Amy in KS Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 (edited) I was diagnosed with strep on Wednesday morning. I felt AWFUL for a couple of days before that. Do people ever have strep and not feel too bad? My kids behavior has been way, way out of control this morning. They are whining, crying, moaning and hitting about the silliest things. They are 8, 6, and 4 and this is not normal for them (well, sometimes for the 4 year old but this is extreme even for them). When they acted like this as toddlers, I knew they were sick. Yet, they say they feel fine. Everyone's eyes are bloodshot. They say they are tired. Their throats look HORRIBLE (bright red with all kinds of thick bumps). Well, two of them look worse than the other one. They say their throats don't hurt. I've been guessing they might be sick since Wednesday, but the last meltdown pushed me over the edge and I made an appointment this afternoon. The appointment lady seemed shocked that I wanted them checked for strep even though their throats didn't hurt. Am I crazy? Edited November 5, 2010 by amy in ks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 I was diagnosed with strep on Wednesday morning. I felt AWFUL for a couple of days before that. Do people ever have strep and not feel too bad? My kids behavior has been way, way out of control this morning. They are whining, crying, moaning and hitting about the silliest things. They are 8, 6, and 4 and this is not normal for them (well, sometimes for the 4 year old but this is extreme even for them). When they acted like this as toddlers, I knew they were sick. Yet, they say they feel fine. Everyone's eyes are bloodshot. They say they are tired. Their throats look HORRIBLE (bright red with all kinds of thick bumps). Well, two of them look worse than the other one. But they say their throats don't hurt. I've been guessing they might be sick since Wednesday, but the last meltdown pushed me over the edge and I made an appoitment this afternoon. The appointment lady seemed shocked that I wanted them checked for strep even though their throats didn't hurt. Am I crazy? Not at all. I think you're wise, especially with the weekend starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidbits of Learning Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 No you are not crazy. You have had strep. They are acting out of the ordinary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammy Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Wow....I am getting over strep right now too (must be going around, LOL). I had it pretty bad.....after 4 days of meds....my throat, just this morning, started feeling better although my glands in my neck are HUGE! I am curious....what kind (dosage) of meds did your dr. give you. Mine gave me 875 mg amoxicillion twice a day. I think if your kids are not running a fever.....the tests might not pick it up just yet on your kids. Are they running a fever yet? . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 You are not crazy. At all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 NO! Dd had a bout with strep. We don't even know when it happened and we didn't find out about it until it became scarlet fever. SF can cause heart problems. If they look at you funny, look back at them funny and move along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 My middle daughter has had strep three times in the last year, and she never had a sore throat or any swollen lymph nodes! She did have a fever, headache, and nausea. My oldest had it once and she had swollen lymph nodes and a fever--no sore throat either. I wouldn't take mine in unless they had a fever, but you are their mom. You need to follow your instinct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom25girls Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Not crazy at all!!! My oldest daughter (16), had a horrible cough. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't bronchitis, so I brought her into the doctor. Guess what? Strep. On the drive home, I started thinking about more typical strep symptoms (sore throat or stomach pains) and realized that I had a child who had quite a few stomach pains in the past week. I was feeling kind of paranoid but I called the doctor when we arrived home (12 minutes later). The doctor's office thought that I was kind of crazy but we scheduled an appointment and...she too had strep! Trust your intuition!!! Hoping that you're all feeling better soon. :)Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in KS Posted November 5, 2010 Author Share Posted November 5, 2010 Thanks all! I was doubting myself and you all made me feel so much better! Now my 8 yo is napping and finally says that her tongue hurts when she swallows a lot and she does feels bad. I also think she didn't want to miss a princess party tomorrow so she didn't want to admit it. No significant fevers, but low grade ones the last couple of days. I never got above 100 with this, either. We will see. The appointment is in an hour. I've been on azithromyacin for three days. I'm severely allergic to penicillan, so I can't do the normal amoxicillan drugs for this. My throat's still rotten, but my body feels better. My joints and muscles hurt so bad before meds that I could barely move. The doc said strep is much harder on adults than kids and that it's very important to take it easy. Yes, easier said than done.