The first stage of whooping cough is when a patient will experience early symptoms that are similar to a normal cold. This stage typically only encompasses the first week or two of the illness and is not often diagnosed as whooping cough since the symptoms appear to be so mild and cold-like. The second stage of whooping cough is when the illness is more easily diagnosed as the severe symptoms associated with the illness start to develop. These “later” symptoms essentially consist of rapid, uncontrollable, and violent coughing fits. These fits are considered more severe because they cause the patient to struggle with breathing and are considered incredibly uncomfortable for their entire duration. This stage will most often last for around 1 to 6 weeks but can last up to 10 weeks for more severe cases. The third stage of whooping cough is also known as the recovery stage. This is the stage in which the coughing fits caused by the illness will become less and less frequent and milder. The coughing fits may stop but reappear if the patient develops any other respiratory infections for months after the other symptoms of whooping cough have dissipated. The recovery stage will typically last for 2 to 3 weeks other than the coughing that may appear due to other respiratory illnesses. This stage is very gradual until all symptoms have been completely eradicated.