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

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!  

[6262]

I am experiencing a similair problem. I have been sick now for almost 9 months since contracting whooping cough. I have had 2 bout of sudden onset pneumonia and have been told i have permanent lung damage and damage to my voice.

Because of this I have been unable to work (it' hard to work when you just lose your voice out of the blue and have constant raspy voice!) I have lost my business as I constantly am taking time off.

I am still seeing specialists having tests and I feel sick and lethargic most of the time. I am in my 40's and I feel like an invalid.
12 months ago I was a fit and active person, successful and busy living life. I am now unable to work, can't do exercise as it bring on asthma, I get chronic lung infections, which have twice ended up in a pneumonia.

I want to punch people who try and say that adults don't get very sick with this or that it doesn't cause permanent damage. Bull&*t!!

[ladywiz]

Here ya go, research this. Hope it helps. :)

(Drosera) or
Sundews were used as medicinal herbs as early as the 12th century, when an Italian doctor from the School of Salerno by the name of Matthaeus Platearius described the plant as an herbal remedy for coughs under the name "herba sole". It has been used commonly in cough preparations in Germany and elsewhere in Europe

(Drosera) -Sundew tea was especially recommended by herbalists for dry coughs, bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma and "bronchial cramps". A modern study has shown that Drosera does exhibit antitussive properties.

Today Drosera is usually used to treat ailments such as asthma, coughs, lung infections, and stomach ulcers.

[Briana10109E]

i had whooping cough for weeks then one night it got really bad and i stopped breathing for 30 sec to a min and again 2 days later since then i have not stopped breathing, but i now cough alot and it slows me down from running or talking for long times , im wondering if i have asthma or something else sometimes taking deep breaths make me cough that has never happen before ?

[lucymacc57]

Wow..FINALLY...I found this blog and what a relief.  I contracted pertussis in May of 2011 and have not stopped coughing since.  I was very ill for about 2 months and since I have bouts of coughing spasms every single day.  My profession requires alot of time talking and this has been such an embarrassment since it is unpredicatable and violent.  I've tried everything and even spent time awake at night wondering if this is lung cancer.  My chest hurts from a year of coughing spells and I feel crazy.  I'll try the Drosera suggested in another post and any other suggestions are so welome.  I've been told everything from allergies to psychosimatic illness...yeah right.  Thanks for the posts and if I find the magic cure I will be sure to share...

[aprile789]

My daughter came down with pertussis last year. It took them 2 months to diagnose her and she ended up having to do 2 rounds of antibiotics. She would wake up at night gasping for air. It was very scary! Since then she has been diagnosed with asthma and her lung function is very low. She is on preventative inhaler 2 times a day and has to carry an emergency inhaler. I am concerned the whooping cough has permanently damaged her lungs. Has anyone had this confirmed?

[starpainter]

I have been on the coughing wagon for a little over a month now. My symptoms of my cough are moderately mild then what is described above. I don't have a raspy voice, I don't feel ill other then when I cough too much and get a headache for a spell. Or otherwise pass out for a few seconds.  I did how ever talk to a pharmacist and he told me that pertussis is going around in my region. What ever the case is, it seems like there is no remedy for this other then to let it work through the system. I was told by a "physicians assistant" at a no income health clinic for the poor that I have asthma. But after this went away last year, I didn't have any spells of coughing like this or wheezing or anything.  He also sent me to a cardiologist because he thought it might be associated with an anomaly in my heart beat, which racked me up a 400 dollar bill that went into collections that I can't afford to pay all for nothing.  
Anyway, the pharmacist told me to try mucinex to help break up the phloem and I will be lucky if I am over it by december.  Ladywiz, thank you for the reference to the Drosera. I may try that. And try and quit smoking in which I believe this cough has nothing to do with either because i have only been smoking for 6 years and have dealt with recurring bronchial crap for 14 years now.

[Beth1471]

I have been suffering with a dreadful cough since 4 April.  Doctor thought it was bronchial asthma as I am asthmatic and treated me for that with normal antibiotics and steroids.  When it made no difference to my condition I was put on stronger antibiotics and new inhaler.  This gave me oral thrush that was absolutely awful.  So then I am on anti-fungal tablets, they did not work and the cough by now has got progressively worse.I then am put on a three week course of steroids which brought back the oral thrush only much worse this time.  I felt like a complete mess.  Three weeks ago my doctor did a blood test for whooping cough, not had the results back yet but I am convinced this is what I have.  Five months on and I am still coughing and gasping for breath and I have been vomiting lately too.  The worst of this is the incontinence that I have had right the way through this illness.  Its just gotten worse and worse.  I am going back to doctors in the morning to see if something can be done but I doubt it.

