Littlehampton boy traumatised after severe case of whooping cough

Ellis Golding, from Littlehampton, suffered five or six nightly "episodes" over several months which would make him go floppy, turn his lips blue and make him struggle to breathe.

After rushing him to A&E, his mum Georgina was told he would need a referral to a neurologist for suspected epilepsy.

It would later turn out that the six-year-old’s “fits” were a side effect of severe whooping cough, a highly contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways.

Ellis was very ill with the infection (Image: Georgina Golding / SWNS)

After a course of different medications, including codeine and antihistamines, Ellis has been able to recover from his life-threatening throat spasms.

But he has been left feeling anxious and panicked every time he gets sick.

Georgina wants to raise awareness of the warning signs of whooping cough in young children, which include bouts of intense coughing, overnight coughing, vomiting and struggling to breathe after a coughing bout.

Read more: Bizarre private parking signs appear in free council car park

The 33-year-old, who is an admin assistant, said: “Ellis would have multiple episodes every night. He used to go floppy, it was terrifying.

“I want to raise awareness of these symptoms, which have left him with so much trauma.”

Ellis’s symptoms started on March 13.

He had come home from school with a slight cough, which Georgina and her husband, Stuart, 40, a traffic manager, “didn’t think much of".

But seven days later, the cough got much worse, prompting the family to visit their out-of-hours GP.

“We were sent home, they said Ellis would recover naturally,” Georgina said.

“They told us it was likely a mild virus.”

Georgina with Ellis (Image: Georgina Golding / SWNS)

On March 26, they returned to their GP, who prescribed Ellis a course of steroids.

Three days later, Ellis had his adenoids swabbed for bacterial and viral infections but both came back negative.

His symptoms got worse and he developed a condition called laryngospasms, which occurs when the vocal cords suddenly contract, blocking the airway and making it difficult to breathe or speak.

Georgina said: “Ellis would have five to six episodes of this a night.

“They’d go on for three to five minutes each.”

Georgina took Ellis back to A&E and demanded her son have a whooping cough swab.

She said doctors swabbed his throat and nasal passage but by then he was out of the three-week contagious stage and his results were clear.

After being sent home, Georgina paid £295 to see a private doctor.

Ellis in hospital (Image: Georgina Golding / SWNS)

He diagnosed Ellis with laryngospasms straight away and noted he had to get a blood test to find out if he had been suffering from whooping cough.

On July 31, the results of the blood test confirmed Ellis had been suffering from severe whooping cough.

Georgina said: “I was so angry but relieved to finally get the diagnosis.

“Ellis missed out on three months of school because his spasms would keep him up all night.

“It’s massively affected his education and he’s been left with the anxiety of relapse.”

Ellis now worries he is going to start having laryngospasms again every time he catches a slight cold. Even a mild cough can trigger his anxiety and panic.

Georgina hopes his story can raise awareness of whooping cough and encourage parents to advocate for their children’s health.

“There are many, many parents with similar stories,” she said.

“But because there isn’t enough awareness of whooping cough it takes a long time to get diagnosed.”

There are three routine vaccinations that can protect babies and children from whooping cough, the NHS website states.

• The whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy – this can protect babies during the first few weeks of life; the best time to have it is soon after the 16th week of pregnancy
• The six-in-one vaccine – offered to babies at eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age
• The four-in-one pre-school booster – offered to children by three years and four months

“These vaccines don’t offer lifelong protection from whooping cough, but they can help stop children getting it when they’re young and more vulnerable to the effects of the infection,” the NHS said.