Jen500 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 They've never had strep throat before, and one son has had it twice in the last 6 weeks, and my other son 3 times. They've finished every dose of antibiotics and changed toothbrushes. I know this isn't the place for medical advice, but any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Someone in the house is a carrier but not getting ill. Can even be a pet. Consider having other family members tested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LillyMama Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Someone in the house is a carrier but not getting ill. Can even be a pet. Consider having other family members tested. :iagree: But here's a cheery article that may apply, as well. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/antibiotic-resistance-riskiest-superbugs/story?id=15980356#.T8bkwdVrNfc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Do you have any littles? Like 3 or under? The younger ones can have strep without strep throat--they usually get anal strep, and it's easy to miss it. Then they can reinfect everyone else. We had a nasty journey with strep a few years ago. The other possibility might be tonsils. Apparently early elementary age is prime time for some kids' tonsils to be really susceptible to infection. That's probably only made worse with an immune system already worn down by one bout of strep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 In my case the strep was carried in my tonsils and adenoids. Antibiotics were not able to reach those areas. I've been strep free ever since getting them 'out'... I wish I would have had them removed sooner-- as I have auto-immune issues most likely caused by the chronic strep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reflections Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Someone in the house is a carrier but not getting ill. Can even be a pet. Consider having other family members tested. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LillyMama Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 they usually get anal strep Can we maybe all agree to not use the phrase "anal strep" ever again? :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 You could have an antibiotic resistant strain. It's becoming more and more common. Make sure you're giving the abx on schedule, not missing any doses, and finishing the full course. If they're still getting reinfected, the doc will have to bring out the big gun abx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Can we maybe all agree to not use the phrase "anal strep" ever again? :ack2: I know, nasty. But until our little adventure, I never knew such a thing existed. It would have been helpful to know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 My son got very frequent strep infections until he had his tonsils out. He was a carrier and kept getting himself re-infected. He would also get his younger sister infected too. Fortunately, we had no problems with the doctors allowing it to be removed since one of his tonsils was enlarged and they needed to biopsy it anyway (it was just super infected). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Someone in the house is a carrier but not getting ill. Can even be a pet. Consider having other family members tested. :iagree: This happened to us. DD, who had no symptoms at all, was the carrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Two of my dc had it every month for 5 months in a row one year. Turns out their sister was a carrier. They got it again after she was treated, and it turns out my dd's best friend was also a symptom free carrier. Once she got treated, they didn't get it again for 5 yrs. Another possibility is that they aren't giving your dc a high enough dose, and amoxicillin doesn't work anymore (at least on my kids). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Whenever one person gets strep, I just get everyone tested. Often one person has it with no symptoms. Dh has been the culprit more than once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 My children were doing the same thing, over and over they would finish their antibiotics and the next kid would start. It was sort of a round robin. Toothbrushes, chewed pencils, soothers, ANYTHING that can go in their mouths needs to be replaced or washed. I also started tossing a cup of bleach into the dishwasher and run it through to make sure nothing was surviving in the dishwasher. Dealing with strep is not fun, sorry you are going through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Can we maybe all agree to not use the phrase "anal strep" ever again? :ack2: Years ago, I was googling strep and learned that the preferred term (preferred by whom?) is strep butt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm still trying to understand this carrier thing. So someone could have the strep bacteria, but not have any symptoms of being ill? Is it bad in itself to be a carrier, for that person? Youngest son had all the symptoms of strep last month (when all this strep stuff started at our house) but his test came back negative! But we treated him with antibiotics anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 My ds had strep 6 times a year for about 2 years until I got a new job and better insurance. The first thing the new doctor wanted to do was take out his tonsils and adenoids. He's been strep free since then. He was a carrying it in his tonsils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm still trying to understand this carrier thing. So someone could have the strep bacteria, but not have any symptoms of being ill? Is it bad in itself to be a carrier, for that person?Youngest son had all the symptoms of strep last month (when all this strep stuff started at our house) but his test came back negative! But we treated him with antibiotics anyways. Yes, someone has the bacteria, but are not getting sick. It doesn't cause the carrier any