Since Sunday I have had coughing, fever, exhaustion (slept from 1pm Sun. to 5:30 am Monday, the slept from 7pm Monday until 5:30am Tuesday and am now ready for bed). Also have sharp stabbing pains that only last a brief minute or two but occur in the ribs, abdomen, armpits, etc. I thought I have the flu but I have never had sharp pains like this before. I am a school bus driver and one of the schools has a Pertussis outbreak. I want to be certain I am not contagious to the children.
Hello. Your symptoms certainly do suggest an infection probably of the lungs i.e. pneumonia. It does not seem to be pertussis to me. All your symptoms point toward the same. I would suggest you take a couple of days off for your own rest and also so that you are not contagious to the child Chat Doctor. I would advise a visit to your physician, certain blood tests like complete blood count, and a chest X-ray for now. These tests will determine the severity of your pneumonia and whether you need hospitalization or can be managed on an out patient basis. Wishing you a speedy recovery.