Confusing Whooping Cough with an allergic reaction

[TinaM]

Just an FYI that we ended up at the ER last night because my daughter was coughing/gasping, and we thought she might be having a reaction. However, she had no other symptoms. BUT, the cough was really gasping. It wasn't her first episode of this. And the ER dr. confirmed what our allergist had started suspecting a few weeks ago - she has actually had whooping cough. While she has done a course of antibiotics for it, the cough hangs around forever. In case you have a mystery cough that never goes away, this is just one more thing to consider.

[YouKnowWho]

Did they do a test to confirm or was it an educated guess?

Either way, hugs.

[TinaM]

It was an educated guess, since the first doctors to look at the girls ruled it out, and then it was too late to test. Basically, two allergists and one ER doc all agreed that it really could only have been pertussis, so I am finally coming around to believing it. I admit I was very suspicious because both girls are vaccinated, and one is only 5. But I guess it's just happening now. What is interesting is that when I walked into the ER with my daughter literally gasping, noone thought she was having an allergic reaction. It simply wasn't what it looks like, I guess, so the whole experience was a little odd.

[YouKnowWho]

We went round and round last year with the cough that wouldn't end.  Allergists, peds, walk in clinics.  Finally our ped said I wonder if this is cough variant asthma.  Within a day of treating it as such, the cough was gone.  Another ped in the group who I had to see for an emergency swore up and down since DS2 wasn't vaccinated that it was whooping cough.  When I saw our ped again, I asked out of curiousity but she said the likelihood, vaxed or not, since he responded to the asthma treatments that it was likely not whooping cough.  I get a little frustrated in the office because there are three fuddy duddy's who would gladly refuse treatment since DS2 and my daughter are not vaxed (DS1 is only missing the chicken pox booster) and our ped who understands why we stopped vaxing DS2 and haven't vaxed our daughter.

My understanding in regards to the whooping cough vaccine, vaxed or not, you still have a chance (albeit smaller if vaxed) of getting but being vaxed will likely lessen your response.

(I am not a Jenny McCarthy band wagon jumper who thinks vax'ing causes autism fwiw.  We have a family history of drug allergies and intolerances.  DS2 was delayed in regards to vax'ing and had his immune system go haywire when he did receive them.  Not to mention a few other social and physical delays.  As a result, we are not vax'ing for the time being).