At first I thought whatever Sienna had was viral because of the runny nose. But the red sores/spots on her nose, mouth, and eyes were really confusing me. I always like to look things up online, since we don't have medical insurance, to make sure the symptoms really warrant a trip to the doctor. I couldn't find anything that matched her signs and symptoms. However, when I got sick on Thursday, I was feeling so incredibly lousy that I started to think maybe it could be bacterial, but hoped it wasn't. By Friday, my tonsils and lymph nodes were so swollen that I was pretty sure it was strep throat; and since Sienna had some of the same signs, I brought her to the doctor with me.
We went to a local urgent care to a doctor we had never met before. The nurse, of course, took the throat swabs and the doctor came in to evaluate us. He checked out Sienna first and said it looked viral. In my mind I still questioned it. Within 10 seconds, the nurse popped in and said the throat swabs were positive for strep. The doctor (though nice) felt a bit embarrassed and said that I probably gave it to Sienna and that we caught it early. I agreed with him just because I can't stand it when people are embarrassed, even though I was pretty sure Sienna had it all week. So we came home with some antibiotics. I looked up online about strep in toddlers and found that children under the age of three can show signs of strep differently than those older; such as: a clear runny nose, slight rash between the nose and lips, fever, stomach aches, and their throat may or may not hurt. So I learned some new things: 1)that strep exhibits signs and symptoms differently in toddlers, 2) that adults feel much more sick than the young (maybe we're just bigger babies as we get older), and 3) that mother's instict always knows best.
Oh, and Kamrie ended up sick on Saturday with strep. She woke up with a cough and that was it. By that afternoon, her eyes looked swollen and she had a slight fever. I knew then, that she had it too. The same doctor said you couldn't tell by looking at her throat that she had strep. For some reason, this strain causes the eyelids to swell (probably from the pressure caused by the headache--owwwiee!) But Kamrie was tough and said nothing ever hurt but her eyes. It's so hard to tell with kids sometimes. As for anyone coming to stay with us soon, don't worry. We will wash and sanitize the house by the time you get here.
4 comments:
Strep? That stinks! I don't know if I've ever had strep throat. I'm sure I have, I just don't remember. I'm glad you are feeling better.
I already knew you and Sienna had strep throat but I am sorry that Kamrie ended up getting it as well. Let's hope it goes away soon. I got strep throat when I was in CA for Stacy's wedding a few years ago. I felt bad because I was in her party and shook many people's hands during the reception. It's definitely not fun to have.
That doesn't sound like a fun way to start the summer. Hope you all feel better soon!
Hollie, you are right, mothers' instincts are correct. I knew the doctor would say it was a virus. I sometimes wonder what it is they learned in med school. You had it as a young child (maybe 5?) and had a "strawberry tongue". I'm glad they did the swab test. You guys definitely needed antibiotics. Strep can be very dangerous. Hope you all recover 100%. Love ya
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