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TX Bluebonnet Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Neither of my kids ever have a sore throat with strep. For some reason I am always shocked when they test positive for strep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Not at all. Whenever anyone in my family tests positive for strep, everyone else gets tested too. It has happened on multiple occasions that someone else is positive, even though they have no symptoms. It's untreated strep that's the scariest, so I really don't want to miss it. My dh is the worst as far as asymptomatic strep - the other reason to stamp this out is that if he doesn't get treated, he'll invariably give it to someone else after we think we've treated the strepy one. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 I was diagnosed with strep on Wednesday morning. I felt AWFUL for a couple of days before that. Do people ever have strep and not feel too bad? My kids behavior has been way, way out of control this morning. They are whining, crying, moaning and hitting about the silliest things. They are 8, 6, and 4 and this is not normal for them (well, sometimes for the 4 year old but this is extreme even for them). When they acted like this as toddlers, I knew they were sick. Yet, they say they feel fine. Everyone's eyes are bloodshot. They say they are tired. Their throats look HORRIBLE (bright red with all kinds of thick bumps). Well, two of them look worse than the other one. They say their throats don't hurt. I've been guessing they might be sick since Wednesday, but the last meltdown pushed me over the edge and I made an appointment this afternoon. The appointment lady seemed shocked that I wanted them checked for strep even though their throats didn't hurt. Am I crazy? No. My kids start every sickness with a case of the crankies, too. I know they are sick even before their real symptoms start. And since you have strep it is quite likely that they do as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 DS10 stays asymptomatic besides an occasional headache and totally wacky behavior for weeks. It was awful until we figured it out. I once took him to the dr. because he was poking me in church...sure enough he was positive for strep! It's dreadul. Now I run to the dr. many times for what turns out to be nothing because once the cycle gets going, we may all not be on the same timing for antibiotics and it can go right back through the family again before I realize it. Strep is a scary thing. If you research it, it can cause some frightening symptoms, such as sudden onset OCD. The condition is called PANDAS. Brownie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 The appointment lady seemed shocked that I wanted them checked for strep even though their throats didn't hurt. Am I crazy? Another thing is that even with symptomatic strep there is not always a sore throat - sometimes it's just a headache and/or stomachache (not the pukes, just an achy stomach). I'm rather surprised that someone working at a dr's office wouldn't know that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Our family's last round of strep included NO sore throats! Weird, but true. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 I would not have taken my kids in yet.....but hey, mama knows best! If you think your kids are feeling out of sorts and may have strep, then you do what you think is best! Mothers intiution is nothing to brush off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaS Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 I would have taken my kids in, too. We had a bout with strep last year. I started it and I felt awful. My kids came down with it one by one, but not all of them exhibited the typical symptoms. Keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Do people ever have strep and not feel too bad? Yes - I do - I am a carrier for strep and can still pass it around, so need to go on penicillin/amoxycillin to get rid of it so I don't make everyone around me sick:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jentancalann Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 My throat barely hurts w/ strep, only a "feeling" when I swallow. I can see how kids may not notice it. I also don't run a fever. We always have the flashlight out looking down people's throats whenever anyone gets sick. If it looks out of the ordinary, we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in KS Posted November 6, 2010 Author Share Posted November 6, 2010 Update: I was right. They had strep, too. The doc said he could smell it strongly and knew even before the tests came back... He didn't treat me like I was crazy at all (like the receptionist). My daughter doesn't have tonsils and he said that kids without tonsils don't feel strep the same way. I never thought of that. We're all on antibiotics now except for dad. I think we got it from him, though. He was pretty sick recently with a sore throat but he's fully recovered now. Thanks for all the encouragement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Update: I was right. They had strep, too. The doc said he could smell it strongly and knew even before the tests came back... He didn't treat me like I was crazy at all (like the receptionist). My daughter doesn't have tonsils and he said that kids without tonsils don't feel strep the same way. I never thought of that. We're all on antibiotics now except for dad. I think we got it from him, though. He was pretty sick recently with a sore throat but he's fully recovered now. Thanks for all the encouragement! Way to go mom!