whooping cough (pertusis)-can it cause lung damage and asthma?

[Trudi2258]

I had whooping cough 3 years ago and since then have never stopped coughing.  I have a deep dry hacking cough but more times than not its a productive cough with a lot of thick white secretions.  At times the mucous makes me feel like I am drowning-I just cant seem to get the mucous to totally go away.  My Pulmonologist diagnosised me first with post infectious cough and then cough varient asthma.  My asthma is not at all controlled despite numerous nebulizers, steroids treatments which make me profusely sweat, unable to sleep and essentially a crazy person-(so I refuse to take that daily), inhalers and now allergy shots weekly.  Is it possible that the pertusis left me with scars or other permanent lung damage?  My voice is constantly horse/raspy.  I have seen GI specilaists and had an endosocopy which showed mild reflux disease and take nexium, ENT doctors did complete sinus workup and I have no sinus problems.  I can feel the asthma attacks coming on most of the time and can lessen the symtpoms somewhat with nebulizer, rescue inhaler and cough medicine.  But there are times when I started violently coughing for no apparent reason.  Air travel worsens my symptoms which is difficult since I have to travel frequently for my job.  I have had pulmonary function tests that indicate asthma, CT Scans essentially are normal except for a 4cm lesion that has not changed.  

Does anyone know of adults who were infected with whooping cough that resulted in chronic/ hard to control asthma or other related respiratory problems and sudden onset of significant allergies?  I try like heck to make the best of it, I continue to work, I carry a portable nebulizer with me every where I go (which at times freaks out the TSA security guards in airports because they dont know what it is)  I frequently just start coughing uncontrolably which is very distressful and frightening because I then wonder...am I going to be able to control this attack this time?...which of course then makes matters and breathing  worse not to mention it is embarrasing to have this happen in public places.  
This coughing is really affecting my quality of life!!  I am so frustrated, discouraged and at a loss as to what I can do or try to make this go away or at least be under control?  Does anyone know if there is a hospital or group of doctors that specialize in chronic coughs?  I live in the Northeast section of the USA but at this point will travel anywhere to see any specialist that may have an answer.  I've read some posts discussing brittle asthma.  Do my symptoms sound similar?
HELP please!  

[volcanogirl_rem]

I got pertussis in early July 2014.  I had an unbelievable sore throat one night.  I actually ran the next day with an old group of friends because I didn't want to miss it.  After that I felt like I was sort of sick for a few days, so I rested, but worked and had to travel so didn't try to exercise.  When I tried to run ~ 10 later, I simply couldn't breath. I figured, I am sick, I will swim because it is less strenuous.  Holy #$%&!  I am a good swimmer and had to turn around 1/2 way down the lane and swim with my head out of the water to get back to the wall.  A week after this, I finally got to my doctor.  Indeed my vaccination was out of date by 3 years because I had gotten a slew of shots to work in the Amazon and the pertussis was still good then.  It has now been almost a year and I still have wheezing and get winded just walking normally.  I am trying to run with my heart rate monitor to keep my speed in check so I can make it through my runs without walking.  Inhalers don't seem to help.  I am pretty depressed by the whole thing.  I used to run marathons under 3:45 and pop out of bed early in the morning because I loved the cleansing, head clearing of a good run.....so when the doctor said my breathing was on the 'low-side of normal', I just cried because I knew, even though I am at Stanford, this was going to be a struggle.  I can breath better than a lot of people AND I don't really have a cough, but I tested positive on a test that often doesn't even register the disease and I have been 'sick' ever since I got it relative to my normal condition.  Thank you for sharing on this site.  I actually have never posted anything anywhere before, but this has taken me over the edge.  Best of luck to all.

[margypops]

I have not been as bad as you describe but I have this dry hacking cough for months now also aches and pains ..no one diagnoses now and we cant get a doctor here you get to see a practitioner who prescribe anti biotics a lot ..I feel it really is a bad virus going round, or some kind of allergy caused by all the aerial spraying they are doing .

