Pertussis (Whooping cough) anyone? (infection, arm, doctors, insurance)

[Padgett2]

I had it when I was a child....before the days of the vacine. A child was kept out of school for a full six weeks. We had several cases in my neighborhood. Some children were very ill and "whooped" and vomited often. I had a light case and only whooped once. I missed the last couple of weeks of school and felt draggy all summer that year. If I displayed only those light symtoms, a doctor today would have just thought I had a bad case of bronchitis.

The feeling was that the kids should keep right on playing with each other. If they caught it, fine! That meant they wouldn't catch it from their own children later in life.

[sfnurse]

I too had Whooping Cough and very similar to the rest of you, most doctors did not know what it was. Kept telling me all I had is bronchitis. Finally the partner of my PCP figured it out, but too late to prove by culture. I have had it for going on 80 day- still coughing but not as bad as the first month and a half. I am now experiencing palpitations and premature ventricular contractions as well as premature atrial contractions. All blood tests are essentially normal- going to cardiologist tomorrow. Curious if anyone else out there had problems with new onset palpitations while recuperating from whooping cough.

[opalminor]

Yes everything you guys described is exactly how it is. It's amazing how eerily similar the symptoms are in so many people-- often down the exact amount of time you had the exact type of symptom, which then developed into the next symptom, etc.... it's like clockwork. Very strange. This is a serious disease, and I wish more people were educated about it. But if I hear one more news reporter, celebrity, etc talking about Pertussis as a 'children's disease' I think I will scream. News Flash: ANYONE and EVERYONE can get it....!
And the doctors' ignorance about it just floors me. Most of them think 'oh it's just bronchitis'....
sfnurse, Sorry you are going through all that.. but it's good you are dealing with and taking care of it. I didn't have any of the symptoms you described even though I have a MVP. Just pure lung misery for 3 months straight, and flu-like exhaustion for about 2 months of that time.
But get this-- even though I already had it for a few months and was slowly getting better, no longer contagious, still had that !@#* lingering cough (you know- where your throat closes up like you are suffocating in between coughs.. think asthma attack..)... after much investigating, I found out that there WAS a test you can take for quite a while (not sure how many months) after you acquire the disease, that will show a raised level of antibodies against Pertussis- called an IGG test. So even though the docs all gave me mixed messages, mostly of 'oh there's no test for it at this point'.. I was finally told by a different doc that this test could confirm that you recently HAD it. I would ask your doc about it. Also the Health Dept. is trying to track it, so you should call your local chapter w/ your diagnosis.

But it was probably 6 months before I could say I felt 95% back to normal. Even over a year later, there's still some lingering occasional effects.
sfnurse- good luck in your recovery... hope you can figure out what's going on.

[Escort Rider]

Generally the vaccine information statements include a disclaimer that vaccination may not protect 100% of people from getting whatever it is supposed to protect against. While I have great sympathy for the minority who get something "anyway", vaccination is (rationally) the best way to go. Not sure how effective the vaccine is supposed to be for pertussus; perhaps someone here can enlighten me.

And wow! I hadn't realized before reading this thread just how miserable pertussus sufferers are and just how long it can take it to resolve. Scarey!

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by Escort Rider

Generally the vaccine information statements include a disclaimer that vaccination may not protect 100% of people from getting whatever it is supposed to protect against. While I have great sympathy for the minority who get something "anyway", vaccination is (rationally) the best way to go. Not sure how effective the vaccine is supposed to be for pertussus; perhaps someone here can enlighten me.

And wow! I hadn't realized before reading this thread just how miserable pertussus sufferers are and just how long it can take it to resolve. Scarey!

Escort, didn't you realize whooping cough is just a minor illness and those evil, greedy pharmaceutical manufacturers just want to scare us into taking vaccines? After all, the miserable folks posting here will now have natural immunity! Of course, they had to be really sick first!

Suzy_Q, who got here booster a few weeks ago

[Hopes]

I'm recovering from an upper respiratory infection, but the cough has remained for over 4 weeks.

I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and he put me on an antibiotic.

He didn't say that I had whopping cough though. I wonder if that's what I really have.

[pankeike]

Wow this is crazy im so sorry all of you went thorough all that, but i need some help on it. Im starting a reasearch on it and i would like to get all the information from people like you that have gone thru it. I believe that there is more to it then what is just said and that the FDA should start working on making a better vaccine. If you could please put all you simptoms and describe how everything started all the way to the end and what pertussis left you with if any last symptoms were left behind with it i would so much appreciated. By the way if you ever go to the doctor for something and u might have an idea of what it might be, just ask for a test you are allowed to that, demand it! because at the end its your life thats at risk.

