The 100 day cough!

9 years ago I got a tickly cough from nowhere, no cold, no fever etc. After 3 weeks I went to my GP who sent me for all sorts of tests, no cancer or reason was ever found. After years of longer and longer bouts of steroids to allow me some sleep I fell and broke my hip. On my release from hospital I was given codeine for pain and my cough just faded away. Now, 2 years later I am still on codeine, just 2 tablets a day and my cough has not returned although each time I have tried to reduce the codeine the cough started again. Apparently some people just develop a cough and there seems to be no reason for it, the nearest diagnosis I got was that my larynx was inflamed and the remedy was to stop coughing!

I read that the 100 Day Cough is another term for whooping cough ☹️

I hope I don't get it. I suffered for weeks and weeks with a covid cough during the summer. My daughter caught flu and that was, accompanied by a terrible cough that made her ribs ache and left her exhausted. My neighbours had something similar, the whole family ill and coughing relentlessly for over a month.

Apparently the 100 day cough is whooping cough. Officially known as pertussis, whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes.
The disease is most dangerous in infants, the World Health Organisation (WHO) states, also warning that people with pertussis are most contagious up to about three weeks after the cough begins.
What are the symptoms of whooping cough?
Early symptoms usually appear seven to 10 days after infection and include a mild fever, runny nose, sore throat, and cough, which gradually develops into a hacking cough and then a whooping one (hence the name). This can be especially persistent, sometimes lasting for weeks or even months, according to the NHS.
Some adults may also experience rib pain from coughing so much or, in more extreme cases, a hernia.

I started with a tickly throat two days before Christmas then high temp n shivering developed a cough tomorrow it will be 4 weeks. It’s abating now but left me feeling extremely tired. I tested to see if it was Covid but the tests came up negative. My DH is still not well
N coughing and has been given antibiotics. It’s certainly going around.

We’ve had loads of cases on The Wirral. Whooping cough, worse at night. I had it for six weeks last year. Covonia double impact cough drops helped!

SIL just back from docs. Been diagnosed and the ‘100 day cough’ is whooping cough.

Always get checked by a doctor for a persistent cough

My cough started 20th December, we had already bought all the food for Christmas but had to throw most away as my wife started on Christmas eve. We couldn't eat anything. It kept us awake at night and I felt so weak and drained of any energy from then until now, my wife still gets up a few times in the night coughing. I am not 100% right yet but a littler better than I was. I've never had a cold or flu that lasted so long before.
By the way, my daughter is a nurse and she tested us both for Covid but we were both negative, so I guess it is this virus that's going around the country.

OH travelled on the London Underground quite a lot, and said the air was often like soup (ugh.) He developed a cough that went on, and on. He had to stop driving, as on one occasion in the car he coughed so much he almost blacked out - lack of oxygen we assumed - but luckily I was at the wheel. Eventually he saw a specialist who said it was likely to be whooping cough, but unless tested early it is hard to detect. He added wryly that since he had first seen OH, he too had developed a hacking cough. It went eventually, but was a seriously debilitating ailment for several months.

I thought the hundred day cough was a new name for Whooping Cough!

We have both had it. Started late October and by mid December were beginning to think that Christmas was going to be a write off, but we finally began to regain our health around December 22nd. By New Year I was on the mend an now feel fine. We did COVID tests and it wasn't COVID

The main problem, cough apart, wasn't so much feeling ill as being totally devoid of energy or stamina. Half an hour of doing something - even preparing a meal and I was totally exhausted and needed to sit down and doze for at least an hour to recover.

DH had it as well. He saw the doctor who prescribed antibiotics for 5 days, which did nothing to ameliorate it and then an xray, which showed nothing. So I didn't bother. I had heard it could be whooping cough, but while neither of us whooped or were sick, we were left brathless and close to retching at times, so I think it likely.

I was speaking to someone yesterday, who had had it and time span and symptoms were similar.

I still have a bit of a cough, but am now rushing around as much as ever. Over the last 3 days I have driven nearly 300 miles, viewed a house, visited a new town and tomorrow we are off to France for a few days. In my terms back to normal. This time last month, driving 5 miles to the local supermarket would have finished me off.