[exhibitb]

Interesting reading other peoples experiences with WC, I got this five months ago. Going through cycles of coughing fits (mainly at night, and the sleep deprivation has been torture) and sinus problems. I don't know how, but I have managed to hold down a job. My case is yet undiagnosed, although from the extensive research I did (through having so much time off work) it can only be this. I do believe I have now contracted complications from this disease, I have never been so desperately ill, bladder incontinence, ruptured intercostal muscles (which was INCREDIBLY painful) with all the coughing, gagging, almost vomiting and feeling like I was gong to suffocate. The worst of it lasted 10 weeks and was very severe at night, I never layed down for a total of 8 weeks and was suffering severe sleep deprivation, no more than an hours sleep at a time, and violent coughing fits lasting upto 90 minutes, and no less that 30. I cannot believe the copious ammounts of mucus the human body is capable of producing.

I eventually (after numerous visits to my doc and to a and e units and even one visit to hospital) demanded a pertussis test, well, by this time it was too late for a difinitive answer.

All my tests excluding sinus ct scan, have come back normal. CT scan reveals severe sinus disease which has never really bothered me, no headaches or sinus pain, only stuffed nose... but the thing that has really messed up my life if the continual feeling of a million minute feathers tickling inside my trachea which sets off the coughing, this has been a feature of my illness throughout the whole five months.

The coughing also makes the muscles in my neck very sore and stiff from all the straining.

The thing I find the hardest to believe, is the disinterest on the part of doctors to acknowledge and subsequently even TRY to help. I have found this whole illness and the failure of doctors and family and friends to help, incredibly depressing and I've been hanging on by a thread all this time.

[Buddhblue]

You are not alone...I caught whopping cough in April 2017 and am still suffering from the fits and coughing spasms It does make your asthma worse and it does come back on you when you get a cold or even a mild bug There is little doctors can do Yes there is this weird feeling in your throat that will bring it all back and you choke and barf and wretch and you cant stop! My daughter also caught it but she recovered within a few months (she does not have asthma and we caught it at the same time by the way and yes she did have her vaccinations) I had it when I was very young and I did not know you could catch it again My job requires me to talk so its very hard I do feel I will always have this and since I had asthma I do feel it has made it even harder to recover I do take 10,000 of D3 when I am ill and 5,000 when I am not (this keeps my lungs healthy and keeps me from getting infections) I am vegan and never eat dairy which can make it worse Diet does help I am sorry for everyone's misery Its really horrible Unless you have had this cough you can not imagine what it does to you I have pulled out just about every muscle in my body!

[bujou]

I had it in May of 2013. I was very very ill for six months. And I worry there may have been permanent damage. I now suffer from mild asthma. Although when I get respiratory infections I sometimes close up and have a very difficult and frightening inability inhaling the asthma medicine. And there was one time when I thought I was going to die right in front of my kids while they looked at me with horror unable to help me. That's not something any child should ever see. BTW I caught pertussis from an non immunized child at my Daughter's school. Anybody else out there catch it that way?? Right now I am Really sick with pneumonia and relieving memories that could actually be PTSD LOL.

[MimiCastellanos]

Wow!  I am searching for answers for WC to find out why I still have symptoms 5 years later.  I had no idea how sick WC could leave us and how desperate of a situation it is.

Fortunately, I am a nutritionalist and herbalist.  I work with alternative doctors and people who want to get well and what we do is lift diseases.  By lift diseases, I mean, remove the last vestiges of microbes that have been around for years.  Like a teen who gets mono and goes back to activity too fast.  The last of the virus is still in there and often causes exhaustion in adults until the virus comes all the way out.  When it does come out in a resurfacing, you will feel the immune system get flu like symptoms as it finally HAS TIME to address this priority.  That is the key.  When we do this, it takes some preparation to the body ready to go after it.  When people stop and give their bodies a chance to heal, a whole bunch of layers of stuff start to come out.

I wrote out this long cure.  I know it will work but I can't post it here.  I will put it on my blog simply mimi dot net.  You might need some individual coaching on the timing, but it will be easy to take you through now that I walked through it.  Come work with me.  It's affordable and you have nothing to loose.

Mimi Castellanos healthy energetics

[jensue3300]

I had WC 3 yrs ago, since then I have breathing problems. Coughing to the point of vomiting or backing out. I have had back spasms and broken ribs from the coughing. Laughing is dangerous because I start coughing so hard I start heaving. Yes I now have asthma, I have always wondered if WC caused it. I can't seem to breath unless I have a fan blowing in my face. I am on an inhaler and sybicort twice daily, but they really don't help much at all.