It really IS a strange disease. It starts off as a slight stratchy/sore throat..

you can feel your

lymph nodes in the sides of your neck kind of swollen & trying to fight something off, then
you start this dry cough, then it gets worse- and all of a sudden- BOOM you are in bed and
weak like you have the flu (but without the stomach issues)... mild to moderate on & off
fever.. the shakes, you're hot and cold, sore muscles..... I was basically in bed mostly
sleeping for a WEEK straight... missed almost 2 weeks of work! During this time 'THE
COUGH' started. I've never had asthma but it was like endless asthma attacks. You are
seized by these uncontrollable, wheezing coughing fits that feels as if your throat is
desperately trying to get rid of something, but can't-- and it IS- it's a toxin that paralyzes
your throat... which your body is trying hard to expel. So you will cough repeatedly with a
long, loud, wheezing gasp in-between coughs as you struggle to inhale, where your throat
feels like it's closing up. Kind of like being strangled. It IS scary b/c it feels like you can't
breathe. So imagine these fits that happen... oh, several times an hour, and this goes on 24
HOURS A DAY.... all night long, which wakes you up at night over & over. It also feels like
there is this 'dusty glue' stuck in the middle of your trachea (gross, but don't know how else
to describe it). And in between coughing fits, you are constantly forcefully trying to clear
your throat, but that feeling doesn't go away (for many months!). 
But the weakness is what surprised me. The illness really sucks the life out of you- and does
something strange to your mind. It WEARS you down and you kind of lose the will to live.
Partly due to exhaustion from coughing, lack of sleep, and fighting the thing. But what
made it SO much worse-- is that no one, including docs, knew what was wrong with me--
(After a few weeks finally dragged myself to the doc, still weak, out of it, feverish, etc..) and
if I had KNOWN what it was,, it would have put my mind at ease. It's the not knowing that
makes it worse. 
I can absolutely see why it kills children, the elderly, and those in a weakened state.
Anyway the last doc (who confirmed it after the fact thru an antibody test) said that I
probably had an immunity now for about 8-10 yrs. NO one has ever mentioned getting the
pertussis booster as an adult- I didn't even know it was necessary- and no one else I talk to
seems to know about it either.

And it does seem similar to both bronchitis and pneumonia in many ways but it's that very
distinctive cough (uncontrollable wheezing coughing fits) that makes it unmistakable. 

So in a nutshell-

1) first couple days- swollen neck glands, itchy/sore throat, fatigue

2) next couple days- a slight dry cough starts, and some sneezing. You may think it's
allergies or a cold.
3) next 1-2 weeks- you'll probably be in bed, during which time the wheezing coughing fits
start....
4) continuing weakness, fever, body aches, sleeping, delirium, loss of initiative to do
anything, depression...
5) next 2-3 wks you may feel well enough to drag yourself back to work (and by now you
shouldn't be contagious anymore)
6) next month or so, symptoms very slowly get better
7) By 3 months (from onset) you're mostly back to normal, with some lingering cough fits
still, and still that weird feeling in your throat...
9) By 6 months or so you can finally say it's gone. (mostly). 
The only lingering symptom- Still have that weird throat feeling (like scar tissue in middle of
trachea-? or dusty glue, or something) after I laugh or cough a lot. Makes me want to clear
my throat for about 1/2 hr trying to get it out. 

I would say from what I've experienced, observed & read, this is kind of the standard
timeline & description. And btw, I'm healthy & don't smoke...

Pankeike, you are so right--! I kept searching for an answer & when 2 docs didn't figure it
out, I figured it out by searching online-- about a month after the onset (by then my sig.
other was in the throes of it).. then I called back both docs and told them! You really do
have to keep fighting for answers & not just be passive & go with whatever they say.

Hopes- read everything about it online that you can, google sound bytes/videos of the
cough (it's mostly of children though). You'll know if you had it. Very important to be aware
of this- b/c at least if you're sure you had it, you are probably immune for another decade
and won't have to worry about it for a while. This is also important because if a person
DOES have it, they should know, because it can KILL babies/children & the elderly. or, they
could have permanent health effects from it themselves.

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/health-wellness/858332-pertussis-whooping-
cough-anyone-2.html#ixzz5DZ59lCqP