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 :hurray: Well - I'm not clapping that they have strep... that looks kinda odd. Anyway - no - clapping that you made the right choice and followed your gut. My kids used to react the same way - my older ds had strep once and never even had a fever. the doc thought I was nuts when I demanded a culture... but it came back positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but if you think your DH had it then he needs to be treated even if he doesn't have symptoms anymore. If I remember correctly, when it's not treated it lingers in the body and thats when it turns into something worse. I remember getting it when I was pregnant and no one I knew had it. Hubby had been sick about 6-8 weeks prior and doctor said to have him checked anyways. Yep he still had it even though he had long since stopped feeling sick. I once showed up in urgent care to have 5 of us tested for strep (we couldn't get to our regular doctor and when I get strep if I don't get treated pronto it gets wildly out of control). Yes they looked at us funny and really didn't think my 10 month old needed to be tested because it's so rare for kids under 2 (and especially one who is breastfeeding like she was) to get strep. I already knew I had and sure enough I was right about me and 10 month old had it too. They even double checked her results because they didn't think she really had it. Gut reactions are a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Way to go!! Good call!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 No, you're not crazy. Yes, you can have strep and not feel terrible. It happened to me. One year, dd could not shake strep despite multiple rounds of antibiotics. Her ped suggested dh and I get checked out. I had it and never felt bad. Finally, with both dd and me on antibiotics (and after throwing away all the toothbrushes and buying new ones), she was able to get rid of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowfall Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but if you think your DH had it then he needs to be treated even if he doesn't have symptoms anymore. If I remember correctly, when it's not treated it lingers in the body and thats when it turns into something worse. No, that's not exactly true. If you're going to get rheumatic fever, then it generally happens when you have an acute strep infection. The antibodies created to fight the strep can attack your own tissues. The symptoms of rheumatic fever won't happen until later, but the process usually starts during an acute infection (when you're sick - not after you're well). If you've already recovered, getting antibiotics won't help, since the antibodies will already have been made. Less than 1/2 of 1% of people with untreated strep infections will develop rheumatic fever. However, occasionally someone with no history of strep throat or scarlet fever will develop it, either because their infection was subclinical and they had no symptoms or because their symptoms were atypical or very mild and they didn't recognize them as strep. Someone who thinks they may still be carrying the bacteria might want antibiotics to prevent them spreading it to others, though. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but if you think your DH had it then he needs to be treated even if he doesn't have symptoms anymore. If I remember correctly, when it's not treated it lingers in the body and thats when it turns into something worse. I remember getting it when I was pregnant and no one I knew had it. Hubby had been sick about 6-8 weeks prior and doctor said to have him checked anyways. Yep he still had it even though he had long since stopped feeling sick. I once showed up in urgent care to have 5 of us tested for strep (we couldn't get to our regular doctor and when I get strep if I don't get treated pronto it gets wildly out of control). Yes they looked at us funny and really didn't think my 10 month old needed to be tested because it's so rare for kids under 2 (and especially one who is breastfeeding like she was) to get strep. I already knew I had and sure enough I was right about me and 10 month old had it too. They even double checked her results because they didn't think she really had it. Gut reactions are a good thing. You're right. Dd had it at some point, without symptoms. We only found out once it became scarlet fever. Untreated it can also settle in your heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but if you think your DH had it then he needs to be treated even if he doesn't have symptoms anymore. If I remember correctly, when it's not treated it lingers in the body and thats when it turns into something worse. :iagree: It can hide out and do nasty stuff, or he could just re-infect you all later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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