Japonica
05-04-10, 11:31 AM
And I've been re-reading the sections of MT's JALP and the stickies here...
I'm pretty positive my DS, who is 23 months and not vaxed, has pertussis. He started with the cold/runny nose about 10 days to 2 weeks ago and now we're on day 5 of the paroxysmal stage (yeah, I know, a long road ahead of us). I'm treating him with SA...I started at 375mg per kilo...spread out through the day...and now he's getting about 5g daily (he's 12.5kg) and he's pretty much to bowel tolerance with that dose. Not diarrhea but loose mush BMs. I also give him homemade herbal cough syrup (Aviva Jill Romm's recipe). So far, he's been doing okay. He's not bringing up a lot of mucus yet, but he's also not incapacitated by the coughing. The coughs sound pretty dry. He pretty much does his usual thing in between coughing fits. He's only whooped or gagged twice so far. Last night was the first time he was coughing consistently in the night. I gave him extra SA during the night and I also have the vaporizer going. I'm also giving him high vit CLO, multi with extra zinc, elderberry syrup (just to help as an immune builder).
I think he got it from my husband, not some other little kids. Hubby has had a "bronchitis" type cough for the past month or so that he never bothered seeing anyone for (not that a GP could do much anyway). My other child seems fine (I'm giving her extra SA just in case) and I had full blown pertussis in my teens, so I hope I have a bit of immunity left. Probably not a lot, but I feel fine (seeing as my DH has been coughing all over me for a month, I'm sure I would have caught it by now). Oh and DH had an adult booster (Tdap) in 2002 as part of a travel vaccine package when he was supposed to work in the Caribbean. So, he should have still been protected...but we know how well those pertussis vaccines work, right?
I'm hoping things go well...so far, so good. If we keep consistently using the SA to bowel tolerance, about how many days until we really turn a corner? I can see that it does work and his coughing is reduced in intensity and frequency with the attentive dosing. We're keeping him at home in a self-imposed quarantine. I posted on another forum (ahem) about our situation and got a bit of stick from someone already about not running off to the GP for abx. Hmm...some places seem to be getting a bit more mainstream all the time...lol.
Questions:
1) My other child has had a slight cough the past few weeks to a month. Nothing I would even call close to what my son currently has...hers was more in the morning, slight bit in the evening, no coughing at night, nothing much during the day. And the actual cough was different. I took her to the GP just to get it checked (at my husband's request) and he said it was just hayfever (!) after checking her sinuses and nothing to be done about it. So, I am giving her SA anyway and immune support but not treating her as if she has it...seeing as she's had the dry cough for a month now, wouldn't she be on the tail end of it if this was the case?
2) I had pertussis at 15. I was vaxed for it, but got it anyway, you know the old story. I know it was pertussis and not just some "chronic bronchitis" as the GP insisted because of the severity and duration of the cough. My GP refused to swab me knowing I was up to date on my vaxes. I was on three different types of antibiotics and prescription cough suppressants, and I recall for me, being in the lousy health I was in before getting sick, the illness lasted about 8 weeks. I've never known any bronchitis I'd previously had last for 8 weeks, not respond to any type of abx, and make me cough until I couldn't breathe, but anyway...I feel perfectly fine now. Everyone in my household is coughing in one way or another except me. Am I still contagious/carrying bacteria? Or can I at least go get the groceries etc.?
3) My husband wants to see his GP to see what he says. If it is pertussis (and I'm pretty sure it is, just based on his symptoms), is there any point at this stage? He's been coughing over a month now. He's taking SA, when he remembers, but is not consistent with it, typical guy...
OK, just found the answer to the last one...duh...can tell hubby not to bother...
Antibiotics are recommended in the initial catarrhal phase of infection when they are effective in eliminating B. pertussis from the nasopharynx and reducing the infectious period. However, after three weeks of coughing, antibiotics have no measurable effect on reducing the infectious period and are not recommended. Patients should avoid contact with susceptible individuals until at least five days of antibiotics have been taken.
http://www.australianprescriber.com/magazine/32/2/36/8/
I like how most sites say the only way to reduce adult pertussis is vaccination. Yet, DH is the only one in this house who is up to date on his vaxes and had the pertussis booster. Sheesh.
