Strep still active? Where are flares coming from

[DanL]

How does one know if strep is hiding, still active? Did the ABX wipe it out or not? Have not seen any acute onset symptoms since Feb but have minor flares (last ABX was Feb)

What is causing the flares? Old strep lying around, new exposures, stress?

[cara615]

i don't have an answer but I am right there with you. DS's motor tics have increased and his vocals are starting to show themselves although still extremely mild.

 

the things I have pondered over are:

 

Allergies

Yeast overgrowth

Strep exposure

common cold

BRAVO probiotic not as effective since I bought the easy formula

 

For allergies I was giving Allegra but nothing changed in his tic level so I assumed it was not allergies

 

for yeast overgrowth we do homeopathy candida remedy but i just called in another round of diflucan just to cover my bases

 

for strep, i took him for a rapid with culture and both were negative but that could be because he is on azithro 2x a week??

 

his nose has been runny maybe he has a common cold that i causing the flare?

 

BRAVO probiotic is a yogurt that i ferment myself. They send me the ferments and this last order I got the "easy kit" as opposed to the one that takes 3 days to make. i didn't realize the package was outside my house for a couple of hours and it was hot out that day. I am thinking maybe the bacteria died? However, I would think if that were the case then the yogurt wouldn't ferment at all and it is still fermenting. So I just don't know.

 

We have been treating with motrin 2x a day for a week now to keep the tics at a low level. He tics constantly but they are very mild so its hard to notice unless he is doing some serious head jerks.

 

But Motrin is not something you can give long term so I ordered CBD oil and our Dr. called in Mobic. I will try Mobic first and then once the CBD oil comes in, I will switch. Hoping we can control the inflammation.

 

I think this all boils down to inflammation unless there is an infection that we are not aware of. We may need more testing for co-infections like Bart if we can't get this flare to go away.

 

Sorry for my long drawn out response, maybe I gave you some ideas from my brainstorm.

[qannie47]

I know I am a constant echo with this...but Turmeric is wonderful for inflammation. I really like the Douglas Labs brand. Optimized Curcumin. It is supposed to have the highest bio-availability.

[cara615]

We were trying ENHANSA and it wasn't helping Is the brand you are recommending more powerful?

[Mayzoo]

I tested kiddos teeth (after reading about it here) and despite a few years of prophy abx, her teeth were positive for strep even though her throat was not. So were my teeth . I have also read of folks finding strep in the kidneys, nasal cavity, and joints.

 

If you started out with high ASO titers, I suspect lower ASO titers would mean improvement. In kiddos case, her ASO is never elevated even 30 + days into a 60 day bout of positive throat rapid tests.

[MomWithOCDSon]

I don't know if anyone knows for sure, but I'll second Mayzoo; strep can hide out in lots of places, with gut and sinuses being the two I suspect may have been part of the picture for my DS. Both biomes are difficult to get to effectively, and both can harbor biofilms . . . micro-biomes in which strep and other bacteria can hide from treatments and antibodies. In the end, we stayed on treatment-level abx for nearly two years before DS stopped "flaring."

 

I will also say, however, that stress and general anxiety, I think, can contribute to flare behaviors, even if the flare isn't linked directly to a microbe or autoimmune "event." There was a research paper floating around here on the forum a year or so ago about how stress can contribute to a more permeable blood brain barrier (BBB) (presumably via inflammation), and a more permeable BBB, in turn, can let things into the brain (like antibodies) that don't belong there. So a combination of treating with anti-inflammatories and working to minimize the stress should help get through these "flares," as well.