Do you mean Fenruary 2023, that is a long time.

I think whooping cough can have a long term effect on your lungs and you are very susceptible to chesty coughs in the future.

Ten or eleven years ago I had a cold that turned into the most horrendous cough, eventually my GP ordered tests and it was confirmed as whooping cough. I was shocked as I thought my childhood vaccination would protect me for life, but not so. Since then I have had a further vaccination, so I know it’s not whooping cough but I still get a ‘winter cough’ regularly.

Grandmama

My cough started out of the blue at a meeting in early September. It's now almost better but I felt under the weather for some time with a sore throat but no actual cold. The mucous/catarrh in my throat was very difficult for quite a time, I couldn't cough it up or swallow it down. I still have a frog in my throat and have to keep clearing it. I haven't been to my GP about it, I assumed I'd get better which I more or less have.

Might be an idea to treat it as a post nasal drip and use a Beconase nasal spray for a while and drink lots of water?

HelterSkelter1

Yes whooping cough is often missed and the cough lasts for ages. In fact I did read somewhere that the 100 day cough is another term for whooping cough. Could be wrong. Often am!!

Well, if you’re wrong, then so am I, because I often heard whooping cough called the 100 day cough!

My cough started out of the blue at a meeting in early September. It's now almost better but I felt under the weather for some time with a sore throat but no actual cold. The mucous/catarrh in my throat was very difficult for quite a time, I couldn't cough it up or swallow it down. I still have a frog in my throat and have to keep clearing it. I haven't been to my GP about it, I assumed I'd get better which I more or less have.

Oh Allsorts how awful. It must be upsetting and stressful in equal measures. A postcode lottery indeed.

Allsorts

Urmstongran, I'm envious, you actually got through to a doctors surgery and saw one the same day. Here you ring every morning or queue outside the surgery at 7.30 am, no matter your age, they just say ask someone else to do it for you, 8 times out of 10 all appointments have gone. By whom I would like to know. To see a doctor little or no chance. Other than that ring 111 or 999. I have been trying unsuccessfully to get to see a doctor for ages, cannot stand outside in all weather, our pharmacists are on their knees dealing with patients, they will be throwing the towel in soon. It's a post code lottery.

I have been living with a cough for 40 years. Not sick but unexplained cough. However beginning of December the cough I got was relentless it just didn't stop. After a week on the Saturday I'd decided I must contact the docs on the Monday. My daughter rang and said why not ring 111. I hadn't done that before but rang at 7.30am on the next day Sunday. I told the woman I spoke to I think I had a chest infection. After lots of questions she said a doc would ring me at 2.20pm which he did. He issued me with a prescription for antibiotics which my husband picked up for me, so by 4.15pm I was on the road to recovery. Couldn't believe the excellent service.

I’m the Same grannyactivist. It’s starts around late October and awaits around feb March. I’m still working and it’s interfering with everything.

I requested an appointment on 1st November last year. After chasing it up I got an appointment last werk.

Two and a half months wait for an appointment must be a record.
Pre covid This was a brilliant practice,

Urmstongran, I'm envious, you actually got through to a doctors surgery and saw one the same day. Here you ring every morning or queue outside the surgery at 7.30 am, no matter your age, they just say ask someone else to do it for you, 8 times out of 10 all appointments have gone. By whom I would like to know. To see a doctor little or no chance. Other than that ring 111 or 999. I have been trying unsuccessfully to get to see a doctor for ages, cannot stand outside in all weather, our pharmacists are on their knees dealing with patients, they will be throwing the towel in soon. It's a post code lottery.

Mine started after an Asthma Exacerbation, however at no time did I have a fever or chills.
If you have a cough with any other symptoms then the chances are that there is an infection and you can be given antibiotics.

I think the 100 day cough is just that, coughing but no other symptoms.

My cough got worse today so late morning I rang my doctor’s surgery. Got an afternoon appointment. She listened to my chest heard ‘slight crackles’, so prescribed amoxicillin for seven days instead of five and sent me to our hospital up the road - only 15 minute walk from the surgery - where I had a chest X-ray done at 4pm. Very efficient. I’m glad I went.