A couple of years back, I woke up one morning feeling less than stellar. I dragged myself out of bed, stood in a steamy shower, and stepped out feeling like I'd been run over by a truck. My bones ached, my skin ached, could feel my sinuses filling so quickly I thought I was going to burst, and I had a mild tickle in my throat. It was no mystery to me what was going on. I had opted out of getting the flu vaccine at the beginning of the season, and now Karma was coming back to haunt me.I went to work, and as the days dragged on, not only did I start to feel worse (as the flu often does), the slight tickle in the back of my throat had launched into a full throttle hacking, closely followed by the most violent, uncontrollable coughing fits I had ever experienced. I would cough for 20 to 30 minutes on end, with no rest in between, and in the meantime, every muscle, every sinew of muscle in my body felt like it was being sheared right off my bones. I'd go to bed at night with my ribs packed in ice after, just to numb the pain from my ricocheting cough. When the coughing turned to vomiting with every fit, I thought it was time to check myself into emergency. While I was being admitted, I had fit, with each respiratory reflex followed up by a deep guttural sound. I had barely finished the admission paperwork before I was put in a bed, given oxygen, and cocktail of drugs that would give my body the rest it hadn't been receiving over the previous two weeks.
I was diagnosed with Pertussis (caused by bacterium Bordetella pertussis), also known as "Whooping Cough". Pertussis is more commonly diagnosed with children and infants under the age of six months old than adults, and as an adult sufferer, our immune systems are generally strong enough to keep the harsher symptoms of the illness at bay. Doctors will conduct blood tests, and chest x-rays, and will then determine a course of action which often includes anti-biotics, as was the case with me. It took me about four weeks to fully recover, and it troubled me to find out that there is currently a slew of pertussis cases in my area.
Pertussis is a highly contagious and highly preventable illness. Most individuals are vaccinated at birth for pertussis, but don't realize that the vaccine is not a life long vaccine. It's important to contact your health practitioner to determine the longevity and effectiveness of the vaccine. But with cases on the rise, and an increased risk of contracting this severe illness, it's important to educate yourself about the signs and symptoms, so you can act as soon as possible.
