Just got a call from the TX Department of Health

[TexasCountryGal]

3:06pm. Awakened from my nap by a call from the Texas Department of Health, now known as the Texas Department of State Health Services. Catchy name, right? No!

They are calling to ask me questions about Pertussis (Whooping Cough); who I live with; if I have been around children, babies; around large groups of people; if I have been out of the state or country: etc. Terrific! Just the kind of call I am wanting!

I have had a cough for months. I have been hoarse for months. The internist and immunologist think the cough is from my blood pressure medication. I was taken off that med a couple of weeks ago. I am still coughing, that is when I am not drugged on cough medication with codeine.

When I saw the immunologist for the second time a week ago yesterday she said my cough sounded like Pertussis, and had LabCorp draw labs for Pertussis Bordetella Antibodies and Mycoplasma Pneumonia Antibodies.

Since I requested fT3, fT4 and Thyroid antibody labs I have been anxious to get a call from the nurse with my results. I called the doctor's office yesterday and I know for a fact that my labs are back. However, I was told the results could not be given to me because the doctor had not reviewed them yet. The doctor's office closed at noon today and I received no call.

So I ask the Health Department if I have Pertussis and if they have talked to my doctor. I am told that they were notified by LabCorp but they do not (or in my opinion cannot) tell me if I have Pertussis. I am told they will try to reach the doctor on Monday and will call me back then, but until then to take precautions.

Think I am saying goodbye to Adkins until Monday. I NEED a Coca Cola!

Anyone here know how Heath Departments work? Do they call people if they do not know if the person has a disease or not?

Maurene

[happylabs]

Wow...so sorry to hear about your cough. It does seem a bit odd that the Health Department would call you if they didn't have information that you actually had it. I honestly do not know how they work. However, also, I was thinking if you did have it wouldn't the doctor have gotten ahold of you right away?

Hope you get this worked out.

[StyngerIsAScorpio]

Originally Posted by TexasCountryGal

3:06pm. Awakened from my nap by a call from the Texas Department of Health, now known as the Texas Department of State Health Services. Catchy name, right? No!

They are calling to ask me questions about Pertussis (Whooping Cough); who I live with; if I have been around children, babies; around large groups of people; if I have been out of the state or country: etc. Terrific! Just the kind of call I am wanting!

I have had a cough for months. I have been hoarse for months. The internist and immunologist think the cough is from my blood pressure medication. I was taken off that med a couple of weeks ago. I am still coughing, that is when I am not drugged on cough medication with codeine.

When I saw the immunologist for the second time a week ago yesterday she said my cough sounded like Pertussis, and had LabCorp draw labs for Pertussis Bordetella Antibodies and Mycoplasma Pneumonia Antibodies.

Since I requested fT3, fT4 and Thyroid antibody labs I have been anxious to get a call from the nurse with my results. I called the doctor's office yesterday and I know for a fact that my labs are back. However, I was told the results could not be given to me because the doctor had not reviewed them yet. The doctor's office closed at noon today and I received no call.

So I ask the Health Department if I have Pertussis and if they have talked to my doctor. I am told that they were notified by LabCorp but they do not (or in my opinion cannot) tell me if I have Pertussis. I am told they will try to reach the doctor on Monday and will call me back then, but until then to take precautions.

Think I am saying goodbye to Adkins until Monday. I NEED a Coca Cola!

Anyone here know how Heath Departments work? Do they call people if they do not know if the person has a disease or not?

Maurene

I think by law they are required to follow up on pertinent test results. I don't think you would have heard from them if the results were neg for pertussis.
They are right about not being able to tell you the result. They jumped the gun and got to you before your doc did.
They have to track a whole host of illnesses as a matter of routine and law. They are responsible for trying to protect all of the regional society, if you can even imagine that.
It's the same in many states.
I'd feel good about it if I were you. They are on the ball!
Now, if your results come back neg for pertussis, ignore everything I just said LOL If they would make that call simply based on the test being ordered and run, then they need to redo their system.
I hope you feel much better very soon!

[TexasCountryGal]

happylabs, I love your lab and your kitty. We have a yellow and white tabby too. She turned out to be a she.

happylabs and StyngerIsAScorpio, thanks for posting. I am thinking you are right, and that the state jumped the gun.

I am feeling a bit chapped with the doctor, but maybe she had a stressful two days and thought she had me covered with the antibiotic and cough med, and her call could wait until Monday.

