whooping cough and swab test results?

October 22, 2008

hi

i just read the previous post on whooping cough and Parapertussis,

and wondered if anyone here would be able to answer my query as to if

they think it likely my son had this a couple of years ago as a baby?

he started with a cold for about a week, which at 6 weeks (despite me

fully breastfeeding him) turned into coughing fits and him turning a

shade of purple with them. we were admitted to hospital with

bronchiolitis (he tested negative to ?RSV)and we spent 2 days

listening to him getting worse until he was so sleepy he couldnt feed

and then he was put in special care where he spent 3 nights on a drip

and then with expressed bm. the nurse in there told us several times

he sounded like a whooping cough baby.however the drs tested him with

a swab in his throat and as it came back negative (the 1st time they

didnt get a result?)said he could not have whooping cough, but

possibly a viral whooping cough (?)

once out of special care we were also put straight back on the ward

despite both him and i coughing our guts up most the night!! as now

it 'wasnt' whooping cough he/we neednt be isolated (?) we went home

after 7 days in total once his oxygen levels were back up again.

at the time my eldest son (then 12) started with this horrendous

cough, which he then passed to me and baby- my other 2 children (age

6 and 8) and husband didnt get it (my eldest 3 kids are vaxed to uk

schedule) and i wonder if thats why the eldest and i got it as our

vax had worn off but the others had some immunity?

the cough i had was horrendous, while i was in hospital i would often

just sit coughing and coughing and felt like i really couldnt breathe

and was gasping for air with a really sharp intake of breath(although

i dont recall making any whooping sound)

mine and my 12yr olds coughs lasted a good couple of months, and my

baby approx 3 mths (i have also heard whooping cough used to be

called the 100 day cough) For the first 6 weeks or so after leaving

hosp i had to sleep with him every night lying on my chest upright as

he would have a coughing episode if he lay down. however it had all

gone by his 6mth follow up and he was discharged (with the ped saying

it was unusual for them to be so healthy after bronchiolitis.... or

maybe as he is just not vaxed?)

this was at the start of my non vax journey (luckily he was only 6

weeks so i couldnt get 'told off' for not vaxing, despite having

researched it and deciding not to, but still 'scared' of the

consequences)

he since (now 2) has barely had a cough/cold, never been sick, or had

a high temperature or ear infection (as my vaxed kids often did)

to be honest it doesnt really matter if he did or didnt have

pertissus, i'm just curious and i dont just go with drs ideas that

a test result is conclusive evidence (or do these swabs have good

chance of correct diagnosis rates?)

the other thing that made me think since was there was a just over 2

mth old baby in there at the same time who had just started having

frequent (non febrile) convulsions and had been healthy at birth

etc... if i had known a bit more i would have asked her , extremely

worried, parents if she had just had her jabs?

thanks in advance for any thoughts on this

Jo

UK