Is your child suffering with a strep throat infection? Keep reading for our experience with strep throat – from a mommy doc perspective.

The thread of illnesses just seems to be continuing in our house! A little over a month ago, my youngest battled Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. It was a rough time. He had fevers, a pretty bad rash, and blisters in his mouth. He recovered after a week of misery (though it felt much longer!).

Now, my 5 year-old woke up a few mornings ago complaining of a sore throat. She is not one to complain, so when she does, I know there has to be something really wrong. She’s also a big eater, so the fact that she didn’t want to eat said a lot. I ended up just giving her ibuprofen for the pain, since there were no fevers or other symptoms. I figured it was a virus. It should eventually go away on its own.

Fast-forward two days, and she was still consistently complaining. The ibuprofen worked for a few hours, but when it wore off, the pain was back. She was so tired that she didn’t even want to go to her gymnastics class. And she LOVES gymnastics!

Because she wasn’t getting better, I took her in to the office. A rapid strep test was done by a swab of her throat, and her test was POSITIVE. I have to say that in my 7 years as a Pediatrician I’ve seen a ton of strep. But, in my 14 years as a mom, we haven’t had ONE case of strep in our house. This is definitely a first for us!

 I hope you never have to deal with strep in your home. But if you do, here’s some helpful info on strep throat – from a mommy doc perspective.

What is strep throat?

Strep throat (“streptococcal pharyngitis”) is an infection of the throat and tonsils caused by Streptococcus Group A bacteria.

Who gets strep throat?

It’s most common in children ages 5-15 years. It’s not very common in children less than 3 years old, unless a sibling has strep. My daughter is five and fits right at the bottom of that range.

What are the symptoms of strep throat?

• Sore Throat
• Fever
• Belly Pain
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Large tonsils with pus/white patches
• Tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
• Younger children may not be able to tell you their throat hurts, but may have a decreased appetite, refusal of their favorite foods, and pain with feedings.
• A red rash that feels like sandpaper.

I’ve seen strep present in a lot of different ways in kids! Some with only ONE of these symptoms. My daughter only had a sore throat, headache, and red spots in her mouth.

How do you spread strep throat?

The bacteria that causes strep can live in the nose and throat. It’s spread to through coughing, sneezing, sharing food or drinks, etc. My daughter is a finger-sucker.Plus, she’s in daycare. This really set her up for getting strep!

How do you diagnose strep throat?

A rapid strep test is done by swabbing the throat with a q-tip. You can usually get the result of this test in 5 minutes. This test isn’t always accurate, so if it’s negative, a throat culture can be sent out to the lab. This is the final test, which sees if the strep bacteria grows from your throat swab within 48 hours.

How is strep throat treated?

If you have a positive strep test, you should be treated with antibiotics (usually a penicillin). Antibiotics treat the infection, prevent it from being spread to others, and decrease the risk of complications from strep.

What are the complications of strep throat?

• Abscesses or pockets of pus can form around the tonsils
• The strep bacteria can affect the heart, years after an untreated strep infection. This called Rheumatic heart disease, and can lead to heart failure
• The strep bacteria can also affect the kidneys and cause a disease called post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. This can lead to kidney failure.

How do you prevent the spread of strep throat?

• Good hand washing
• Covering your cough and sneeze
• If you’ve been infected, you should stay away from other people until you’ve had no fevers for 24 hours. You should also wait until you’ve been on antibiotics for 24 hours. This means kids should stay out of daycare and school during this time.

Strep throat – from a mommy doc perspective – hasn’t been fun, but we’ve survived! My daughter is definitely on the mend now, and finishing her course of antibiotics. She got in a lot of snuggles and quality time with her mommy. She’s been a trooper, and I’m so proud of her for fighting through it, in spite of the pain she was in. Hopefully we have a few healthier weeks to come in our home!

Other helpful resources related to Strep Throat – From A Mommy Doc Perspective:

• Stomach Virus – From A Mommy Doc Perspective
• What Do You Do When Your Kid Has The Flu?
• Why Does My Kid Keep Getting Sick?

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