Almost the rest of their year group went down with it, including all the teachers. I am now in week two and for the first time in 13 days I don't have a high fever, feel bloody awful though. DH also has it but more mildly, so he's been running the house and looking after the DC. We're all exhausted.

I had similar beginning at the end of November. I finally stopped coughing in January.

I took a medicine containing guaifensin to keep it loose.

Another day in bed. I had a really scary coughing episode this afternoon when everyone was out of the house. I couldn't catch my breath at all. Red in the face, my throat was tightening and I couldn't get any air into my lungs. I was on the verge of running out of the house in my pjs because I thought if I collapse in the house no one will find me. Fortunately I managed to get some breath. Terrified of coughing now.

That sounds terrible! I don't have a terrible cough, but Im about to start the third week - still totally bunged up, nose raw from blowing it and tired. My DD brought it back from abroad but as she's 40 plus years younger than me bounced back quicker. And I have to go four hours on a train walk around and stay over two nights for an uni offer day this week (and one further away next week, but surely it will be gone by then)!

honey to stop the cough when it’s like that

you haven’t got one pneumonia have you?

A new strain of Covid. The tests don’t work as they were designed to pick up much older strains. I hope you feel better soon.

Everyone in my house was ill except me. 3 year old and 5 month old seen by urgent care multiple times and put on antibiotics, and inhalers.

Hubby ended up in hospital on oxygen, had an xray and blood tests. Everyone had fever for days, coughing fits and were struggling to breathe. We also thought whopping cough but whatever it was progressed into pneumonia.

Took 3 weeks and their breathing is still not right. With three kids I've seen a lot of colds and flu.. This was something else.

I hope you get through it quickly x

This sounds just like me - I get these horrible coughing fits that leave me unable to breathe properly afterwards, sometimes quite scarily so. So far I have had taken steroids and antibiotics which haven't helped, plus a blue inhaler which may help my airways settle back to normal a bit quicker. Though it's hard to take an inhaler when coughing your lungs up, particularly as there have been a few times when I can't get air in quickly enough to activate the inhaler - though I've now worked out I can take the top off if this happens again. Steam seems to help a bit but I can't spend all day with my head over a basin or in the shower!

I don't have other symptoms so I'm not too bad between coughing bouts, just more tired than normal. I'm sort of working though productivity is not great and I've worried a few people by coughing and grabbing my inhaler on teams calls - doesn't help I always lose my voice for 5-10 minutes after a bad bout. Back to the GP tomorrow though I doubt there's much they can do to help, sounds like something to ride out. Covid test was negative for what it's worth. I've had flu vaccine this year and whooping cough vaccine 10 years ago.

I have this at the moment! Day 2 of antibiotics.

I was in bed half the week!

What is really horrific is that the cough is bad & violent that 9 times out of 10 I'm actually wetting myself!

Utterly mortifying!

The GP has finally confirmed it's probably whooping cough and has prescribed antibiotics. The cough really is unlike any other cough I've ever had, it leaves you unable to breath (like trying to suck in air from a deflated balloon) and feeling sick. Horrible. However holding my breath and breathing through my nose when a coughing fit starts seems to help with breathing and avoid the 'whoop'. GPs and pharmacists need to get quicker at identifying it, otherwise it's going to spread like wildfire.

I'm only starting to cough approx 5 times per day (and it's a real coughing fit, colleagues really panic when it happens as it looks like im choking). It started middle of January for myself and before xmas for my son. Pretty certain it was whooping cough as we were both making the whooping noise when breathing in aftera a coughing attack (which were so bad that I think I've done something to my pelvic floor). GP not interested in the slightest. First 4 weeks were horrendous and then worsened again 2 weeks ago but now seems to be getting better.

Glad you are on the mend. It's a weird one, I'm the same, only about 6-10 coughing fits but I do look and sound like I'm about to expire. GPs really don't seem concerned, perhaps just snowed under and hope it's just a cold/covid.
How is everyone else feeling, hopefully feeling a bit better.

Six weeks in and I'm finally over the worst of it I think. It's been awful!! My mum has been really poorly with it and her doctor thinks it's the flu - we've had our jabs so it's not as bad as it could have been!!

I’m on week 11. It did seem to get better but has worsened again in the last week. DS did have a cold though so thinking maybe I’ve caught that and it’s worsened it. Really super fed up with it though. Not sure if there’s any point returning to GP. Anyone else been going as long as me?