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October 05, 2003

is it whooping cough?

seriously! I've been coughing for three weeks straight now. But the odd thing is that this last week, it's only been random coughing...maybe once an hour or so and at night, maybe once in the middle of the night. And the coughing is SEVERE and lasts for several minutes and I am often gasping for breath after. Cough syrup does nothing. Cold medicine does nothing. My asthma inhaler does nothing.

The odd thing is that I feel fine!! I was pretty sick for about a week, but the last two weeks, I've been ok...just this cough, and a residual rattle before I cough. No phlegm, not much blowing my nose (maybe twice a day and mostly in the morning). Not tired, not anything. Just this freakish cough. I keep saying that I'll go to the doctor, but the next day I feel fine...then after an hour after I decide not to call, I have another coughing fit, then I am okay--I'm constantly changing my mind, should I call or not call? Today I resolved that I'll call tomorrow no matter what, because it's not going away even if I feel fine otherwise.

So, you know how synchronicity works, right? Joe and I are eating dinner and I pick up the latest issue of Discover magazine, which arrived a couple of days ago. And wouldn't you know it...there is an article about adults getting whooping cough!! Usually children get it, but apparently more and more adults are being diagnosed as the years wear on and their early immunizations wear out.

The symptoms are exactly what I have had. During the first 1-2 weeks the person is sick like a regular cold--sore throat, coughing, runny nose, possibly a fever. And then, the person loses the rest of the symptoms, but retains the cough...which can stay for several weeks afterward. The coughing spells usually last over a minute and may or may not have the "whooping" or gasping noises as the person gasps for air after a coughing fit. Coughing fits may occur at random, but oftentimes, hours may go by between fits. In between, the person may report feeling perfectly ok.

That's EXACTLY what is going on...it's so bizarre. I figured something weird was happening when my asthma medicine wasn't even doing anything.

How do you treat it? Apparently, you don't really...it has to run its course. Doctors will prescribe antibiotics but that is usually to keep it from being infectious to other people. But the problem is, by the time its diagnosed, you are probably over the infectious stage, which occurs during the first week of illness (oh Greg and Lei, I hope you guys aren't sick!!!! If I had known I wouldn't have made you trapse all over Montreal with me!).

It can be really serious in children, and usually results in vomiting from the coughing, but in adults, it's often misdiagnosed because the symptoms are milder.

Going to head to the doctor tomorrow, but in looking all over the Net, it sounds like what I might have. I think I'll bring the Discover magazine article with me.

Very bizarre. Well the good news is that I haven't been around any children...they are far more affected by the disease than adults are. And I don't have the terrible "whooop," rather, for a few minutes, I just look like I'm going to explode.

Posted by crystallyn at October 5, 2003 11:06 PM

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Comments

Posted by: Ancarett at October 6, 2003 07:49 AM

Posted by: Sean at October 6, 2003 04:47 PM

Posted by: crystal at October 6, 2003 09:52 PM

Posted by: Sean at October 7, 2003 11:33 AM

Posted by: Tuesday at October 7, 2003 08:40 PM