problems, but the carrier will continually re-infect everyone around them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 One time I had strep (as an adult), finished my round of antibiotics, and immediately got it again. This time the doc gave me a "big" dose of antibiotics by giving me a shot (in the bottom..ouch). That took care of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missiemick Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 My husband is the only one around here that gets it -- and he's the only one that eats junk. Antibiotics mess up your gut/immune system. I suggest daily apple cider vinegar, kombucha, and a good probiotic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 My oldest had countless bouts with strep until getting her tonsils and adenoids out. She never has gotten it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 You could have an antibiotic resistant strain. It's becoming more and more common. Make sure you're giving the abx on schedule, not missing any doses, and finishing the full course. If they're still getting reinfected, the doc will have to bring out the big gun abx. Reviving this because he is on his 5th episode of strep now. And we are on vacation. Ugh. My question is--What are the big gun abx? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Reviving this because he is on his 5th episode of strep now. And we are on vacation. Ugh. My question is--What are the big gun abx? Has the doctor considered treating everyone in the house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Has the doctor considered treating everyone in the house? We did do that a while ago, although for various reasons we didn't all take the same antibiotic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Does anyne have impetigo? That is caused by the strep virus, and my one son will get that only to give my other son strep throat. Ugh. I agree that someone is likely a carrier or something is not being cleaned well that they have touched. I forgot to change their pillow cases once, and we started all over with the infection. Good luck, it is a nasty bug for sure. Have they tested the exact strain your son has? I would ask for that so they can tailor the abx to treat that exact stain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Reviving this because he is on his 5th episode of strep now. And we are on vacation. Ugh. My question is--What are the big gun abx? Depends on what your doc likes. LOL Amoxicillin is the first choice, followed by Augmentin (amoxicillin with a kick in the pants), then some docs like Azithromycin (which strep tends to be resistent to...that would be a Z-pack...pretty useless), others will use the cephalosporins...Cefdinir is a big gun one that usually will take care of it. Have another question for you though. Are they assuming your kiddos are reinfected with strep using the rapid strep test? Because that is NOT the way to see if there is a reinfection. The rapid strep test is an antibody detector. Those will still be in your child's body for MONTHS after a strep infection. And that's good. It means your child has made antibodies to attack strep. What you need to do to make sure it is a strep reinfection is a throat culture. The old fashioned kind where they swab your kid's throat and send it to a lab to see if anything grows over a 72 hour period. That is where you will see the actual strep bacteria. If the culture is positive, then you do indeed have recurrent strep. If they are only using the rapid strep...it most likely is NOT a recurrent strep infection, just a cold or some other virus crud that your kiddo had the misfortune of catching after the initial strep infection. Check with your doctor's office and make sure they have sent the throat swab out for a culture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Depends on what your doc likes. LOL Amoxicillin is the first choice, followed by Augmentin (amoxicillin with a kick in the pants), then some docs like Azithromycin (which strep tends to be resistent to...that would be a Z-pack...pretty useless), others will use the cephalosporins...Cefdinir is a big gun one that usually will take care of it. Have another question for you though. Are they assuming your kiddos are reinfected with strep using the rapid strep test? Because that is NOT the way to see if there is a reinfection. The rapid strep test is an antibody detector. Those will still be in your child's body for MONTHS after a strep infection. And that's good. It means your child has made antibodies to attack strep. What you need to do to make sure it is a strep reinfection is a throat culture. The old fashioned kind where they swab your kid's throat and send it to a lab to see if anything grows over a 72 hour period. That is where you will see the actual strep bacteria. If the culture is positive, then you do indeed have recurrent strep. If they are only using the rapid strep...it most likely is NOT a recurrent strep infection, just a cold or some other virus crud that your kiddo had the misfortune of catching after the initial strep infection. Check with your doctor's office and make sure they have sent the throat swab out for a culture. Oh, thank you for all of this! He has been on 3 different antibiotics, and always had the rapid strep test. But he has the same symptoms each time (bad sore throat, fever, extreme tiredness, stomach upset) and then a day or so after starting meds his throat feels better. And to complicate things we will be on vacation for a while so I will have to take him to some kind of urgent care clinic..they will just want to prescribe a med. And crappy insurance doesn't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 When DD was five she had 5 cases of strep and went through 7 rounds of antibiotics in a year. Eventually she developed HSP (a rash which is a weird immune reaction to antibiotics). We had everyone tested as a carrier and no one was. She did have so GIANT adenoids that the Dr suspects were "harboring" the bug. After the 5th case Dr recommended tonsils out. Before we did that, I knew her body was so beaten down by both the strep and the antibiotics. I started her on a high quality vitamin, some good immune boosters, and probiotics. I fed her a "super diet" of fresh made fruit/vegetable juice every morning, plus super healthy foods all the rest of the day and no junk. I kept her home from a preschool thing she went to and away from contact with other kids for about two weeks to give her a head start. Then we still continued the "super diet" to help get her body back on its feet. She never got strep again, and still hasn't to this day. We never had to have her tonsils out. For us, I believe that we got in a cycle of the bug and antibiotics that just beat her down and prevented her body from kicking the bug. If I had to repeat, I would still do the antibiotics, but would make sure I was doing all I could to keep her body strong. Do whatever you can to stop the cycle. I have a friend who basically had to isolate her daughter for 3 months to get a handle on it. I will add that if that had not done it, I would have went ahead with the tonsils out. The tonsils out will not be as hard on them as the ongoing cycle of infection/antibiotics. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) This happened to a friend of mine, and in the end, the DOG was the carrier! ETA: I just googled it and found out that studies are mixed on this. Hmmmm . . . . Well, I know they had the dog tested and they did some sort of treatment and the strep didn't come back. Edited July 8, 2012 by Jennifer in MI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 When DD was five she had 5 cases of strep and went through 7 rounds of antibiotics in a year. Eventually she developed HSP (a rash which is a weird immune reaction to antibiotics). We had everyone tested as a carrier and no one was. She did have so GIANT adenoids that the Dr suspects were "harboring" the bug. After the 5th case Dr recommended tonsils out. Before we did that, I knew her body was so beaten down by both the strep and the antibiotics. I started her on a high quality vitamin, some good immune boosters, and probiotics. I fed her a "super diet" of fresh made fruit/vegetable juice every morning, plus super healthy foods all the rest of the day and no junk. I kept her home from a preschool thing she went to and away from contact with other kids for about two weeks to give her a head start. Then we still continued the "super diet" to help get her body back on its feet. She never got strep again, and still hasn't to this day. We never had to have her tonsils out. For us, I believe that we got in a cycle of the bug and antibiotics that just beat her down and prevented her body from kicking the bug. If I had to repeat, I would still do the antibiotics, but would make sure I was doing all I could to keep her body strong. Do whatever you can to stop the cycle. I have a friend who basically had to isolate her daughter for 3 months to get a handle on it. I will add that if that had not done it, I would have went ahead with the tonsils out. The tonsils out will not be as hard on them as the ongoing cycle of infection/antibiotics. Good luck! Thanks you for sharing this...I was just thinking that he is run down physically a bit this summer...lots of camping and hiking and fast food (not our normal diet)..and that maybe he should start taking vitamins again and yogurt or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 This happened to a friend of mine, and in the end, the DOG was the carrier! ETA: I just googled it and found out that studies are mixed on this. Hmmmm . . . . Well, I know they had the dog tested and they did some sort of treatment and the strep didn't come back. Our pediatrician asked us a while ago if we had a dog (yes) but he seemed like he was just thinking about it...I found the same mixed conclusions when I googled. Plus, we have been away from the dog for a month now and he's still getting strep. ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 My oldest son went through that when he was in PS for 1st grade. He had it 8 times before we pulled him out just before spring break. They actually threatened to expell him for being gone so much, but we were simply following their no return to school unless fever free for 24hrs rule. The dr eventually said they believed his tonsils/adenoids were harboring the bacteria. Since he had those removed (when he was 7-8 years old) he's never gotten strep since (he's now 13) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I had strep on and off for 9 months when I was in the 3rd grade. They thought a friend and I were passing it back and forth. Turns out that my dog was the reservoir! As soon as the dog and I were treated at the same time, it finally went away. My suggestion is to check out the dog if you have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Oh, thank you for all of this! He has been on 3 different antibiotics, and always had the rapid strep test. But he has the same symptoms each time (bad sore throat, fever, extreme tiredness, stomach upset) and then a day or so after starting meds his throat feels better.And to complicate things we will be on vacation for a while so I will have to take him to some kind of urgent care clinic..they will just want to prescribe a med. And crappy insurance doesn't help. And he could definitely have recurrent strep...but you won't know for sure unless they do a culture. The rapid strep test is only good for the initial diagnosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 This has all been very helpful. My youngest has had repeated bouts of strep since Jan. We've never had this before with my older kids. The dr. has mentioned sending him to an ENT as well. I appreciate all the information about other possibilities to explore besides just surgery first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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