[nlacirb]

Wow,i know how you feel .I came in contact with whooping cough in june 2012 and i have never be the one in my family who is sick . This is the worst I have ever felt and now iI wish the cough would go away and my voice would come back . I now have an inhaler. It does not help. My job is with a large retail company and they have no concern on how I feel and says I came in contact not in their company. well please keep in touch and god blessing to you

[mugsym]

I had whooping cough in September (self-diagnosed - as the clinic I went to doesn't even test for it!  They say "it doesn't matter - bronchitis, asthma, pertussis - we treat it the same way anyway".  This is a real problem!).  I took a z-pak then and feel better but am left with sudden coughing fits that can cause larynx spasms and are very embarrassing in public.  My voice is also raspy and I often have to stop mid-sentence to avoid triggering "the cough" (as my kids have dubbed it).  I have my first cold now since then and it seems to have re-triggered the cough's severity.  I have also seen a doctor who basically says it will go away with time and he sees nothing wrong!  In the meantime I feel like I can hardly hold a normal conversation!  I have searched all over the web and here is what I am going to do:

- Definitely trying the Drosera
- Will use the mucinex if needed (only have throat mucus when I have a cold though - otherwise the cough is a dry, "catchy" one)
-And plan on trying this accupresssure trick next coughing fit: Laryngospasm notch maneuver (see this link: http://academiclifeinem.blogspot.com/2010/12/trick-of-trade-laryngospasm-notch.html )

Will report back.
Unless you already had asthma and/or are coughing up tons of mucus from your lungs, I really don't think this is a lung issue at all.  It is a larynx issue.  The pertussis bacteria attaches to your larynx and I think has done some damage - making the cough reflex super sensitive and triggering spasms.  I WILL find away to beat this!  Good luck to everyone.

[nomobetz]

Me too! I had whooping cough starting in May and was told that the cough could last 100 days. I am still coughing and it is almost December. When I cough... daily... I cough so hard that I gag. This is crazy and scary. I keep saying that I will go to the doctor "next week" if it doesn't stop. I have been saying this since the 100 day mark. I just hate to sound like a hypochondriac, so I haven't gone yet. I'm really afraid that they won't be able to find a cause, but this cough is very real and I'm really tired and embarrassed by it! Have you had a diagnosis yet? I don't smoke and have worked in a smoke free environment for almost 8 years. Thoughts??? Has anyone stopped coughing or had a successful diagnosis???

[Karen4120]

I had WC in April and was also told to expect 100 days.  Well almost 8 months later.....still dealing with this.  Although my "episodes" are nothing like they were at the beginning, they still are interfering with my life.  It will come on out of the blue (still mostly at night but I have had a few daytimes ones). It starts with my nose draining and then the nonstop cough, ends sometimes with the vomit. I take NyQuil at night and that helps to stop it.  Funny, during the heigh of WC nothing would stop the cough for me not even the prescription cough meds.

I spoke to my dr. last week and it she thought it odd I was still dealing with episodes.  They come on maybe once or twice a week.  I did have a total 8 week span when I had none, thought it was totally gone.  She wants to investigate further when I see her next month for my annual :(

I totally get your not going to the dr. yet.  I really do think this is something that has to leave our body and just hasn't yet.  I know my dr. will submit me to tons of tests and I'm sick of it all.  It took almost 5 visits before this WC was even confirmed.  I had the booster shot that was suppose to protect me from this disease 3 yrs ago.  I dread this winter and am not sure if it will still linger or not.  I can't believe I'm still dealing with this after all this time.  Reading the posts on here make me feel somewhat better that this is "normal".  I too was feeling like a hyprochondriac.  Thinking of starting a WC support group LOL!!!    Good luck !

Karen

[ripreilly]

I am in my 8th week of whooping cough....it is more exhausting then when I went thru chemo. I just had to go back to the hospital today because I thought I had a collapsed lung. They said it was pluracy. Has anyone else been diagnosed with pluracy when they had whooping cough?

[Lauren_ivy]

I was 7 when I caught whooping cough for the first time and I suffered greatly from it. Because of it I now suffer from really serious coughs whenever I get ill or have a cold. If anyone else gets a cold or cough it's very light and doesn't effect them much but with me I end up losing my voice, coughing up blood, being sick, unable to breath I have also broken 3 ribs since I was 7 just from coughing. My stomache muscles and lower back muscles do not grow properly anymore as I have ripped them so many times and to much. As you can see I have suffered a lot from having whooping cough and no matter how many times the doctors say that it's likely whooping cough will not affect you in the future it does! I have no remedies myself but would be entirely greatful for any ideas, I have tried every drug and method over the counter and nothing works good luck to the rest of you for finding a cure!

[greenm03]

I was diagnosed with whooping cough 6 years ago.  It was the worse thing I have ever been through with the exception of shingles.  Every since I have bronchitis several times a year.  I have 2 inhalers and Singular on hand at all times.  Last month, November 2012 after having the Tdap immunization in October, I went in to the dr having coughing fits that almost made me throw up.  He said I probably had it again.  This past week, Dec. 27, I went back to the dr since my cough was getting worse instead of better.  I now have a sinus infection and bronchitis added on top of whooping cough.  I am worn out!  Thank goodness I had 2 weeks off work so I can hopefully get over this.  I have also wondered if whooping cough has damaged my lungs making me more likely to get bronchitis and whooping cough again???

[hoski258]

I believe that Pertussis causes scarring to the lungs which leads to asthma I had Pertussis a year ago and have had asthma ever since. I have noticed that my symptoms subside while I am drinking my morning coffee. Unfortunately Decaf does not provide the same relief. I am going to look into drosera at the local herb shop. Thanks Lady Wiz!