Meet The Contributors

Mandy ~ I am a stay at home mom who has been on a medical roller coaster ride going from doctor to doctor trying to figure out what is wrong with me. All of the doctors agreed that there is something medically wrong with me, they just don't know what... Basically, just about every time that I go to the doctor, I wind up with a new diagnosis. It is very frustrating. I hope that some of these links will maybe help you or lead you in the right direction.

Ferd ~ I have had the honor and pleasure of practicing Internal Medicine for over 25 years. I am now enjoying sharing my thoughts and experience in the blogosphere in a number of ways. I am grateful to Mandy for including me on her excellent blog, Texas Medical Freak!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Tonsillectomies, Tonsils And Strep Throat

It is strep throat season and long gone are the days when doctors scheduled Tonsillectomies on a regular basis. Being a mother of three children, I have seen my fill of Strep Throat. My oldest and my youngest were the main ones to get strep. My oldest (daughter) had it constantly when she was little as young as two years. The first time she got this it was not “plain old” strep, she got Scarlet fever (this was her favorite one to get). Scarlet fever is basically a stronger version of strep throat or strep throat with a rash. The rash starts on the chest and abdomen and then spreads, the rash is tiny red dots with white centers. For more information on scarlet fever here is a CDC link. She wound up getting either scarlet fever or just strep twice a year from the age or 2 until she finished school. Now, in her 20’s she gets strep on a yearly basis. No to the middle child, he is autistic and most autistic children have lots of tag on diagnosis but not mine just lots of autistic symptoms. He has only had strep twice in his life, go figure? Then there is the baby…like his sister he got strep every time I turned around. After he turned two (maybe three) if my daughter got it, he was soon to follow. Our pediatrician knew us so well, all I had to do was call his office and say “they have strep again” and he would call in a prescription or two. Sadly, this pediatrician retired and we had to find another one. It took taking my youngest in to various peds to finally hear, “I think that he may need to get his tonsils out?” His first year in school wound up getting strep throat three times. We scheduled an appointment with an ENT and the first visit he told me, “it is not an emergency but, his tonsils and adenoids need to come out.” That summer we scheduled the tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. He has never had strep throat again. You would think with all of my illnesses and craziness, I would have wound up with strep throat or scarlet fever. But, I never did? Maybe, it is because I had my tonsils out when I was about two?

Here are several really good news articles that I found on tonsils and strep throat.



8 comments:

Time2Chill said...

Love your click comments and already put the widget in my blog as well, take care my friend :)

Mandy said...

Raynopss ~ Thanks, I think that I found that somewhere and now I can't remember where?

krrey_boo17 said...

Nice topic you got here! Btw, just to add some info on strep throat, it may possibly cause a heart ailment too specifically rheumatic heart disease and may even cause glomerular nephritis (kidney ailment). Thanks for dropping a comment on my blog too. Walnuts are so deeeelicious, a handful is really not enough heehee. Peace and Good day to you!

Mandy said...

Krrey_boo17 ~ Thanks, I forgot about Rheumatic fever, third in the strep line. I didn't know about the kidney links, thanks =)

I an not a big nut person but, I just love walnuts.

Anonymous said...

I myself never had strep a single time after having my tonsils removed at the age of 6. I still remember all the ice cream I craved was grits, eggs and toast like the boy across from me had.

Mandy said...

Ringleader ~ Sadly, I was two when I had mine out and do not remember the ice cream =( My youngest did crave things like toast after his were taken out (a big "no no"). Now it is just day surgery, get them in and get them out.

Unknown said...

This blog speaks to me. I am 20 and have had step/tonsilitis for what feels like 100x. Currently on the good ole amoxicillin(banana medicine.) After my visit to the walk in on friday night I have come to the belief now more so than ever that when it comes to this kind of thing the majority of doctors would rather take reactive measures then preventing ones. Something doesn't seem right when you as a doctor are sitting there telling me in amazement that my glands are the biggest you've even seen and still you write a precription for some pills and send me on my (not so) merry way.

What I am saying is thanks for sharing your families story makes me feel a little less alone when it comes to this "lovely" life experience

Mandy said...

Erin,

I am glad that you like my blog :) Since my son had his out he has not had strep. My 24 year old daughter on the other hand never had hers out and still get strep a lot. I keep telling her to get them out but she has not yet.

Thanks for stopping by I should be posting more soon.

Mandy

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