I live a very reclusive life and am rarely around people other than going grocery shopping and sitting in the waiting room at doctors offices, so if people have to be notified, there are not many that will need to be called. I already gave the health department names as they asked.

I have done a lot of reading since posting this thread and from what I understand, I should no longer be contagious if I have Pertussis, and that the doctor giving me the antibiotics when she did will not help. Wish the internist had given me antibiotics months ago when I asked. My cough will just have to run its coarse.

Thanks again for your input!

[happylabs]

Originally Posted by TexasCountryGal

happylabs, I love your lab and your kitty. We have a yellow and white tabby too. She turned out to be a she.

happylabs and StyngerIsAScorpio, thanks for posting. I am thinking you are right, and that the state jumped the gun.

I am feeling a bit chapped with the doctor, but maybe she had a stressful two days and thought she had me covered with the antibiotic and cough med, and her call could wait until Monday.

I live a very reclusive life and am rarely around people other than going grocery shopping and sitting in the waiting room at doctors offices, so if people have to be notified, there are not many that will need to be called. I already gave the health department names as they asked.

I have done a lot of reading since posting this thread and from what I understand, I should no longer be contagious if I have Pertussis, and that the doctor giving me the antibiotics when she did will not help. Wish the internist had given me antibiotics months ago when I asked. My cough will just have to run its coarse.

Thanks again for your input!

You are quite welcome. Hope you are feeling better soon.
My Lab Casey is gone now since last September. She and my cat Buddy were best friends. Labs are the best dogs ever.

[susique333]

Our entire family caught whooping cough 8 years ago. My son who was working for a local furniture store also worked with mexican immigrants, one who had pertussus. Once Matt caught it, it quickly spread thru our family! We were all put on antibiotics and yes, the health department called (the very day the lab confirmed our diagnoses), trying to follow the spread of this disease. It was also the health department who called me to tell me it was a fellow co-worked of my sons who had brought it into that company.

[TexasCountryGal]

The more I think about this, the more chapped I become. I KNOW I was coughing as far back as June 24 because it was that day I was seen by a SSDI internist who was evaluating me, and he sent me to the hospital for a chest x-ray BECAUSE of the cough. I checked to see when I last sat in a busy doctors office before that and it was in a clinic on June 11. I was not coughing then.

I saw the internist July 2 and begged for antibiotics but he would not give them to me. Seems a problem is that when older adults get Pertussis that do not always have the Whoop! I presented like my asthma was worse than normal. Should have been a clue way back then that the nebulizer was not helping me.

I probably should not be posting this at this time. My purpose is simply venting!

I am calling the doctor first thing tomorrow asking what is going on because the Health Department called me on Friday.

Watch them say I do not have Pertussis and I will have been POed for no reason. If I do not have Pertussis I am asking for a chest x-ray, CT and a TB test.

ARG!

I did go on my Coca Cola binge which included loads of waffles. I am back on Adkins today. Stupid to hurt myself just because I am angry at something else.

Thanks for listening.

Signed, the ANGRY Texas GAL

[kristina]

Because of your posting saying that adults don't always GET the "whoop" that goes with this, I WILL definitely ask my doctor if this could be what is going on with my cough. thank you!

Originally Posted by TexasCountryGal

The more I think about this, the more chapped I become. I KNOW I was coughing as far back as June 24 because it was that day I was seen by a SSDI internist who was evaluating me, and he sent me to the hospital for a chest x-ray BECAUSE of the cough. I checked to see when I last sat in a busy doctors office before that and it was in a clinic on June 11. I was not coughing then.I saw the internist July 2 and begged for antibiotics but he would not give them to me. Seems a problem is that when older adults get Pertussis that do not always have the Whoop! I presented like my asthma was worse than normal. Should have been a clue way back then that the nebulizer was not helping me.I probably should not be posting this at this time. My purpose is simply venting! I am calling the doctor first thing tomorrow asking what is going on because the Health Department called me on Friday.Watch them say I do not have Pertussis and I will have been POed for no reason. If I do not have Pertussis I am asking for a chest x-ray, CT and a TB testARG!I did go on my Coca Cola binge which included loads of waffles. I am back on Adkins today. Stupid to hurt myself just because I am angry at something elseThanks for listening.

Signed, the ANGRY Texas GAL

[TexasCountryGal]

It's noon on Monday and I have not heard from the doctor's office yet. I called and talked to a nurse at 9:10am this morning and she took my number and said the doctor will call.

