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Wow plague be upon this house, wife waiting on a diagnosis of suspected whooping cough. All the classic symptoms are there - need I describe them?
Has anyone had this, is it as bad a it looks and how long will it last?
Seriously concerned, am currently on antibiotics and praying for me not to suffer the same as my currently suffering wife. help anyone?
Yes. It's debilitating rather than serious, quite unpleasant though (unless she's preggers - is she?)
Expect it to last 3 months (yes really - some languages call it the 100 day cough) although after the first few weeks it does tend to recede in frequency if not severity.
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/whooping-cough-in-an-adult
Links within links, but my experiences therein.
I don't envy you at all, it indeed sounds horrific. I got an email on monday morning this week that its going round one of our offices ATM - I've worked from home since Monday lunch time!
Me and my father had it, both for quite a few weeks and it was unpleasant. The worst that will happen is that you'll pass out and your windpipe will open up according to our doctor, so you'll be fine.
I dealt with it OK and followed the doctor's advice of sitting down and relaxing when I couldn't breathe, my dad's response was to panic and try and get fresh air by going outside and scooping air towards his mouth with his hands and making a show of it.
This culminated in an episode on a canal boat holiday we were on along the Kennet and Avon canal. Having spent 5 days arguing with each other because we were stuck in a floating cigar tube with 6 people in it only to get stranded in Bath as the water was too stormy to continue, before a lumpy "we're bloody well going anyway" ride a couple of hundred metres to the first lock which had a fallen tree across it, my dad had a fit of coughing at 3am on the way back to the boat hire place.
My dad sleeps naked and when he, in the front cabin, started coughing hard enough to wake the whole boat he went through the front door to the foredeck to scoop air into his mouth, flapping his arms and making the wailing noise whooping cough makes you make. This commotion also woke the couple in the boat in front of ours who poked their heads out of the rear cabin to be greeted by a man wailing and flailing his arms about bollock naked essentially on their doorstep.
They went back inside quickly but the next morning my uncle was on a walk on the towpath when he got chatting to a lady who asked him if he'd seen or heard the commotion with the "whoopwhoop man" in the morning.
He denied all knowledge and carried on his walk.
Anyway, yes, you'll be fine but keep calm and remember you won't die.
Anyway, yes, you'll be fine but keep calm and remember you won't die.
Don't be on a bike when you start coughing; partial hypoxia (OK, being a fat knacker and out of breath) plus a coughing fit may make you pass out and fall off. As a consequence you may fall under a bus in which case you will die.
It also makes your riding buddies look at you, as you struggle for breath and throw up after a short incline, and marvel at your ability to push yourself to the limit of human endurance / laugh at you for being so ****ed (delete as applicable depending on your 'mates'
Yep, I was struck down with it in September last year...
The first two weeks of the infection is when you can spread it - helpfully this stage doesn't really show any outward symptoms with the cough beginning in the second week.
Only after the third week with a steadily worsening cough did anyone begin to twig that it may be something more than a virus, at this stage however you are no longer contagious and nothing can be done to help you.
I managed to control my coughing bouts by breathing very steadily so as to not disturb the mucus - but when they came I was vomiting and blacking out. I also suffered numerous strains from the effort of coughing.
I spent two months sleeping on the sofa so my neighbours weren't disturbed at night, although sleeping was something I didn't do too much of. I ended up coming home from work knackered, then crashing on the sofa and trying to steal as many minutes of sleep as I could between coughing fits.
I finally got back out on the bike for the first time in January, 2 stone heavier and with zero fitness.
If your wife is showing symptoms and being tested - I would assume it would be too late for antibiotics for you, so fingers crossed.
I had it 3 years ago, it was awful and the doctor was crap, I should have been given antibiotics first visit but she was more interested in making me suffer. My wife and daughter caught it and we all had a sleepless few months taking turns sleeping on the sofa. Its very contagious I passed it to 3 others because you cough so violently the germs go everywhere and its absolutely physically draining. I remember the low point being my week of nights at work that almost killed me. Oh the best bit is it last 3 months before its fully gone.
Christ I wish I hadn't asked. Our doctors were totally useless and I hope they are developing a cough right now! 7 year idiots.