I'm 47 and just diagnosed with whooping cough. I share my symptoms so that if you have a child and/or are an adult, you'll know to get medical attention. It does start off feeling like cold/sinus infection; however, the incessant coughing is the key thing to watch and especially at night. This thing has an alarm that seems to go off when the sun goes down and your endless night of coughing begins. You sit up to try to avoid that awful feeling in your throat and the constant need to cough. Your whole body is tight. Your head hurts constantly from the strain as well as chest & stomach muscles. You're exhausted because you can't sleep all night and finally when it lessens it's an hour before daylight. If you're coughing continuously all night long and struggling to catch your breath, go to the doctor and ask them to look up the symptoms of whooping cough to see if you match. Even if you're an adult! Save yourself and possibly the life of a child because if you have it you are highly contagious and this can indeed put a child in danger.

I am 43 years old and am 5 weeks into whooping cough. It started with a phlegm-filled cough for two weeks, and then I got a low-grade fever and felt extremely unwell, and the nights became almost unbearable - my throat was really sore and I coughed and coughed all night, getting no sleep and then falling asleep exhausted about an hour before time to get up - dreaded waking up as just as I opened my eyes I would cough so violently for about half an hour that I would be sick. I noticed I was very sensitive to bright light during this period and my eyes didn't want to be open and watered a lot. Now a bit better, but whooping suddenly without warning and not being able to breathe and then vomiting during the day which is really awkward. Dread coughing as my back is so painful I really think I have done something to my discs from coughing. I can't move at night lying in bed because of my pain in lower ribs of my back. Lots of phlegm in my throat still and a spasm in my throat every so often. Not fun, wouldn't wish it on anyone!

I developed what I believe was whooping cough in September 2009. After nearly 3 weeks feeling like I was going to die from coughing constantly - getting almost no sleep and gasping for air 24/7. The GP told me I "just had a coughing virus." He did prescribe antibiotics which I didn't start taking for another 3 weeks as I thought the cough elixir would fix it (eventually). It didn't of course, but when I finally took the antibiotics the cough cleared and I started feeling somewhat well again. GP didn't bother doing lab tests, but I'm convinced it was whooping cough. Was vaccinated as a child but was nearly 59 when the cough started, so immunity had obviously mostly worn off by then. Had another much milder dose of the same again in October 2010.

I was in Europe for three weeks in November of last year, the last week was in Switzerland and France, it was very cold and I was not dressed for it. On the plane home I started sneezing and was for the entire flight, as anyone would I thought a cold was the reason. After a week or ten days I started to cough uncontrollably every morning and night. Night time was the worst and as usual I was stubborn and didn't go see the doctor, by the time I did see the doctor (six weeks) I was one big infection, ears, stomach, throat and my body was breaking down, soreness, weakness and chronic pain in my back and legs. After the antibiotic run I felt better but not good. It's been eight weeks now and I'm just now starting to feel normal with a long way to go. The doctor did not say whooping cough, I was shown this web site, the symptoms and effects are exactly what I have been going through. I am warning everyone to be on the lookout for this illness.

I was born and raised in Ireland in 1945. there was no access to the whooping cough vacanation at that time in Ireland,so i remember our I was born and raised in Ireland in 1945. There was no access to the whooping cough vaccination at that time in Ireland, so I remember our family of 6 children all having the whooping cough at the same time. I do not remember how old I was at the time. Do not know or hard to imagine how our Mother coped with the ordeal. Our first child was born in Ireland. Our Doctor advised against the pertussis vacation due to my husband's history of allergies and hay fever. Our second and third Children were born in the U S. We asked the doctor to omit the pertussis for 2nd child. When the 3rd child came along we omitted the pertussis from the 1st injection but included it in the following 2. However in about 1997 they got the whooping cough.I started bringing them to the Doctor who tried to insist that they were allergic to our cat. I told the doctor that it was the whooping cough, but he said it was not possible. I knew the whoop sound. I must add the third child who had some vaccinations got a milder dose than the other 2. I then asked the Doctor if it was ok for them to continue their swimming lessons which they were enrolled in that summer. He assured me that swimming would be a benefit in their condition. My poor little daughter of 8 years was trying to swim a lap across the pool. She got a spasm and then vomited in the pool. The swimming has to stop .The water had to be disinfected. She was so embarrassed. We did not go back to the pool for the rest of the summer.