I took an X-ray which was negative, but was given a Z-PAC and more antihistamines with no results. Went to the ENT in November and he did the r/o treatments for asthma, reflux and allergy, with no improvement. This year I have done everything, tried every allergy med, every cough syrup, honey, lemon, and done anything anyone told me to try to rid myself of my racking cough. It was always worse when I first woke up, and I had many triggers that would make my coughing worse, brushing my teeth, eating, especially crackers, bread, chips. Touching the inside of my ear, certain odors etc. I went back to ENT on Tuesday (it has been 1 year this week) and told him I was totally exhausted and needed HELP! He ordered a serum pertussis and he called me this afternoon and told me it was. I am relieved that I finally have a diagnosis but HOW LONG is this cough going to hang on. Please Lord make it stop!

I was just given a tentative diagnosis of pertussis yesterday, along with a five-day course of azithromycin. I'd been sick with what I thought was a particularly bad cold over the weekend and had been feeling better yesterday until something suddenly triggered a coughing fit so severe I couldn't draw a normal-sized breath between coughs, and I vomited at the end of it. I'm a clinical lab science student, and I know I've never been properly vaccinated against pertussis (I'm allergic to the vaccine), so that one bad coughing fit set off alarm bells in my brain, and I hiked to the campus clinic as fast as I could. Turns out, there is some pertussis circulating around campus, in addition to seasonal flu and H1N1. Since I sought medical help as soon as possible, instead of waiting until I'd been coughing for weeks already, they hope that the antibiotics will lead to a shorter disease course. Pay attention to your coughs! If you're coughing hard enough to throw up, or so hard you have trouble breathing, waiting for it to go away on its own is NOT the way to go!

I started out with what I thought was a cold, but as the symptoms subsided, the cough did not. It only got worse. After two weeks of coughing and using the Albuterol inhaler, which did not provide any relief. After another visit to the doctor, I was finally tested and diagnosed with whooping cough and given a dose of antibiotics.

I am a 53 year old female. I have had whooping cough for about 3 months now. My cough has been so bad that I have had episodes of fainting, vomiting and convulsions. It has been exhausting.

I had whooping cough at two months old, before vaccinations due. I had to be in an incubator and was ill for two months, and have permanent lifelong asthma and breathing difficulties.

I am a 52 year old woman, extremely healthy who came down with what I thought was a sinus infection in early April, 2012. It progressed into a cough. I have taken two Z-pak and another around of antibiotics. I have tried over the counter medications along with cough suppressant with codeine. My coughing spasms were severe between 3-6 weeks. I thought I had a hernia at one point and later had severe pain in my shoulder. I am now in week 9 and have tightness and heaviness in the chest along with the persistent cough. I do use an inhaler to ease symptoms. I most recently have tried a steroid pack with no relief. Please get a booster shot if you are in my age category. This has been the worst two months of my life! I hope that the cough soon starts lessening, or I might lose my mind!

My wife and I are both through all the antibiotics and even after a double dose of Z-pack, we still suffer nightly. It is pure hell with no relief in sight. We cough till we lose our ability to breath. We went back to work after a month out and still are struggling in the evening and night. We both have been tested to confirm we have whooping cough. What a change in our lives. We hope our doctor knows what he is doing, because we sure don't want to give this to others.

A year ago my son, at 23 months old, developed pertussis. He started with just a bit of a cold, sniffles, sore throat, but through the night started a fever and the barking cough. By morning he was having so much trouble breathing he was in drawing his chest with every breath it made an indent I could put my fist in and was very lethargic.