Whooping cough...anyone dealt with it??

[textbookcase]

I was up all night with Bonnie. She has an intermittent barking cough, where it sounds like she's gasping for air in between coughs. She's had a slight, clear runny nose for two days. She had pneumonia about 10 days or so ago and took a course of azithromycin for that. I kept thinking all night that the pneumonia was coming back, then Dr. Google freaked me out about pertussis this morning. She's current on all vaccines, how common is it to get if you've been immunized? I'll call her doc when they open this morning (it's 5:40 here now) but I need reassurance. Poor baby

[ering1115]

Her lungs may still be trying to clear from the pneumonia. I had some upper respiratory funk last week and so did DS. We still have nasty sounding coughs but it is just the rest of the ick clearing out. I highly doubt she has whooping cough if her vaccines are current.

Poor kiddo! I hope she feels better soon.

[Deleted]

I definitely think it could be the pneumonia lingering. Or maybe croup? Has the doc given her a nebulizer?

I wouldn't worry too much about pertussis if her vax are current. Hang in there, mama. Hugs.

[Deleted]

DD2 woke had a bark like cough the other day - I kept her home and went to the dr. and was told it was allergies. Although DD2 didn't have a fever, I had given ibuprofren because it sounded the bark was because of inflammation/swelling in the back of her throat (she wasn't gasping for air in between though). It actually seemed to help. The dr. said to use the nebulizer and gave a prescription for zyrtec. She still has a clear, runny nose but otherwise is fine now.

I hope Bonnie feels better and that it's not pertussis!!

[textbookcase]

Thanks for the reassurance. I'll call her doctor this morning. We have a nebulizer from when Keira was younger. I did think about croup, too. It just sounds so awful and she's so miserable.

[kristie]

Croup isn't one specific infection, it can be caused by many things that cause the throat tissue to swell and make that sound. It is common in the smaller ones with respiratory infections. Addy had it once or twice, I just had to keep a close eye on her and was advised to take her to ER or doctor if her breathing got more labored. I got no sleep both times

[lemon]

My guess would be croup, since you described the barking effect. It's always worse at night and then seems to get better during the day. My boys seem to be prone to it and it's always very nerve wracking. It also hits the worst right before they come down with a cold, so they'll seem fine when I put them to bed and then wake up barking and wheezing, which freaks me right out. Definitely check with the doc though. If my boys ever sound really bad/wheezy, they usually end up with a round of oral steroids to clear it up.

[Deleted]

I have dealt with whooping cough with my DS but it was 20 years ago. He has spina bifida and he was in hospital for a while. ( after surgery). He had his shots, but like a day later he started with what we were told was just a bit of croup.
Does bebe grasp for air, almost turn blue? I know it is scary, but that i what I dealt with for weeks. and just sounds like muffling noises? I would go to doc or er and they will probably give her a neb treatment. Hopefully it is just a bit of a viral issue. Gl and hope she feels better soon.
If you have an questions please feel free to pm me. ( hugs)

[tdk2]

Just in myself a few yrs back

When c got really sick as a kid and had a horrible cough that wouldn't go away, I found some audio of pertussis online and that helped reassure me. I still took her in to the doc a few times til we got it straightened out but the audio really helped reassure me. I listened to it periodically until she was better so I could check the cough against it.

I also video taped her cough. She had it all the time but NEVER when I was at the doc w her until about the 4th appt and then they could really hear she had some bad infection. She acts too cheerful when she's sick so we all had a herd time figuring out how bad it was.

[tdk2]

*hard

[Pixiehollow]

I love you sue sue, but pertussis is on the rise and the vaccine has proven to be pretty ineffective. If its worse at night, I would say croup. My dd had suspected pertussis last fall and I nearly freaked out. The doc said her cough would last around 100 days. Turns out she had croup that sounded like pertussis. She didn't have the whooping noise and her cough went away in about a week. Definitely video or record the coughing because it's sometimes hard for the doc to hear what you are talking ab in the few moments they are in with you.

Gl! I hope that she feels better soon.

[softspot]

I was thinking croup too. O has it now & was given a three day steroid. Do you have a cool mist humidifier or anything of the like? I've been putting Vicks on his feet & it seems to help open things a bit.

I hope she gets better soon!

[softspot]

I can't edit, but definitely record the sounds she's making. It helped her to be able to identify what I was trying to describe. He also gets worse at night.

[Deleted]

poor little bonnie. i hope it's just croup. which sucks, but isn't whooping cough. L had a barking cough and wheezing when she had croup.

[textbookcase]

It is definitely worse at night. It does sound like croup, based on recordings I listened to. I put Vicks on her feet as well. I'm going to take her in right now. I have a cool mist humidifier, I'll see if that helps anything. Thanks!

[tdk2]

I hope she gets well soon. You found links to recordings? I can link now if you need some, I'm back on computer. I couldn't do it from my phone, sorry.