I'm pretty positive my DS, who is 23 months and not vaxed, has pertussis. He started with the cold/runny nose about 10 days to 2 weeks ago and now we're on day 5 of the paroxysmal stage (yeah, I know, a long road ahead of us). I'm treating him with SA...I started at 375mg per kilo...spread out through the day...and now he's getting about 5g daily (he's 12.5kg) and he's pretty much to bowel tolerance with that dose. Not diarrhea but loose mush BMs. I also give him homemade herbal cough syrup (Aviva Jill Romm's recipe). So far, he's been doing okay. He's not bringing up a lot of mucus yet, but he's also not incapacitated by the coughing. The coughs sound pretty dry. He pretty much does his usual thing in between coughing fits. He's only whooped or gagged twice so far. Last night was the first time he was coughing consistently in the night. I gave him extra SA during the night and I also have the vaporizer going. I'm also giving him high vit CLO, multi with extra zinc, elderberry syrup (just to help as an immune builder).
I think he got it from my husband, not some other little kids. Hubby has had a "bronchitis" type cough for the past month or so that he never bothered seeing anyone for (not that a GP could do much anyway). My other child seems fine (I'm giving her extra SA just in case) and I had full blown pertussis in my teens, so I hope I have a bit of immunity left. Probably not a lot, but I feel fine (seeing as my DH has been coughing all over me for a month, I'm sure I would have caught it by now). Oh and DH had an adult booster (Tdap) in 2002 as part of a travel vaccine package when he was supposed to work in the Caribbean. So, he should have still been protected...but we know how well those pertussis vaccines work, right?
I'm hoping things go well...so far, so good. If we keep consistently using the SA to bowel tolerance, about how many days until we really turn a corner? I can see that it does work and his coughing is reduced in intensity and frequency with the attentive dosing. We're keeping him at home in a self-imposed quarantine. I posted on another forum (ahem) about our situation and got a bit of stick from someone already about not running off to the GP for abx. Hmm...some places seem to be getting a bit more mainstream all the time...lol.
Questions:
1) My other child has had a slight cough the past few weeks to a month. Nothing I would even call close to what my son currently has...hers was more in the morning, slight bit in the evening, no coughing at night, nothing much during the day. And the actual cough was different. I took her to the GP just to get it checked (at my husband's request) and he said it was just hayfever (!) after checking her sinuses and nothing to be done about it. So, I am giving her SA anyway and immune support but not treating her as if she has it...seeing as she's had the dry cough for a month now, wouldn't she be on the tail end of it if this was the case?
2) I had pertussis at 15. I was vaxed for it, but got it anyway, you know the old story. I know it was pertussis and not just some "chronic bronchitis" as the GP insisted because of the severity and duration of the cough. My GP refused to swab me knowing I was up to date on my vaxes. I was on three different types of antibiotics and prescription cough suppressants, and I recall for me, being in the lousy health I was in before getting sick, the illness lasted about 8 weeks. I've never known any bronchitis I'd previously had last for 8 weeks, not respond to any type of abx, and make me cough until I couldn't breathe, but anyway...I feel perfectly fine now. Everyone in my household is coughing in one way or another except me. Am I still contagious/carrying bacteria? Or can I at least go get the groceries etc.?
3) My husband wants to see his GP to see what he says. If it is pertussis (and I'm pretty sure it is, just based on his symptoms), is there any point at this stage? He's been coughing over a month now. He's taking SA, when he remembers, but is not consistent with it, typical guy...
OK, just found the answer to the last one...duh...can tell hubby not to bother...
Antibiotics are recommended in the initial catarrhal phase of infection when they are effective in eliminating B. pertussis from the nasopharynx and reducing the infectious period. However, after three weeks of coughing, antibiotics have no measurable effect on reducing the infectious period and are not recommended. Patients should avoid contact with susceptible individuals until at least five days of antibiotics have been taken.
http://www.australianprescriber.com/magazine/32/2/36/8/
I like how most sites say the only way to reduce adult pertussis is vaccination. Yet, DH is the only one in this house who is up to date on his vaxes and had the pertussis booster. Sheesh.