the cousins have strep

[dcmom]

So- we live out of town, and are planned to drive home and see the whole family: cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents on the day after Christmas. Realistically it is the only day. My SIL just called to let me know that her daughter was diagnosed with strep yestarday (she has two sisters), everyone else feels fine. She is on amoxicillin and feeling better.

 

Do we go? I personally would cancel, but this is my inlaws, so it isn't only my decision. My SIL said she would put all the kids on amox prophalactically.

 

This stinks!

 

It will be kind of a big deal if we don't go- but I hate to chance any exposure (or even reaction) by my pandas dd (not to mention the other one).

 

Advice? Have you dealt with this before?

 

Thanks, and happy holidays

[peglem]

I'd take her up on putting the kids on amox- ideally 48 hours prior to your arrival. And what a nice gesture on her part!

[dcmom]

Thanks peg- I am just wondering if that is enough. I am starting to feel like we have been through too much this year, and things are pretty decent right now- is it worth jeapordizing. I mean- lets say I dont' think she will get strep- but if its like the peanut allergy thing it could cause symptoms. Sigh. DH won't want to cancel...

[peglem]

I completely understand your hesitation, but I just don't see how you can completely protect your kids from EVER getting exposed to strep. I think minimizing exposure is about as good as it gets, unfortunately. Man, this stuff sure turns us into germaphobes, doesn't it?

[thereishope]

Personally, I wouldn't go. I know you will get a lot of flack and comments for it, but I wouldn't. I even asked my SIL not to send a package here once that she needed to because her daughter had tonsilitis and was awaiting results of a culture. I said to us it is life and death and I just couldn't chance anything.

 

Also, did the ped already say he/she would give proph amox to the siblings and parents? Even so, they have to be on it for 24 hours for it to kill strep if they did have it and when would she gets the script? It's hard to get a dr to give meds to other children like that. I don't think she realizes how hard it is to get meds sometimes.

 

I could go on and on with scenarios and reason. I worry a lot. Let me know if you want more:)

[Debbie1]

I am so sorry you have to make this decision. We faced a similar situation at Thanksgiving time when we were going to host my dh's family and one of the cousins came down with strep. I told my SIL not to send her daughter even though she would have been on antibiotics for over 24 hours by the time she came to my house. It was a very unpopular decision, but for my sanity, it was worth it. As it was, the cousin's brother was still coming, as were other cousins who frequently have strep. Honestly, I was a wreck the whole time.

 

More recently, we were supposed to sleepover at this same cousin's house for a yearly get together that we have. We cancelled the sleepover and went for a few hours during the day instead (although it may not be possible in your case). It is always more likely for the kids to catch something when they are sleeping right next to a sick child. Again, it was a very unpopular decision.

 

However, if your SIL is willing to put the others on antibiotics (and perhaps the parents can get a quick culture tomorrow), I would feel pretty comfortable.

 

It is a very difficult decision...I would go with your gut on this one.

[Ellen]

This is a tough one for sure. We have a similar situation but the cousin with strep will be finished with her 10 day course of antibiotics by the time we see her. So I'm okay with seeing them, but I asked my SIL to inform me if anyone else in the family gets strep between now and then. If this becomes the case, I don't think I want to risk setbacks right now even though it will be a huge disappointment to everyone. It was really thoughtful of your SIL to offer putting kids on abx phophalactically. Sounds like she really gets it.

 

Ellen

 

 

So- we live out of town, and are planned to drive home and see the whole family: cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents on the day after Christmas. Realistically it is the only day. My SIL just called to let me know that her daughter was diagnosed with strep yestarday (she has two sisters), everyone else feels fine. She is on amoxicillin and feeling better.

 

Do we go? I personally would cancel, but this is my inlaws, so it isn't only my decision. My SIL said she would put all the kids on amox prophalactically.

 

This stinks!

 

It will be kind of a big deal if we don't go- but I hate to chance any exposure (or even reaction) by my pandas dd (not to mention the other one).

 

Advice? Have you dealt with this before?