My cell phone does not work out here in nowhere Texas, but I checked it about 1pm yesterday and there were no messages from the doctor. I checked it today and there is a message now saying that she has tried to call and the phone went straight to voice mail, and that she needed to talk to me about my cough, and that there might be an explanation as to why I have a cough, and to see if the prescription was working. (Run on sentence!) So WHY did she not call my land line too?

I called her office back and hour ago and had to leave a message, but reminded them that the doc needed to call my land line.

Of course this is not about a horrific disease, but it is about a very contagious disease and I am totally POed about not hearing back from the doctor or a nurse especially since she has had the results since last Thursday.

Pertussis apparently is very hard to diagnose in adults because doctors think the cough is from upper respiratory infections or allergies, and from what I have read most adults are seen many times by doctors for their coughs before that light goes on in the doctor's head that says, hey, this might be Whooping Cough.

ARG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[susique333]

Originally Posted by TexasCountryGal

It's noon on Monday and I have not heard from the doctor's office yet. I called and talked to a nurse at 9:10am this morning and she took my number and said the doctor will call.

My cell phone does not work out here in nowhere Texas, but I checked it about 1pm yesterday and there were no messages from the doctor. I checked it today and there is a message now saying that she has tried to call and the phone went straight to voice mail, and that she needed to talk to me about my cough, and that there might be an explanation as to why I have a cough, and to see if the prescription was working. (Run on sentence!) So WHY did she not call my land line too?

I called her office back and hour ago and had to leave a message, but reminded them that the doc needed to call my land line.

Of course this is not about a horrific disease, but it is about a very contagious disease and I am totally POed about not hearing back from the doctor or a nurse especially since she has had the results since last Thursday.

Pertussis apparently is very hard to diagnose in adults because doctors think the cough is from upper respiratory infections or allergies, and from what I have read most adults are seen many times by doctors for their coughs before that light goes on in the doctor's head that says, hey, this might be Whooping Cough.

ARG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IF you do indeed have pertussis,I would think your DR had an obligation to bring your phone number home and keep trying to reach you over the weekend!

[TexasCountryGal]

The ANGRY TX Gal HAS Pertussis !

I called the doctor for the 3rd time today and got through to her. And YES, I have Pertussis.

LabCorp does not have the ranges listed on their website. At least I cannot find them, but the doctor told me . . .

My IgG and IgM are high, meaning positive for Whooping Cough.

My IgG is 61. Anything 49 and over means I have had a recent infection.

My IgM is 1.2. Normal range is 1.0 - 1.1. Anything over 1.1 means I am in the convalescent stage.

The doctor was surprised I had already heard from the Health Department, and told me she had a message from them asking for my lab results, which means, they clearly did not have them when they called on Friday.

She is changing my antibiotic but does not want me to start it until I heard back from the Health Department to see if they want to do a nasal swab.

I have not been taking the cough medication with codeine because I just do not like feeling drugged, but she told me I need to take it because of the aortic dissection history in my family.

I CANNOT believe I have this!

Thanks to everyone for "listening" !

[susique333]

Originally Posted by TexasCountryGal

The ANGRY TX Gal HAS Pertussis !

I called the doctor for the 3rd time today and got through to her. And YES, I have Pertussis.

LabCorp does not have the ranges listed on their website. At least I cannot find them, but the doctor told me . . .

My IgG and IgM are high, meaning positive for Whooping Cough.

My IgG is 61. Anything 49 and over means I have had a recent infection.

My IgM is 1.2. Normal range is 1.0 - 1.1. Anything over 1.1 means I am in the convalescent stage.

The doctor was surprised I had already heard from the Health Department, and told me she had a message from them asking for my lab results, which means, they clearly did not have them when they called on Friday.

She is changing my antibiotic but does not want me to start it until I heard back from the Health Department to see if they want to do a nasal swab.

I have not been taking the cough medication with codeine because I just do not like feeling drugged, but she told me I need to take it because of the aortic dissection history in my family.

I CANNOT believe I have this!

Thanks to everyone for "listening" !

Oh bless your heart!! Well it is a good thing to finally know what you have but gosh darn it! Think of all the people you are helping by putting your story online, you might save someone in the future from this long drawn out experience! EDIT: I forgot to add that all the nasal swabs were negative (even tho we clearly were sick) except for my youngest son who was the last one to get sick. Weird huh?