"Whooping Cough is Horrid"

In Mid January I had to visit A&E department on 3 separate occasions and all relating to difficulty in breathing, blacking out and severe coughing. I was treated very well by reception staff and seen fairly promptly and grateful for that. I was given a prompt ECG and blood tests and xray and diagnosed with a viral chest infection. EADU gave me antibiotics and A&E Codeine to alleviate the coughing and I was sent home on after each visit. I had further blood tests at my GP surgery and results confirmed Pertussis (Whooping Cough). The cleanliness in the A&E department was very poor, the couch I was on had numerous hand marks from previous patients, bits of tissue and fluid spillage on the floor but I felt too ill to comment. The staff were great albeit overstretched with more serious issues no doubt. With my history of Emphysema it would have been easy to assume that it was just another chest infection as numerous infections doing the rounds this year, however, I did point out that I had never had a cough of this severity which had resulted in fits and blackouts but was told it can happen. I am concerned that I was in an area which was quite open and no curtains pulled and just hope that I have not infected other patients and staff. My saying that one size does not fit all comes to mind.

Thank you