Pertussis stories wanted

[Ruthla]

My 16yo probably has pertussis right now, and she wants to know approxiomately how long she's going to be sick. (Today she's doing much better, although she's not completely better yet.) What she really wants to know is how long other people were sick with pertussis- does "sick for a month" mean a month of intense coughing, or a month, start to finish, with 2 weeks of intense coughing in the middle?

It's hard to gleam all the information about pertussis from the numerous threads on the topic. Most threads are about one particular case, with lots of back-and-forth about how to treat specific symptoms, pros and cons of various treatments for this specific case, where to purchase treatment materials, etc.

I'd like a thread where people who've dealt with pertussis can share their stories- the age of the sick person, how long the child (or adult) was sick, and how much of that time was spent being "super duper sick."

[Auntie Sapphire]

This information is from my pediatric nursing textbook:

There are 3 stages to pertussis: catarrhal, paroxysmal, and convalescent.

• The catarrhal stage lasts 1-2 weeks and looks a lot like a standard upper respiratory infection (i.e., a cold). The disease is most easily transmitted to others during this stage. This stage ends when the dry, hacking cough becomes more severe. 
• The paroxysmal stage generally lasts 4-6 weeks. The cough is most common at night, "consists of short, rapid coughs followed by sudden inspiration [inhaling] associated with a high-pitched crowing sound or 'whoop'. During paroxysms, cheeks become flushed or cyanotic [blue-tinged], eyes bulge, and tongue protrudes. May continue until thick mucous plug is dislodged. Vomiting frequently follows attack." This textbook also says "adolescents may have a cough for up to ten weeks ... additional symptoms include difficulty breathing and posttussive vomiting [after coughing]".
• The convalescent stage is, as the name implies, the stage of recovery. Symptoms diminish over a period of several weeks.

Pertussis is treated with antibiotics, as the disease is caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Erythromycin is commonly used. Many physicians will also recommend antibiotic therapy for people in close contact with the sick person.

Pertussis is a "notifiable disease" in the United States - in public health terms, this means that if a healthcare provider sees a case of pertussis, they must report it to the state.

Dehydration is a common complication of pertussis. 

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I realize that you asked for personal experiences, but I hope this information is helpful to you. It does come from a "mainstream" medical perspective.

Edited to add: In any case, I am sorry that your daughter is feeling so rotten and hope she is well soon.

[Peony]

Pertussis used to be nicknamed the 100 day cough, and for our family when we  got it, it was very true. The intense coughing gradually got better but certain triggers, dust, cold air, night time etc...  can set off a coughing fit for weeks after you feel better. Another thing to remember is that the pertussis bacteria actually destroys the cilia in the lungs (tiny hairs that filter) and hence the reason certain things makes the cough come on once you do feel better, and until those hairs grow back (often 6 months or so) any congestion, other colds can make the cough return. it isn't pertussis but it can sound like it. 

[Ruthla]

It's been about 3 or 4 weeks since the coughing began and DD1 is back in school. The cough is GONE, but she's still much more tired than usual. She probably could have gone back to school yesterday (the pediatrician gave her the green light on Monday) but I kept her home another day so she could rest, catch up on missed work, and get back on a normal sleeping schedule.

She missed a total of 1 week and 2 days of school, but she was also sick her entire winter vacation (the week before) and was sick during her midterm exams (the week before that.) If it hadn't been exam week, I probably would have kept her home then (although I didn't yet realize just how sick she was.)

I'm not sure if it's her strong immune system, or keeping her on the Blood Type Diet, or not giving her antibiotics, or any of the "little" things we did (breathing in steam with essential oils added, drinking lots of rose hip tea, or the ginger/epsom salts food soaks, etc) or some combination, but she certainly didn't have this cough for 100 days.