Strep Throat Question

[Luminosity]

Follow up is bloodwork in 4 weeks to see if the mono is still lingering or is gone. All she does is sleep right now but being 16 she has that luxury.

I feel so bad for you... being that sick and still having the everyday life stuff to deal with. I don't see why your allergist wouldn't get the followup bloodwork as wasn't that who requested it to begin with?

Our healthcare systems are so different. We have a doctor shortage but all we have to do is go to a walk in clinic or the local emerg dept. and they would do the follow up. Mind you our taxes are high enough to more than cover the basic healthcare we get free.

Feel better soon from the cold so that your body can fight the mono full force... get more rest that 6 hours a night!!!!!!

Thinking about you!

Luminosity

 

[SRL]

Thanks. I'd wondered if they did anything beyond bloodwork since there can be complications with the spleen.

I could go to the walk in clinic or the ER but it would cost me more than a regular appointment. ER is automatically a $100 charge!

A lot of doctors won't do anything outside of their specialty area. I just called to see if the phsyician's assistant at my gynecologist could do a followup recheck as she had just poked and prodded me good last week but they don't. Actually I should say they will order a reasonable amount of followup testing for something that comes up during the course of a regular appointment but not step this far out. My allergist probably would do it but I really need to get a PCP anyway. I just called my best friend and asked her to call a woman we know who knows the area of women's health in this location very well for some recommendations.

 

[Luminosity]

I know my stepdaughters spleen was slightly swollen and I believe that is why they told her to not do anything strenuous like lifting etc... I don't know if they do this there but maybe if you go to the local community college or university the health department usually has a list of doctors taking patients in the area. Just a thought. I know you have to find one that your insurance approves as well so what about requesting the list of docs they approve that are still taking patients.....

Just brain bubblings here...

Luminosity

 

[SRL]

Wasn't there a thread around here about a soft or liquid diet some time back? I couldn't find it.

 

[Marguerite]

"Can strep throat produce sore throat and tonsil on only one side?"

Yep.

It's also possible for this to be entirely the mono, or as well as the mono.

Good home remedy - lemon and honey. If at all possible, use honey from a beekeeper, not the homogenised, pasteurised stuff from the supermarket. But if not, use what you can get.

Warm the honey gently (especially if it's candied). Only warm it until it is fairly runny. Add in freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste. If your sore throat is REALLY vicious, make up a small amount of camomile tea, really concentrated, and mix this in also.

Sip a spoonful of this at frequent intervals, to soothe the throat. The camomile should help to reduce inflammation of the mucous membranes, the honey is a natural antiseptic (and thick enough to stick around in the area for a little while) and the lemon juice helps in a number of other ways too.

But do it to taste - not too much lemon if it's too sour for you.

We do it with a good, strong, Aussie bush honey. Don't waste your really expensive European wildflower honey - use rough stuff.

You can't overdose on this brew!

Marg

 

[Kjs]

they can also test strept with blood work. Was that done?

 

[SRL]

I was already several days into antibiotics when the sore throat hit and tests in that case almost always come back negative. Strep coincides with a pretty good percentage of mono cases so it's very possible I had both in the cooker at the same time.

Thankfully the very swollen tonsil and high throat has subsided--that part was the worst not only due to the pain but getting liquids and foods in and having an unobstructed airway. My throat is still swollen and hurting, but it's in the midsection. I was able to get liquids down fairly easily yesterday and ate more mashed potatoes with butter than any woman in her 40's should eat in a single day.

Anybody know of anyone who has had mono in their 40's? I think unless severe it could easily be mistaken for a very bad cold or strep throat but I don't know anyone who has had it at the ripe old age of 45.

 

[smallworld]

Kjs, just so you know there is no specific blood test for active strep. If the white cell count is high, that can indicate a bacterial infection, which can be strep but could be another bacteria entirely (in other words, high white cell count is not specific to strep). Several weeks after a strep infection, certain blood titers rise, which indicate the presence of a PAST (not active) strep infection.

One time we suspected difficult child 1 had strep, but he wouldn't let the pediatrician near him for a throat culture (high anxiety). The pediatrician did a blood test, and difficult child 1's white count was very high. The pediatrician treated him with a broad-spectrum antibiotic (instead of amoxicillin, which is commonly prescribed for strep) because the pediatrician knew difficult child 1 had a bacterial infection, but he couldn't assume it was strep. Fortunately, difficult child 1 responded very quickly to the antibiotic.

SRL, glad you're feeling a little better today. I don't think I've heard of anyone in their 40s having mono, but our pediatrician once told me that a high percentage of kids test positive for the mono antibody (in subsequent blood work) prior to the teenage years, but it is frequently not caught for the reason you suggested -- everyone just assumes it's a very bad cold or sore throat.

 

[flutterbee]

I had mono in my 30's. It tends to hit harder for adults and can linger for longer than for kids/teenagers. Since yours is a reactivated case, I don't if that still holds true.

by the way, the swollen glands with mono can feel like a terrible sore throat. I couldn't turn my head to either side without considerable pain for a month when I had mono (18 months ago) and it hurt to swallow. difficult child was complaining of a sore throat recently and it wasn't her throat, it was her glands according to her pediatrician doctor.