Comments on: Whooping Cough at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School http://fallschurchtimes.com/21956/cases-of-pertussis-at-mary-ellen-henderson-middle-school/ Falls Church City's Online Community Newspaper Tue, 22 May 2012 22:28:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: MB Connelly http://fallschurchtimes.com/21956/cases-of-pertussis-at-mary-ellen-henderson-middle-school/comment-page-1/#comment-11091 MB Connelly Tue, 25 May 2010 15:04:37 +0000 http://fallschurchtimes.com/?p=21956#comment-11091 If you have pertussis, or are worried that someone in your family has it, here are a few things to know. My family had pertussis starting in August 2008. Three of us got it - but not my son who was in 7th grade at the time - because he had the booster the year before. Here's the difference between this cough and others: With pertussis, you feel like there is a membrane covering your throat. When you try to clear your throat, you can't stop coughing. You cough until tears run down your face and you are gagging. Your whole body is involved in "riding out the cough." The only thing I can compare it to is being in labor because the coughing spasm comes on like a contraction, takes over your whole body for 20-30 seconds, and then leaves you completely limp while you recover. At the beginning the cough spasms take you by surprise, but since it lasts for 100 days, each person comes up with own coping methods to get through it. The severity of the spasms lessens over the course of the illness, but it really will last for about 100 days. If anyone is dealing with pertussis, needs a sympathetic ear or has questions, I'm happy to be your support group. If you have pertussis, or are worried that someone in your family has it, here are a few things to know. My family had pertussis starting in August 2008. Three of us got it – but not my son who was in 7th grade at the time – because he had the booster the year before.

Here’s the difference between this cough and others: With pertussis, you feel like there is a membrane covering your throat. When you try to clear your throat, you can’t stop coughing. You cough until tears run down your face and you are gagging. Your whole body is involved in “riding out the cough.” The only thing I can compare it to is being in labor because the coughing spasm comes on like a contraction, takes over your whole body for 20-30 seconds, and then leaves you completely limp while you recover.

At the beginning the cough spasms take you by surprise, but since it lasts for 100 days, each person comes up with own coping methods to get through it. The severity of the spasms lessens over the course of the illness, but it really will last for about 100 days.

If anyone is dealing with pertussis, needs a sympathetic ear or has questions, I’m happy to be your support group.

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