Questions about strep and recovery

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, and dd has strep again. We are going to take her to an ENT and see about whether she should have her tonsils out. She finished her augmentin on Tuesday and had strep symptoms again on Sat, and she tested positive for strep at urgent care. The dr felt like all the strep was not killed from her last infection.

Why is your ped not swabbing for strep before stopping antibiotics?
That should be standard with recurring strep.

And do you have pets? Many pets can be strep carriers.

[Anonymous]

You and dh, siblings, and pets need to be tested for strep. Someone in close contact with your dd must be a carrier. Carriers are asymptomatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You and dh, siblings, and pets need to be tested for strep. Someone in close contact with your dd must be a carrier. Carriers are asymptomatic.

dh got a strep test this weekend, and he is negative. I am going to get tested and get her sister tested. And also the dog. Can a cat be a strep carrier? And yes, we are going to do a strep test after this course to make sure it has been cleared up. I called the dr to ask if she should get a strep test, and the dr didn't call me back. Since dd seemed "cured" we did not get one. I admit that was a mistake. I am throwing out tooth brushes, washing sheets and pillow cases, and I even bought brand new water bottles.

[Anonymous]

We had a similar issue at our house. Strep can live anywhere- on your skin, in your mouth, on your tonsils, in your nostrils. It only takes one person (or pet!) in the family to be a carrier to keep reinfecting anyone susceptible. Yes, wash all sheets, throw out all toothbrushes, etc. But to totally get rid of it, you need to get to an infectious disease specialist AND have your DD's tonsils and adenoids removed before your DD starts developing serious health issues. Strep is not something you mess around with- it can cause very severe health issues. We know a child who kept getting strep that wasn't fully treatable by antibiotics and she developed rheumatic fever and now has heart issues. There are two kids in our class with PANDAS. Your pediatrician doesn't seem to know what he/she is doing or he/she would have addressed this more proactively.

For infectious disease- Dr. Charlotte Barby-Morel at Georgetown is the go-to person for strep. For tonsils/adenoids- as PPs have said, Dr. Earl Harley is the best ENT to deal with repeat strep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a similar issue at our house. Strep can live anywhere- on your skin, in your mouth, on your tonsils, in your nostrils. It only takes one person (or pet!) in the family to be a carrier to keep reinfecting anyone susceptible. Yes, wash all sheets, throw out all toothbrushes, etc. But to totally get rid of it, you need to get to an infectious disease specialist AND have your DD's tonsils and adenoids removed before your DD starts developing serious health issues. Strep is not something you mess around with- it can cause very severe health issues. We know a child who kept getting strep that wasn't fully treatable by antibiotics and she developed rheumatic fever and now has heart issues. There are two kids in our class with PANDAS. Your pediatrician doesn't seem to know what he/she is doing or he/she would have addressed this more proactively.

For infectious disease- Dr. Charlotte Barby-Morel at Georgetown is the go-to person for strep. For tonsils/adenoids- as PPs have said, Dr. Earl Harley is the best ENT to deal with repeat strep.

This is somewhat an extremist approach. My ds had strep repeatedly one winter. We dealt with it with antibiotics repeatedly until the swabs were negative, tossed everything that could be a source of contamination, and he hasn't had strep again in two years. I'm glad we didn't jump to surgery without taking all the common sense measures we could find first.

[Anonymous]

Make sure she has fresh pencils, glue, crayons, etc at school and Lysol her desk.

[Anonymous]

This is OP, and dd is on antibiotics again with her 5th case of strep this winter. We saw an ENT, and she did say that getting her tonsils out would be clinically recommended at this point. I asked if we should all get strep tests first to make sure one of us isn't a carrier, and she said yes.

Dh and the dog tested negative. I got tested Monday with the quick test. The rapid test was negative. I also had a sore throat and fever of 99, but otherwise no symptoms. The long test came back positive.

Now, I can't figure out if I'm a strep carrier, or finally got strep from dd.

To further complicate matters, the lady giving me the strep test at the CVS minute clinic said that she had recurrent strep because her father was a carrier. However, once he was treated for strep, and she started twice a day gargling with hydrogen pyroxide solution, then she stopped getting strep.

Any words of wisdom? I guess at this point, dd and I finish our antibiotics, and both get strep tests again.

[Anonymous]

I had my tonsils out when I was 9 and it was life changing. I really think this is a solid option at this point. Plus, constantly being on antibiotics is not good for you.