[HelenParticipant]

As you all know, I've a horrid chest infection again which has plagued me since the beginning of August, And last week I started a 2 week break from revlimid to see if it helps me recover, even though all my bloods are pretty good and I'm not severely immunocompromised with it. I found out today that I really do have whooping cough, but will probably be better by Christmas!!! :-S :-/ 😛 clearly this explains the low mood, sore chest and general feeling of absolute rubbishness that I've suffered for weeks and was making me very grumpy. However now that I know it's just a childish infection and not something much worse, I will try to be better tempered, sorry Ali! 😉 you got my bad temper last week and I will get round to answering emails again soon.
I don't even know anyone who has had a bad cough recently let alone whooping cough but apparently there is a lot of it about.
Love Helen

[AliParticipant]

Hi Helen

I saw on the news the other day that whooping cough is on the rise. No wonder you,re feeling terrible. I havent noticed your ill temper (maybe I missed something!):-)

I hope you start to pickup soon

Love Ali xx

[BADGERParticipant]

Hi Helen
gosh whooping cough is something you expect to get when a child it shows how vunerable we are even to childhood illness I had shingles and thought that if you had had chicken pox you couldnt get it how wrong was I its true whooping cough is on the increase I dont know why because I havent heard about it for years now hope you feel better soon
Love Jo x

[MicheleParticipant]

That diagnosis must have come as quite a shock to you Helen!
Just as well you were on anti-biotics. From what I've read about whooping cough, that would have stopped you being infectious to others.

Hope you're better soon. 🙂

Michele x

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Ali, Jo and Michelle
Yes it's a horrible thing to get, I feel so tired and sound dreadful. I can see why babies suffer so badly, you start to panic a bit when you can't breathe properly, and I'm a grown up with medical knowledge and I find it difficult!! It is commoner in adults now as children are immunised and we lose our immunity as we age, there's a warning for all of you!. However I'm glad it is whooping cough because at least I know it will get better, if it hadn't been then I was going to have to be checked over for more serious stuff! So that's a bit of a relief. And yes the antibiotics stopped me being infectious to others but the cough continues and because its so severe, you damage your lungs and so it takes up to 12 weeks to get better. Yuk
Anyway, feeling less down about it all now, so might be getting better, and its nearly Friday so a day off tomorrow. Hurrah:-)
Love Helen

[eveParticipant]

Hi Helen
Well you must be feeling rotten ,I asked should Slim have all his childhood injections again,and was told,only needed them if he had donor cells,sounds if there might be a case for having boosters.

At least you now know what it is,which must give you some peace of mind,are you having to have a lot of time off work,this cannot go down well,I know the time limits they give for feeling ok after SCT,but in Slims case I cannot see him ever being the same,but as the months roll on,he does get a little bit better every day,but he does not go out to work!!!!.

Hope things pick up soon.Love Eve

[tomParticipant]

Hi Helen well am pleased I am reading this as it makes my bad chest seem a lot better, and trust me I dont think you could get "Grumpy" 😉

I asked about child hood jabs and was told i dont need them?? we will wait and see Lol.

Now waiting for Dr's to get more Flu jabs in they have run out??

Love Tom "Onwards and Upwards" xxxx

[AliParticipant]

Hi all

This is where I am confused (it doesnt take much!). My Mums been told she has to have all of her immunisations, and she must have had these before she can go on holiday abroad.:-|

I do hope that Helen and Tom are feeling a little better, and that Slim is still on the up.

Love Ali xx

[tomParticipant]

Thank Ali I am doing Ok not coughing as much but think I am losing my Voice (am sure I heard my young bride say "cant wait" lol)
I was told I dont need to redo mine?? but am sure it will help if you E mailed the Nurse on here 😀

Love One Getting Better Tom "Onwards and Upwards" xxx

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Tom Eve and Ali
I feel so much better just knowing its not something really horrible and mm related and it will just run its albeit long course.
We had our flu jabs this morning too so hope I'm covered now.
Ali, after what you said about your mum, I asked about redoing childhood immunisations at our place last time and they too said only for people with allo grafts as they don't get much transferred immunity. So maybe ask again next time what the rationale and evidence there is behind it? I think we all would like to know.
As for work, well Eve you know by now that am tough old bird, so have worked full time all the way through!!!:-0 many people have stood by, wondering if they should learn how to use their biro's as emergency tracheostomy tubes and offering glasses of water, so I have managed. Sounded rather like a walrus in pain, but mostly felt coughing fits coming so ran of to the toilet. simples. 🙂 Been very tired but thought that was because I'd just gone back to work, and admittedly went to bed at 8 every night. Had had it for 6 weeks and 3 lots of antibiotics before tests for whooping cough went off. No one I know or work with has a cough, so I must have caught it in the shops or something, who knows……
Anyway I'm getting better now, and Tom, sadly I can really do grumpy, saint Timothy ( husband) will soon be needing much larger halo with what he has to put up with, but there you are, he promised for worse, sickness and poorer and we've got it all in spades now:-P 😉 🙂 😀 :-0 >:-(
Love Helen

[andygParticipant]

Hi Helen.
Sorry to hear your still having trouble with your chest but at least you now know the cause. I'm just getting over a cough and cold and a couple of infections I arrived home with after our lovely holiday. I'm starting to feel normal again now – well as normal as I get to feel on RCD. I've been taken off the cyclophosphamide for the time being as my neutrophils and platelets are a bit low!
I'm due to see Prof Jackson again tomorrow (Monday) if he's not too busy else where again. My appointment is a 2:30pm we should arrive early, hopefully, due to setting off early because of the roadworks on the felling bypass! So may have time for a coffee and a catch up if your free.
Hope to see you tomorrow.
Take care
Andy xx

[mhnevillParticipant]

Hi Helen

Just caught up with this thread. Sorry you have been feeling so under the weather. I'm not surprised. I remember when my daughter, then three, had whooping cough, we were up nights on end boiling kettles for steam to help her breathe! Youn ARE a tough cooky to have been working through it all. I hope your employers appreciate what a gem they have got in you.

Lots of love.

Mavis x

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Andy
Just give me a bell when you are in the clinic and I can come across, got some odds and ends to do there anyway.
And thanks Mavis, though I hope I'm not putting them off working with all the noise, can't be very nice for them!
Love Helen

[wendyduffieldParticipant]

Hi Helen

I have only just seen this thread, how terrible to get whooping cough but at least it has been diagnosed now, I am glad you are starting to feel better. Re childhood immunisations I received a letter from my hospital to say I should have them all again after 6 months and I had an autograft. Seems different hospitals have different ideas (nothing new there then!

Love Wendy

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Wendy
Yep they are all different, today they were quite excited at the hospital over my whooping cough result:-/ apparently my immune system is working overtime on it, in a good way, and there were the right sort of antibodies in large numbers….. That's supposed to be the silver lining then! Anyway it was good enough to go back on the revlimid, still in complete remission.
How are you doing?
Love Helen

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