[Escort Rider]

Originally Posted by pankeike

I believe that there is more to it then what is just said and that the FDA should start working on making a better vaccine.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not work on developing or improving any medications, including vaccines. The FDA can only approve or deny the marketing of new drugs, and in the case of problems with existing drugs, require stronger warning labels or even withdraw the drug from the market (ban it). It is up to others, such as pharaceutical companies to develop or improve vaccines. It may be that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control, a federal agency) plays some role here too, but I'm not sure.

[opalminor]

It really IS a strange disease. It starts off as a slight stratchy/sore throat.. you can feel your lymph nodes in the sides of your neck kind of swollen & trying to fight something off, then you start this dry cough, then it gets worse- and all of a sudden- BOOM you are in bed and weak like you have the flu (but without the stomach issues)... mild to moderate on & off fever.. the shakes, you're hot and cold, sore muscles..... I was basically in bed mostly sleeping for a WEEK straight... missed almost 2 weeks of work! During this time 'THE COUGH' started. I've never had asthma but it was like endless asthma attacks. You are seized by these uncontrollable, wheezing coughing fits that feels as if your throat is desperately trying to get rid of something, but can't-- and it IS- it's a toxin that paralyzes your throat... which your body is trying hard to expel. So you will cough repeatedly with a long, loud, wheezing gasp in-between coughs as you struggle to inhale, where your throat feels like it's closing up. Kind of like being strangled. It IS scary b/c it feels like you can't breathe. So imagine these fits that happen... oh, several times an hour, and this goes on 24 HOURS A DAY.... all night long, which wakes you up at night over & over. It also feels like there is this 'dusty glue' stuck in the middle of your trachea (gross, but don't know how else to describe it). And in between coughing fits, you are constantly forcefully trying to clear your throat, but that feeling doesn't go away (for many months!).
But the weakness is what surprised me. The illness really sucks the life out of you- and does something strange to your mind. It WEARS you down and you kind of lose the will to live. Partly due to exhaustion from coughing, lack of sleep, and fighting the thing. But what made it SO much worse-- is that no one, including docs, knew what was wrong with me-- (After a few weeks finally dragged myself to the doc, still weak, out of it, feverish, etc..) and if I had KNOWN what it was,, it would have put my mind at ease. It's the not knowing that makes it worse.
I can absolutely see why it kills children, the elderly, and those in a weakened state. Anyway the last doc (who confirmed it after the fact thru an antibody test) said that I probably had an immunity now for about 8-10 yrs. NO one has ever mentioned getting the pertussis booster as an adult- I didn't even know it was necessary- and no one else I talk to seems to know about it either.

And it does seem similar to both bronchitis and pneumonia in many ways but it's that very distinctive cough (uncontrollable wheezing coughing fits) that makes it unmistakable.

So in a nutshell-

1) first couple days- swollen neck glands, itchy/sore throat, fatigue
2) next couple days- a slight dry cough starts, and some sneezing. You may think it's allergies or a cold.
3) next 1-2 weeks- you'll probably be in bed, during which time the wheezing coughing fits start....
4) continuing weakness, fever, body aches, sleeping, delirium, loss of initiative to do anything, depression...
5) next 2-3 wks you may feel well enough to drag yourself back to work (and by now you shouldn't be contagious anymore)
6) next month or so, symptoms very slowly get better
7) By 3 months (from onset) you're mostly back to normal, with some lingering cough fits still, and still that weird feeling in your throat...
9) By 6 months or so you can finally say it's gone. (mostly).

The only lingering symptom- Still have that weird throat feeling (like scar tissue in middle of trachea-? or dusty glue, or something) after I laugh or cough a lot. Makes me want to clear my throat for about 1/2 hr trying to get it out.

I would say from what I've experienced, observed & read, this is kind of the standard timeline & description. And btw, I'm healthy & don't smoke...

Pankeike, you are so right--! I kept searching for an answer & when 2 docs didn't figure it out, I figured it out by searching online-- about a month after the onset (by then my sig. other was in the throes of it).. then I called back both docs and told them! You really do have to keep fighting for answers & not just be passive & go with whatever they say.

Hopes- read everything about it online that you can, google sound bytes/videos of the cough (it's mostly of children though). You'll know if you had it. Very important to be aware of this- b/c at least if you're sure you had it, you are probably immune for another decade and won't have to worry about it for a while. This is also important because if a person DOES have it, they should know, because it can KILL babies/children & the elderly. or, they could have permanent health effects from it themselves.

[rwruger]

Coughing subsided a few days after I began antibiotics, but overall feeling of weakness persists into 3rd week of original onset. I WAS in good shape, basketball, weights, etc. Lots of pertussis going around in IN for 2010-2011. According to my daughter-in-law (county RN) there are outbreaks all over, not just in the state of IN. She said that the inside story is that, although whooping cough was nearly eradicated, many immigrants were never inoculated and are likely the source of the reappearance of this rotten ailment.