Re: Re: OT-whooping cough outbreak

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your kind thoughts Suzi. That helps more than you know.

I just spent the day at CHOP (children's...Philadelphia) with my children, since

my kids are getting worse. The doc at CHOP today was talking about how much of a

resurgence they are seeing. My 5 yr old was having paroxysms (coughing fits)

every 60-90 minutes last night, to the point of becoming sick every time. She

was also turning red and purple. She has burst blood vessels in her face and

eyes from coughing so much. It is very scary to watch since she feels like she

is suffocating and doesn't believe that she'll be able to breathe. She reminded

me of a person who is drowning and panics. She pushes her father and I away,

and generally just freaks out. CJ isn't as bad, but seems to be a few days

behind his sister. Remarkably, he seems to take it more in stride.

At CHOP today, my kids were required to wear masks, put in isolation (with us,

of course), and everyone who came in had to wear a mask as well. Everyone was

extremely kind, by the way. They were terrific to my kids. I was so proud of

CJ, once he saw his sister do it, he let us put the mask on his face (sensory-

he never would have allowed that 6 months ago!!) He let them take his temp. bp,

everything! He also answered the doctor's questions and pointed to the places

she asked him about. He was even goofing around a little- something he normally

only does around people he is very comfortable with. He wouldn't even look at

his developmental ped. back in August, and forget doing anything for her. The

doctor today kept saying she could not believe how cooperative he was for two

years old. Thank God for EFA's and intensive therapy!!

Since my daughter's oxygen level was okay while she was there - she didn't have

any fits- we were told to take them home, but in the event my daughter turns

blue or stops breathing, which is a possibility at this point, we need to take

her to the nearest hospital. There is nothing that can be done to stop the

coughs. Cough medicine, sleeping upright, humidifiers, etc, do not work.

Personally, I have noticed a infinitesimal improvement if I steam the bathroom

during a fit- I am ready to drag a mattress in there!

It really means a lot to know that people are sending good thoughts our way.

Thank you so much. Please say a prayer that Em gets through the night without

too much trouble tonight. Thanks

Best, Austin

luckygmstwife <suzi_knowles@...> wrote:

My daughters almost died of RSV when they were infants. In the

debate on vaccines, I asked about the pertussis vaccine. Our

doctors told us that it was a high chance that my daughters would

die of whooping cough if they caught it.

They also told us that it is much more prevalent in areas with lots

of illegal aliens. We live in California, and we have lots of

illegals.

It's very serious. I hope your kids are okay.

Suzi

> Hi All,

> I just wanted everyone to be aware that there is an outbreak of

Pertussis (whooping cough) in the tri-state area, as well as

variousother parts of the country. It is possible to get Pertussis

even if you have vaccinated, the vaccine starts to wear off after

five years (which is why outbreaks tend to come in 4-6 year

cycles).

> It is highly contagious, especially during the first two weeks,

when you generally don't even know it is whooping cough. It very

dangerous for infants under one year, but otherwise, it is rare to

have serious complications. However, 2 of my 3 kids have it,and I

must say it is very scary to watch your child unable to catch their

breath, turning red and purple, and vomiting from coughing so much.

My daughter has burst blood vessels in her face and eye from

coughing so much. It starts off just like a cold, and by the time

you suspect whooping cough, it is generally too late to do anything

to stop it. If you catch it early, antibiotics do help, but NOT

broad spectrum antibiotics. Even if it has progressed to the 2nd or

third week, antibiotics will ensure that you are not contagious. (I

hate giving my kids antibiotics, but hate more the thought of

another child, especially an infant, having to go through it).

> Do not be surprised if your pediatrician doubts you at first.

Luckily, mine had just received a notice from ford-Bucks

Hospital about the outbreak, so when I walked in saying it was

Whooping Cough, she listened. My friend wasn't so lucky with her

pediatrician. If you suspect it, do some research and be prepared

to argue a bit with your doc- tell them to call the CDC for

confirmation of the outbreak. A second friend's doc did just that,

and then called my friend to apologize for saying it

was " impossible " for kids to get it if they've been vaccinated!! She

also started her kids on antibiotics as a preventative measure since

they were exposed.

> A good site I found for more info is http://www.whoopingcough.net.

You can also google it for news stories about the outbreaks.

> I hope no one else has to experience this- my 5 year old is now

afraid to go to sleep, because she knows the worst is at night.

> Best,

> in PA

>

>

> Austin

> " Our aspirations are our possibilites " - Browning

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thank you very much for the kind words. It is truly comforting to know people

are thinking of you. I know how much it is on the rise everywhere- that is why

I posted. I don't want anyone else to go through it. My five year old fought

sleep until midnight, because she is convinced that it " comes more at

night " ,(she is right) so if she doesn't sleep it won't be as bad. I can't

really blame her!

The myth is out there- even from docs, that you cannot get it once you have been

vaccinated. You would think there would be a story on the national news. I

am actually going to email the major news corporations to try and persuade them

to do something. There was an interesting article I came across somewhere about

people in the Netherlands who are experimenting with high altitude treatment.

Funny, because the air is thinner there, and asthmatics and people with

breathing problems tend to have a harder time at high altitudes.

As far as the asthma ideas- thanks so much, but unfortunately, whooping cough

doesn't respond to nebulizers or inhalers . My aunt is a very severe

asthmatic, and so far, nothing has helped at all but the steam in the bathroom.

However, I did go out last night and purchase a warm mist humidifier and put my

kids in the bedroom in their car seats with it set on the maximum level. ( I

felt like I was in Florida in August!). It did not stop the paroxysms, and

was still coughing to the point of becoming sick, but it did seem to help

a bit with the duration and frequency. Funny, because everything I found

suggested a cool mist humidifier, but that did nothing for my kids.

Thanks again for the kind words, and I hope no one else has to experience it

with their little ones. Please, please, if you even suspect you have been

exposed, check it out. If you catch it early enough, the antibiotics can help.

kiddietalk <kiddietalk@...> wrote:

[Guest guest]

So sorry to hear what you are going through...my son...that was vaccinated

got whooping cough just after he was vaccinated..he was 13 and had previous

vaccinations for it too. He is also asthmatic. He coughed so hard that he

began to cough up blood....burst vessel in his throat they said. The only

thing that helped was when they prescribed pure codeine to stop the coughing

spasms..of course he was much older but maybe smaller amounts would help

with the children if it continues to cause such difficulty. We also found

that putting his bed at an angle so that his head was about 2 feet higher

than his feel helped with the choking. Praying yours get better soon. It

is truly scary to watch and know you can't really do anything.

Annemarie

Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.

-- Lady Bird