twinmomny

Hello! My 7 year old daughter appeared to suffer a "mini stroke" last week. She was drooling and unable to swallow, eat or drink. The pediatrician tested her for strep; it was positive. She prescribed 10 days amoxicillin, however my daughter was unable to swallow, therefore couldn't take the medicine orally. Due to dehydration she required IV (including antibiotics). The pediatrician was beyond unhelpful. She accused my daughter of "choosing" not to drink or eat. She recommended that I remove all her toys, IPad, etc. and lock her in her room; stating "When she is ready to eat, she can earn back her toys." She told me this was all behavioral. This did not seem right to me. So I went to her dentist and orthodontist to rule out any underlying dental issues. There were no "dental" concerns, nor could they offer a reason for this uncontrollable drooling and "refusal" to swallow.

My daughter ended up as an inpatient at a local psychiatric hospital, as per the pediatrician's advice that my daughter could "talk to someone to explain why she is acting this way." Thankfully, a young psychiatrist evaluated my daughter and told us she has PANDAS and predicted that she would be just fine, as long as she took the same RX of antibiotics which the pediatrician prescribed. Sure enough, by the end of the week, I am delighted to report that my daughter is "back to herself." Her week consisted of going from drinking clear liquids, shakes, pureed foods, then solids. For 2 days she presented with sudden OCD behaviors including analyzing her strawberry milkshake (removing the tiny seeds) and taking apart the mashed potatoes (removed the brown skin). I was so ecstatic that she was able to put things in her mouth, I didn't even mind the OCD behaviors. They were completely gone the next day!

To say that I am beyond angry with the local pediatrician for not being knowledgeable about PANDAS is an understatement Her ignorance caused our whole family excessive stress, not to mention my daughter being place in a psychiatric hospital for nearly a week! I am left with a child who may be "physically" well this week, but what about the psychological trauma in my daughter??? I have not yet discussed what she witnessed as an in-patient. I simply reminded her that she was there because she had a base case of strep, called PANDAS.

If anyone knows of an legal cases, where a family filed a medical misdiagnosis case against a pediatrician for "missing" the PANDAS diagnosis, causing significant stress to the child (and their family), please let me know. I feel that pediatricians should be held accountable for not "keeping up with the times." The young dr. in the hospital told me "she learned about PANDAS in medical school." It appears that "seasoned" pediatricians need a refresher course!!