Anybody have whooping cough/pertussis?

watergirl626
watergirl626 Posts: 249 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, I am in week 4 of pertussis, confirmed by the lab this past week. (well, it was walking pneumonia first, don't know if the pertussis started after or in tandem). Don't yell at me - I got a dtap booster in May, it just didn't work.

Anyhow, it's been a month now since I have done any exercising. I am wondering if anyone else has had this and how long it takes before you are able to exercise, and if you have to ease back in slowly (ie walks) or if you can jump back in to running and lifting. I know I'm not ready yet, since walking around a store for 2 hours yesterday completely drained me for the rest of the day and today, but it'd be nice to know if it's likely to be another month or two (yikes! It's called the 100 day cough, but I'm hoping I start feeling marginally better over time!)

Anecdotals welcome please! Thanks.

Replies

  • needtogetwell
    needtogetwell Posts: 13
    First, congratulations on the amount of weight you have lost! It is absolutely amazing. As for the Whooping cough, I feel for you....I had it last year and it was the most miserable 4 months of my life. Take it a day at a time and do what your body tells you it needs. Gentle exercise was what worked for me, but not during the first couple of months, I couldn't walk from the kitchen to the couch without coughing a lung up! (sounds nasty and it is, wouldn't wish this on anyone, even my ex-husband!).

    I hope in your case it doesn't last as long as mine did, but be prepared, it is called the 100 day cough for a reason, and all your strength goes with it. If your coughing is really bad, check with your doctor and get something that will stop the cough cold! I ended up on straight liquid codeine because nothing else worked. You need to get some sleep and decent rest to get over this.

    Be good to yourself and get back at it when you are ready!:flowerforyou: Get well soon.
  • watergirl626
    watergirl626 Posts: 249 Member
    Thank you for responding and reaffirming that this is a serious illness. I tend to think that if I'm not in the hospital, I should be able to push through, so what's wrong with me right now, kwim? But it is crappy, and shopping wears me out for now. I hope it isn't 4 months for me, but at least of it is I can at least know that it is the nature of the disease and not just me.

    Depending on how long this lasts (I'm losing weight, which I think must be muscle), I may end up doing a bulk cycle once I can get back into things.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    I had whooping cough years ago, and as an asthmatic, it was brutal! One of the reasons it's such a nasty bacteria is that it secrets a toxin that kill the little cilia, the hair like cells in your airways that help trap pollutants and keep them out of your lungs. It can take months for the cilia to regrow, and during that time, it will be hard to workout with any intensity. Listen to your body, only push as hard as your body will let you.
  • watergirl626
    watergirl626 Posts: 249 Member
    I am asthmatic too. Didn't know that about the cilla. Crazy.

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