I think we might have pertussis

[Mama Poot]

This all started about a month ago when DH came down with what seemed to be a cold, but with a nasty cough that worsened at night. Eventually the coughing got so bad he threw up a few times. He is better now but still having coughing fits sometimes. DS1 developed a chesty-sounding cough about a week ago, it comes and goes and he has no other symptoms. Now I have the same ugly cough, and it gets worse at night.

From what I've been reading, this sounds like pertussis. I do not know if I was vaccinated for that or not, I know DH was not, and DS1 only recieved the first two rounds of it. There has been an outbreak of pertussis in my community recently.

I called DS1's doc two days ago but he was out of town from yesterday until next Monday. No one really seems to be terribly ill, we all just have this horrible cough that gets worse at night-and that scares me. What should we do???

[Full Heart]

Take SA to gut tollerance, it really helps bunches. Thats vit c. What my kids liked was this fizzy drink, I can't remember the name of it. I was able to get a lot of that down them. There is really nothing to do and nothing the dr can do for you. I wouldn't go to the dr unless you were dehydrated from throwing up or something got worse. Even if you were vaccinated and got actual immunity from it (the vaccine is terribly ineffective) it wears off by the time you are a teen.

[Mama Poot]

Originally Posted by Full Heart

Take SA to gut tollerance, it really helps bunches. Thats vit c. What my kids liked was this fizzy drink, I can't remember the name of it. I was able to get a lot of that down them. There is really nothing to do and nothing the dr can do for you. I wouldn't go to the dr unless you were dehydrated from throwing up or something got worse. Even if you were vaccinated and got actual immunity from it (the vaccine is terribly ineffective) it wears off by the time you are a teen.

During the worst of it, DH took Emergen-C and it really helped. He still has to carry around cough drops though. I don't think I was vaccinated. I was born in 1985 and I think my mom said I only got the polio, and the MMR.

[tanyalynn]

Ditto the SA above, you may need really high doses to get to bowel tolerance, plus I've read it's important to help the cough be productive--don't let the phlegmy stuff stay in the lungs, I think that's when problems can set in (secondary infection--more likely with babies than older kids or adults). I'd guess humidity would help, but I'd try it and see (not sure where you are or whether it's humid or dry).

I think Emergen-C is the fizzy drink, but in the quantities you may need, it may get pricey. It is tasty, though.

We haven't dealt with this yet, but I figure it's just a matter of time. Take care of yourself, try to rest and relax and let other things slide as much as possible.

ETA: even if you were vaccinated (I was, multiple times) the pertussis part really seems to wear off fast. I expect to get just as bad a case as the kids, maybe worse.

[Gitti]

I would order the Sodium Ascorbate right now so that you can get it started. It really helps. You can give it to the whole family.

It is especially good for whooping cough but also all infections.

The doctor will try and talk you into taking abx. It actually makes the infection worse for the person who has wc. I would not take it.

The main thing is to support the chest in the child and let him cough until the fluid which builds up in the lungs comes up. That way there is little chance of a second infection.

I have seen wc first hand and it is scarry but not so that the child can't play and continue to have a normal life. It's not anything you have to stay in bed for. Quite to the contrary, most kids have just a few coughing bouts and eat, play, well. It does get worse at night and for that you should have a drink with the SA ready to sip on all night or after each coughing episode.

Some links -

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=577493

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorba...-p1884-eng.htm

[amnesiac]

Moving to H&H.

[canadianchick]

A mustard plaster will help loosen up the mucus in their lungs so that they can cough it up.

[Mama Poot]

Fleur is starting to cough more today...doesn't seem to be bothering her yet but what should I do if it gets bad? How can you help symptoms with a 5 month old baby???

[tanyalynn]

If you're nursing, you can take SA, at least 3-4x/day, but honestly, I'd give it straight to baby if I were dealing with whooping cough. The dosing guidelines I've read are 375mg/kg body weight for whooping cough (normal illnesses are 250mg/kg)... so I'd start there but be willing to go higher, until diarrhea, then back off. My kids needed higher for normal illnesses, but everyone's different.

[rainbowmum]

I recommend the high doses of SA. All my 4 kids had whooping cough last year. The bad night time coughing only lasted about 2 weeks so we had extra pillows to prop up and rested during the day, especially me who went from room to room comforting. I must say we also used our homeopath as there are some good remedies to help with WC. Just take each moment as it comes but I can't recommend enough getting professional homeopathic advice.
We actually did get some AB's but I have heard others say avoid this. It does kill the contagion though so after finishing a week course we would not pass it on to other people and meant we could go back out in the world. Good luck. This too shall pass xxx

[Panserbjorne]

vitamin C, zinc and homeopathy. I would also use the wet sock treatment or a mustard plaster.

IF you are into isopathy you can go straight for pertussinum. Otherwise you can look at phosphorous, drosera, spongia, ipecac or tuberculinum and see what fits.

[Village Mama]

There is definitely a virus going around that sounds very similar here... including the vomit inducing cough. It is nasty and really lays you out. My herbalist doesn't seem to think that it is WC. My unvaccinated kiddos with lung issues have been getting through it all right so far.

[pianojazzgirl]

Originally Posted by firefaery

vitamin C, zinc and homeopathy. I would also use the wet sock treatment or a mustard plaster.

Looking to this thread for some advice about my own sick kiddos, and wondering what the wet sock treatment is, and if you can give more detail about how to make/apply a mustard plaster (just mustard smeared on the back???).

[Panserbjorne]

The wet sock treatment is a very simple form of hydrotherapy.
http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/197/
what you are doing is creating a shock to the system to rally the vital force.

Mustard plasters are very effective but very tricky. It is NOT mustard slathered on the skin. It is mustard mixed with flour and water to make a paste. It is applied OVER a t-shirt or other cloth and monitored closely as it can and will burn if done improperly. It's an old remedy (your grandparents may remember doing it when they had pneumonia or bronchitis as children) and has several action....one of which is helping to loosen mucus. If you google mustard plaster + pneumonia you'll get a ton of hits.

I have used this with many people with great success, but it is a tricky one. It's a last resort for me. If you have whooping cough, IMO it's an appropriate time to try. Anytime there is difficulty breathing or expellng mucus think about it.

[pianojazzgirl]

Thanks mama. I remember now a friend of mine telling me about using the wet sock treatment for congestion during the night. She swore by it! I might try it on my dc, though they have been sick for several days and are very run down. The page you linked suggested using it at first sign of illness.

As for the mustard plaster I don't think I'm ready to try it. It's my 1 yr old who's the most sick, and it seems too intense for such a little person. Though I will reconsider if he gets worse.

[Panserbjorne]

it's appropriate to use the wet sock treatment any time you need to break up congestion or to get the body to respond when it's not. At the first sign of illness, often times the illness never develops becuase you are alerting the body to it's presence sometimes before a defense has been mounted. It's like a head's up. SO yes, GREAT at the first sign, but still quite useful in the midst of things.

[pianojazzgirl]

Very good to know! Thanks again for your help mama!