Faithr Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 It's been 4 weeks since the first child came down with this fever/sore throat/stuffed up head/cough thing. She had a fever of 102 for 6 days! We took her to the drs. No strep (my family never gets strep) and he said it was just a virus. So then the 13 yo was laid low but only had a fever for two days, but this thing leaves you coughing, sneezing and stuffed up for forever! Then the 17 yo came down with it and had to miss a big event that he was looking forward to, which really bummed him out. I had been fighting a sore throat for two weeks and thought that I had missed the worst of it, but the Tues before Thanksgiving I woke up with the whole catastrophe. We had to cancel our regular Thanksgiving plans. My son was coming home from college and I was so worried about him catching it, but he came home sick! He had woken up with a fever and sore throat that morning! And then my dh came down with it! So Thanksgiving we all muddled through and had a half-hearted dinner. Yesterday morning everybody woke up fever free and feeling better, so my dh took everyone out to see Wreck It. They came home with 13 yo (who hadn't had a fever for over a week though he still had the cough) shivering and complaining of a headache and lo and behold he's got a fever of 102 all of a sudden! November has been such a drag! We've missed so many things this month because of this stupid virus that just won't quit! Anyway, 13 yo woke this a.m. with a low fever of 99.5. He is completely stuffed up, so much that when he talks he sounds like someone from a sit-com pretending to have a stuffed up nose. And his throat is really swollen. Should we check for strep again? Though honestly I always wish things were strep so we could just take an antibiotic, but it never is. I think in the 22 years I've been a parent we've only had strep twice. Do you think it is just a relapse or maybe big brother brought home a slightly different variation on the same kind of virus and we are all in for another round complements of him???? I am just so irrationally mad right now. Go away, stupid, horrible, no good, very bad bug!!!! (Anyway, thanks for letting me vent.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: It's my understanding that strep doesn't have stuffy nose, but it couldn't hurt to go back to the dr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I would have him gargle with Salt water and see what that does. It may just be a run of the mill cold. 99.5 isn't even a fever. It's a normal reading. I think you have to be 99.9 to be at the very lowest thing that even counts as a fever. In my experience, if salt water gargle soothes the throat, I do comfort measures and wait a few days. If the throat isn't soothed and becomes too painful to swallow, I take my kids in. We have had weeks of illness here and I was pulling my hair out, so I entirely sympathize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I would have him gargle with Salt water and see what that does. It may just be a run of the mill cold. 99.5 isn't even a fever. It's a normal reading. I think you have to be 99.9 to be at the very lowest thing that even counts as a fever. In my experience, if salt water gargle soothes the throat, I do comfort measures and wait a few days. If the throat isn't soothed and becomes too painful to swallow, I take my kids in. We have had weeks of illness here and I was pulling my hair out, so I entirely sympathize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 :grouphug: That is no fun. I'm sorry it just won't go away. I have no idea if its a relapse. No one in our family got strep much until last spring and then my youngest seemed to come down with it about every 4weeks! It was so frustrating. It kept going around his school and he'd get it each time,but then it went into the summer. Ugh. I think we finally nipped it as he hasn't had one in several months. I hope your family heals up soon. I always advocate Airborne when things are making the rounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 If nobody else had strep and the 13 yr old doesn't have a history of strep, it's probably not strep. I'd just wait and see. It sounds like you all just got a nasty flu. So sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Can you look at his throat? If you see white spots on the back of his tongue going down his throat, that's strep. Now, we get strep a lot and we don't always get the spots. But, I do look for them with kiddos with sore throats. It he doesn't have spots, I'd wait a couple days. If it's too painful to swallow though, take him in. That's what I would do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I never had strep even though I had been exposed countless times. At 41 I got strep for the forst time. So... Monitor. And so sorry for a no fun horrible November. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Some thoughts: Did they only do a rapid strep test? You might want to ask for a throat culture instead. Fwiw- two of my dc get stuffy/sinusy w/ strep. From the national library of medicine: A rapid strep test can be done in most doctor's offices. However, this test may be normal, and you can still have strep. Your doctor may send the throat swab to a laboratory for a strep culture. Test results can take a few days. Did they do a flu test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Some thoughts: Did they only do a rapid strep test? You might want to ask for a throat culture instead. Fwiw- two of my dc get stuffy/sinusy w/ strep. From the national library of medicine: A rapid strep test can be done in most doctor's offices. However, this test may be normal, and you can still have strep. Your doctor may send the throat swab to a laboratory for a strep culture. Test results can take a few days. Did they do a flu test? I agree that it still could be strep if all they did was a rapid strep test. My rapid streps always come back negative and then I get a call the next day from the Dr. saying he's sent my script to the pharmacy because the culture came back positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I'm guessing your college-age son brought a different virus home and your 13 yo came down with that because he was still run down with the other. Strep usually doesn't involve a cough, but if you're concerned, take him back in. Sorry you guys have had such a rotten month :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 So sorry to hear you have all been sick for so long! It is amazingly frustrating. No advice, but youall will be in my prayers for a quick, complete recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 So sorry to hear you have all been sick for so long! It is amazingly frustrating. No advice, but you all will be in my prayers for a quick, complete recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 Thanks, Maria. You know what has been echoing through my mind since last Monday? Your quip: "What's a holiday without projectile vomiting!" LOL! I know that there were times when things were much worse when the kids were all really little. But still it is such a drraag to be dealing with the flu that would not die!!!! To address other comments, our dr always does both the rapid test and the overnight. It really does seem more like a flu than strep to me, so I think I'll treat it as such. I am afraid that he picked it up from oldest son's similar but not exactly the same flu. God help us if it runs through the family again! Aarrghhh!!!!! Ok, time for my afternoon nap! I am read Call the Midwife and it is completely absorbing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodhaven Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 No advice, but hopes and prayers for healing for your family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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