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Pretty Sure that all 4 of my children will have Pandas


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Well, we know my 7 year old has pandas. We have been noticing small things with my 6 year old since a strep infection in December. I think she has had her first episode, and things are better (it was very mild) but included trip to er for panic attack, several crying spells at night, and even some very funny behavior at school. She seems better now. My 3 yr old son had strep in Feb. causing an exacerbation to start in my 7 year old who was doing so well at the time. Now after steroid taper and being on zithromax for a few weeks, we're seeing improvement, but having alot of ups and downs. My 3 year old has been awful for 2 weeks now. Very aggressive, refusing to follow directions or rules in our home, defiant, overly emotional....fun stuff. I keep thinking that he's getting sick...because sometimes they behave this way when it's coming, but he's fine. Then there's my youngest daughter age 4 who was positive for strep last thrusday. She got a shot of bicillin, and still has all the symptoms. I tested her tues. night 5 full days after bicillin shot and she was still positive. I take her back to dr yesterday and tell them what is going on, but her rapid is negative there. They will culture.

The dr and I have a conversation about why she doesn't present like other children with strep. She has the symptoms that she can tell me about; headache, sore throat, stomach pains, but no fever and when dr's look in her throat they tell me it looks fine....but she will test positive for strep. Dr. says her body has the bacteria, she feels the symptoms, but immune system for some reason is not responding or recognizing the problem.....therefore throat is not really red, no fever, etc. I agree with the theory that her immune system doesn't fight it, but her body knows it's there. This makes me wonder if I will have all 4 children with pandas one day. For 3 years I've taken them to the dr multiple times a month for strep tests. Not because they have a fever, but because everyone's behavior gets really wacky, stinky breath, waking up at night, etc... not your typical fever, sore throat issues.

The reason that I'm writing this post right now is this: What a week I've had with my poor 4 year old daugher. Wed. my strep test at home is positive....so I take her to the dr and their test is negative....they tell me she is fine. Not believing dr 1 we got to another dr thurs. her test is positive and he gives her shot of bicillin. My test is still positive 5 days later.....we've been to an ENT and ped. neither would give her medicine; ENT says she looks fine and he doesn't see infection, ped says it may still be there but we will have to see what culture says, no meds. My fear is that she will be turning 5 this month......we have a check up to do with vaccines before kindergarten....and in april we are having her tonsils out. Is all of this going to send my loving baby into her first pandas episode....I'm worried that it's very likely! We have to get the tonsils out, but should I wait until summer when she's recovered from that and not sick to do the shots for school? What do the rest of you think or see about the theory that all four kids have "symptoms" but immune system doesn't fight the bacteria?? You know, in January I thought we were going to be done with pandas.....I never imagined that 2 months later I would be so worried about all four kids! :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko:

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Aww I'm so sorry to read what your going through. Very tough situation, i would not suggest vaccination s until u test further and see what's going on with immune system. My children never presented with typical strep symptoms. They sometimes had low grade fever, wouldn't eat, dark circles, complained stomache ache, throat didn't look strepy... But I knew when wad positive, unfortunately at times when I for sure thought strep sometimes came back negative and they werent given anything. Anyway, I feel for you..I have 3 kids and its so difficult when we can't lead normal sane life.

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I remember the day we took our ds (then 10) to the ped and I said he had strep throat. The ped looked in his throat and said there was no sign of any infection. No fever, no stomach ache, no sore throat - no symptoms at all. Somehow, I got the ped to do a rapid anyway and in his own words, "That is the fastest most positive result I have ever seen." These kids make is tricky for us by getting sick and not presenting with symptoms.

 

My own opinion is to wait on the vaccines. Get her healthy, get her tonsils out and let her recover. Then, you can assess the vaccines in a few months. You have too much going on with her body right now. You should be fine to wait a few more months for the shots. We have delayed in the past and I was always glad we did. One year, we even got the doctor signed waiver for school because it just didn't feel like his body could handle the shots. Later, we caught up with the vaccines, but at the time I think it was better to wait. Listen to your gut feeling, it is probably right ...

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