 

Thanks, and happy holidays

[smartyjones]

don't envy you at all dcmom - such a hard decision. i would err on the side of overprotection and not go - but that is me, not my advice to you - only you and your husband can make the call.

 

not related to pandas but - when my older son was 5 1/2 weeks old he had a fever and was hospitalized. they did a spinal tap and he had 3 days of IV rocefin. the tap came back normal and it was thought he just had a cold. due to his age, that's the protocol b/c they fear he wouldn't be able to fight an infection if it had been. unfortunately, a few days before, he'd seen my nephew who was 3 at the time and had a cold. did i blame my sister? no. did i wish we'd not seen them? yes! there was no way to go back and at the time, i had a good attitude about it but now (almost 8 years later), it still brings tears to my eyes to remember trying to wake him in the middle of the night b/c he didn't wake up to eat like normal, going to the ER, authorizing a spinal tap, IV abx in his small little arm.

 

fast forward to 3 years later thanksgiving, my son had a cold and my BIL just had a baby - strangely enough, 5 weeks old. i refused to go to their house b/c it was just too eerie of a coincidence for me. that side of the family did not understand why i would be worried about it b/c they weren't and another cousin also had a cold and was going. so they were all mad at me for some time b/c we didn't attend that dinner. my husband would have gone but deferred to my thoughts and made that his decision too.

 

i think at the least, you're fortunate that it sounds like your SIL is trying to work with you. could you go and your daughters be fine? yes. could they get strep or relapse? yes. could they relapse around someone you don't know who has strep? yes. so many ifs. i would say be confident in what you feel is right. just really try to make sure you and your husband are on the same page with the decision so you can have some togetherness if the rest of the family is upset.

 

good luck!

[Tattoomom]

Man, this stuff sure turns us into germaphobes, doesn't it?

 

I am the Queen of Germaphobes already! My baby (15 months) has a compromised immune system due to a blood disorder, Autoimmune Neutropenia. She has no-to-low neutrophils and leaves her extremely susceptible to whatever she is exposed to. Any fever over 101, she has to go to the ER for blood draws & cultures & IV antibiotics (usually Rocephin)

 

So, if it were me, personally I wouldn't go! But we're dealing with several issues so I am just extremely paranoid!

 

Sorry you're having to make the decision... I've been there... it's never easy, and there's no "right" answer. You'll probably second guess yourself either way.

[dut]

If it were me, I wouldn't be going either. I know we can't put our kids in a bubble they got to go to school etc but I wouldn't want to walk into a situation with known strep. I know the 24 hour rule thing but hey, we all know from personal experience or from the experience of others on this board that abx aren't always as effective as drs say they are. I'd be seriously thinking twice about it... but that's me, not a germaphobe in general but scared of strep.......

[matis_mom]

I think it is awful nice of your SIL to give you the heads up and be willing to put other kids on abx. It is a tough decision, but in my case I would go. It seems your SIL is on the ball and hopefully she will have disinfected bathrooms, etc. How old are your kids? The trick is with little ones who grab just any cup at all and start drinking, or cousins sharing cookies, etc. So that would be my biggest worry, the toddlers who have no clue what germs are all about. Older kids usually understand, my problem is my PANDAS ds's anxiety focuses on germs and contamination, so in a situation like that I feel I would totally be "feeding the monster" if I tell him to wash often/be careful.

 

How's the rest of the extended family at understanding your problem and helping keep things under control?

 

Hope you and your husband can make a decision soon and have a peaceful Christmas!

 

Isabel

[Tattoomom]

I wouldn't want to walk into a situation with known strep.

 

 

That's where I stand... I know we can't live in a bubble but to knowingly go into a situation where you already know for a fact that someone has strep, well, that's a gamble. IMHO.

[FallingApart]

I wouldn't go either. I might tell your DH that he could go on his own while you stay home with the children. I know that also stinks, but we have done a lot of splitting up this year to make situations work. My only concern there is that then your DH would be around it.

 

That is a really hard one because of course your DH wants to go. And I know if it was mine, he would think I was nuts if I told him I didn't think we should go. But, I wouldn't go.