Please post your unusual pediatric presentations of strep

[Anonymous]

DS7 has an apparently very atypical recurrent presentation of Strep A: his salivary glands swell excessively on both sides. No sore throat, fever, tonsil changes or anything else that "says" strep—except positive swabs. Antibiotics fix it but then it starts again in a few weeks.

Doctors seem at a loss as to how to stop the recurrence and surprised by the symptoms. Either it's just an unusual presentation or there's an unknown secondary infection/organism that is cooccurring with the strep. We know it's not mumps, mono or typical viruses.

Has anyone BTDT? Was it just Strep A? Did you eventually find an antibiotic that stopped it? Thanks so much.

[Anonymous]

My friends boy currently just had a full body rash. No fever or sore throat. Positive for strep.

[Anonymous]

My son consistently had a neck rash with strep. Took multiple rounds of abx to clear.

[Anonymous]

My DS tested negative for strep (insta test) but had near-constant vomiting for 2 days. Went back to ped. who sent us to ER: Zofran + sodas there prevented IV insertion, but first had abdominal scan - doctors were concerned. He lost 8 lbs he couldn’t afford to lose. Missed a week of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS tested negative for strep (insta test) but had near-constant vomiting for 2 days. Went back to ped. who sent us to ER: Zofran + sodas there prevented IV insertion, but first had abdominal scan - doctors were concerned. He lost 8 lbs he couldn’t afford to lose. Missed a week of school.

so did he ever test positive for strep?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS tested negative for strep (insta test) but had near-constant vomiting for 2 days. Went back to ped. who sent us to ER: Zofran + sodas there prevented IV insertion, but first had abdominal scan - doctors were concerned. He lost 8 lbs he couldn’t afford to lose. Missed a week of school.

How many rounds? Did they keep giving the same one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS tested negative for strep (insta test) but had near-constant vomiting for 2 days. Went back to ped. who sent us to ER: Zofran + sodas there prevented IV insertion, but first had abdominal scan - doctors were concerned. He lost 8 lbs he couldn’t afford to lose. Missed a week of school.

How many rounds? Did they keep giving the same one?

PP and yes - he tested positive post ER. IIRC (and this was 12 years ago), the ped office called to say that insta strep test “turned” positive. He had one round of antibiotics. Recovered quickly once Zofran on board, better hydrated + antibiotics.

[Anonymous]

Hives on back, no fever or sore throat.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you, everyone. What a crazy bacteria.

What antibiotics are kids taking for atypical strep A in 2024? DS is on augmentin. Assuming another recurrence Clindamycin is most likely next but makes me nervous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you, everyone. What a crazy bacteria.

What antibiotics are kids taking for atypical strep A in 2024? DS is on augmentin. Assuming another recurrence Clindamycin is most likely next but makes me nervous

My kid has it (posted that he has scarlet fever in a separate thread. First time with strep in our household!) and doc gave amoxacillin. Now i'm terrified it's goign to come back after the antibiotics end! Weird how strep is really surging right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS tested negative for strep (insta test) but had near-constant vomiting for 2 days. Went back to ped. who sent us to ER: Zofran + sodas there prevented IV insertion, but first had abdominal scan - doctors were concerned. He lost 8 lbs he couldn’t afford to lose. Missed a week of school.

Wow, my DS has thrown up from strep, but nothing this severe!

[Anonymous]

Unusual presentation was stomach ache. Doctor said it’s more common in girls.

As for your child, OP, does he still have tonsils? I had strep all the time until I had my gigantic tonsils removed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you, everyone. What a crazy bacteria.

What antibiotics are kids taking for atypical strep A in 2024? DS is on augmentin. Assuming another recurrence Clindamycin is most likely next but makes me nervous

My child had recurrent strep too. We cycled through about 5 different antibiotics - including clindamycin three times. In the end doctors said nothing was really working. Got her tonsils out and it seems to have prevent another infection. For reference, she had a strep diagnosis 10 times in 9 months.

[Anonymous]

DD2's first (and sometimes only) symptom of strep when she was little was OCD symptoms. Doctors did not believe me and thought I was crazy when I pressed for a strep test, but that was the issue.

Test for a carrier in the family. DD2's strep went away when DD1 was tested and treated (and eventually had her tonsils removed). When I was a kid, my stepfather was an asymptomatic carrier and the source of my reinfections. I also had my tonsils removed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD2's first (and sometimes only) symptom of strep when she was little was OCD symptoms. Doctors did not believe me and thought I was crazy when I pressed for a strep test, but that was the issue.

Test for a carrier in the family. DD2's strep went away when DD1 was tested and treated (and eventually had her tonsils removed). When I was a kid, my stepfather was an asymptomatic carrier and the source of my reinfections. I also had my tonsils removed.

Good for you for being persistent on both counts.