Blood Tests

[Guest]

My 5 year old is seeing a specialist in a few weeks, but her pediatrician ordered blood work on that doctor's recommendation. I'm trying to understand what the results might mean. Mycoplasma came back in normal range. ASO was 350 (lab's high was 150). Anti DNase B was 511 (lab's high was 375). She had a positive strep culture about 2 months prior (and a few more times during the past 1 1/2 years). She was on day 9 of Augmentin for a sinus infection when she had the blood work. A side note, behavior drastically improved after 24 hrs on the antibiotics.

 

Thanks!

[Teri]

Well I'm not an expert .... just a PANDAS Mom who's been in the fight for 5 years now.

 

I would say the high strep numbers are significant. I don't see any specifics regarding your child's symptoms in your recent post but I think it's a positive sign that you see improvement after 24 hours on antibiotics.

 

Make sure you document these things so you have the info. for the appointment with the specialist!

Hoping for quick healing for your little one!

 

Teri

[Guest]

Thanks,Teri!

 

We have questioned PANDAS for a little while based on symptoms and really can't find another good explanation for what's going on. We are seeing the specialist at her private office (they don't take insurance) because the clinic she is at is a year wait. So, she had the pediatrician order blood tests so we can have more info for our initial consult. I just don't know what any of the testing standards are. My daughter started with some behavior changes a little over a year ago. Initially, she had a very abnormal, sudden, intense tantrum that was so bad I drove immediately to the pediatrician's office. They determined she still had a tonsil infection from a couple weeks earlier (her behavior was off during that period too but not to the same degree). This was followed by new separation anxiety which gradually went away a few weeks later. The biggest concern for us has been out of control, hours long tantrums. But, we are starting to realize that there has been some other stuff that probably went along with it that we overlooked because the tantrums were so awful (clothing discomfort/strange clothing requests, tissue shredding, holding spit in her mouth...), and more recently she has verbalized that she can't be calm until everything is the way she wants it to be or that her body just can't settle down (and she told me that's normal for her). She's had some regressive behaviors and bedtime issue as well. The behavior has waxed and waned with sickness (with periods of "normal" behavior), and she's been on many antibiotics in this time period (strep, sinus infections, ear infections) with symptoms usually improving when she's on antibiotics. But, then they always come back when she is sick. She has also had very enlarged tonsils this whole time (she just had them removed) and daily autoimmune hives. We have been very fortunate that she's been great at school (with a couple exceptions of being withdrawn) and seems to hold herself together until she is with us.