In China they call it the '100 Day Cough'. Here (
cough!) it's called the 'Whooping Cough' and the vaccines protection wanes after 10 years. Mine was in 1951. Our three dogs have it (they call it 'Kennel Cough', but it's actually the same virus). Only 50% of adult cases actually do 'whoop', describing the (
cough!) (
cough!) (
cough!) (
cough!) sudden admission of fresh air after an inense bout of coughing (
whoop!) There is no fever, just this horribly annoying cough. The bad news for this blawg (
cough!) is that both Nikki and I have it and will probably drag it into the New Year. We tried everything to make our lives better to no avail. This is a bad, insidious and practically invidible bug. So may you be warned:
- There will be fewer postings by (cough!) myself for the coming month.
- Don't be idiots like us. Get a g*ddamn vaccine! out of 30 million cases last year, 300,000 people died useless deaths.
- Stand back from the monitor while you read this. We are (cough!) contagious on a sliding scale for the first 21 days.
How do I know all this FOR SURE? From another blogger, a family doctor who over 25 years has studied the affliction. Dr Jenkinson brought us light and peace to our worried mind thanks to his wonderful blog on the subject,
one you can view here.
- BUT WAIT...I am writing this important change of opinion 6 monts later (Feb 2008). It took a good two months for me to get over it. ALL the F**king English site NEVER explain properly what happens in whooping cough. They keep you in the dark and take your money, as the good doctor does if you want to know more. I had to go to France to get concise explanations of the action of this virus. Here it is: in the first few days of this affliction, all the ciliae (fine hairs in your lungs that expel out mucus, like with a ratchet action, all hairs pointing to OUT and preventing mucus from sliding back in), ALL CILIAE ARE DESTROYED, the virus delivering 4 powerful toxins acting, one a super-glue to make the virus stick to the hair, and 2 others paralyzing the hair, a fourth one killing the hair. IT TAKES 100+ plus for you to regrow these and have the capacity to expel mucus spontaneously, without going to the extreme acrobatics of clearing your lungs. NOTHING YOU CAN DO will make you feel any better, not even sending money to the good doctor. Wait it out and tell your friends to be vaccinated. You wont need it for a few years. And...it feels damn good to be with a good crop of new pulmonary hairs. Good luck. There are no sequels. Bordetella is a bad monkey. Maybe its true they have the best health care system in the world in France. Anglos consider medicine as a business. Like with politics, sex, religion etc...
Since nearly 500,000 people have already seen his 'Whooping Cough' blog, I need to salute and thank this fine VERY USEFUL gentleman by posting his photo here. (
cough!)
