Question about strep carriers...

[peglem]

Harley had his adenoids and tonsils removed in 2004 by the same ENT doctor that we just went to, because of chronic sinus infections and strep throat.

 

 

Mrigsby,

 

Have you had him evaluated to see if his tonsils and adenoids are enlarged? Sometimes the tonsils and adenoids can be a source of reinfection. While on antibiotics the child improves, but deteriorates whenever off the antibiotics b/c there is still a little strep hiding in crypts (holes in tonsils) that recolonizes if not on antibiotics. This was occuring with my two oldest children until they had a T & A. I am taking my 3rd child in for an ENT evaluation in a few weeks b/c I think that may be happening with him right now. If your child is a carrier you can erradicate the strep with the correct antibiotics.

 

Colleen

My daughter has continued to be a carrier of strep even after T & A.

[ajcire]

Peg, if you could do it over would you have not done it? I need a crystal ball

 

 

 

 

quote name='peglem' date='Jan 21 2010, 08:14 AM' post='52819']

Harley had his adenoids and tonsils removed in 2004 by the same ENT doctor that we just went to, because of chronic sinus infections and strep throat.

 

 

Mrigsby,

 

Have you had him evaluated to see if his tonsils and adenoids are enlarged? Sometimes the tonsils and adenoids can be a source of reinfection. While on antibiotics the child improves, but deteriorates whenever off the antibiotics b/c there is still a little strep hiding in crypts (holes in tonsils) that recolonizes if not on antibiotics. This was occuring with my two oldest children until they had a T & A. I am taking my 3rd child in for an ENT evaluation in a few weeks b/c I think that may be happening with him right now. If your child is a carrier you can erradicate the strep with the correct antibiotics.

 

Colleen

My daughter has continued to be a carrier of strep even after T & A.

[peglem]

Peg, if you could do it over would you have not done it? I need a crystal ball sad.gif

 

I don't know. I think if I could go back and put her on high dose Zith prior to and a long time after, maybe it would have gone smoother. She was on omnicef for 21 days prior (but I don't know how high a dose), then a regular course of amoxicillan after. The real problem was that we were so sure that the T & A took care of the strep, and nobody wanted to swab a healing throat (ouch!). So when she started going down hill...we didn't think it could be strep causing it. The only PANDAS info we had back then was the NIMH site.

I think we hadn't done the T & A, I'd still be wondering if we should have, and thinking that I should have given my daughter that chance of getting better. I made the best decision I could, based on the information I had, which is pretty much all any of us can do.

[ajcire]

Peg, if you could do it over would you have not done it? I need a crystal ball sad.gif

 

I don't know. I think if I could go back and put her on high dose Zith prior to and a long time after, maybe it would have gone smoother. She was on omnicef for 21 days prior (but I don't know how high a dose), then a regular course of amoxicillan after. The real problem was that we were so sure that the T & A took care of the strep, and nobody wanted to swab a healing throat (ouch!). So when she started going down hill...we didn't think it could be strep causing it. The only PANDAS info we had back then was the NIMH site.

I think we hadn't done the T & A, I'd still be wondering if we should have, and thinking that I should have given my daughter that chance of getting better. I made the best decision I could, based on the information I had, which is pretty much all any of us can do.

 

 

I agree.. you are darned if you do, darned if you don't. I am trying to think about what I would do if I didn't know this pandas stuff.. since this is for my supposedly non pandas dd. I would probably go with the recommendation and do it with the hopes of solving her sore throats/strep episodes.... I keep thinking it must work for a large percentage of people with frequent strep or they wouldn't even bother right? Then I get worried.. if we do this for my daughter but it's really my pandas ds who is infecting her (he gets positive cultures without the sore throat) then maybe I am treating the wrong one. I have no idea anymore. I am almost positive we will do it for my dd... and that I will be calling the person next week who does the scheduling for it... I need to research what she should be on prior and then after I guess... in case I am right and she is leaning towards pandas. The ENT was open to the pre antibiotics even though he said he usually only did during and after.