Whooping Cough

Hi I am 44 years old and in Australia there is a large number of people getting Whooping Cough. My son who is 12 got it first and now I have it. I started with a normal cough for the past 2 weeks but now when I cough it is like my wind pipe is closed and I cant get any air into my lungs it is quite scary. I turn red and as I try to suck in air it just wont go through its like things have closed over for about 20 seconds. And because I have coughed out all my air I start to panic to suck in more air so I will be ok. Is this normal? My 12 year old had the same thing but his has gotten easier and is now a like a normal cough. I try breathing through my nose but now that is hard. Any suggestions will a Ventolin pump help?

Thanks in advance