Way OT: My daughter has strep, rash and now joint pain, I'm starting to panic.

[moopdog]

I realize this is the budget board but I just need a quick couple of opinions before I call my doctor when he opens.

Here's the story: My DD8 had a sore throat 6 weeks ago, he peeked in and said "it's not strep" no culture was done. 3 weeks later we're at her bi-annual gastro doc and I asked him to take a look since her throat was still sore, he cultured it and it was positive for strep. Put her on Amoxicillin (which she's taken in the past). 8 days later - still nasty throat and a sudden onset of a weird rash (not scarlet fever according to the pix I've seen online). I called my family doc and he says it's a reaction to the Amox. Stop the med & give her benadryl. This was Friday.

Now she still has a skin irritation (feels like burning) but you can't see it and she is literally hopping around on one foot because the ankle of her right foot hurts as well as her left hip. Keep in mind that she is on a new antiobiotic because her strep is still here. Also she has not had a fever at all. I am running through everything in my mind including the fact that she has had 3 tics this year (though we've gotten them out fast). Should I skip my family doc and go someplace else or what? I feel like he's not taking all of the facts into account. He's a good doctor typically but this time I think he's being too liberal.

Could this be a reaction to the meds? I'm so confused...AND I work in healthcare so that's saying a lot!

 

[leadfootlevi]

No advice for you. Just lots of

 

[threecrazykids]

I'm not in healthcare either, but I would for sure be getting a second opinion. The rash being a reaction to the Amox makes sense, but good Lord I would think he would want to see her again until he knows for sure what the deal is! The sore ankle and hip I wouldn't think would be an allergic reaction, but who am I to say? I have no idea. Poor baby. I hope everything goes ok. Take care and update us on what you find out!

 

[Fierce Fairy]

I say do what your mothering instincts tell you to do. It could be a reaction from the meds or it could be scarlet fever or anything in between. I know I had a good Doc as well for my 3yr DS but for 2 years he told me nothing was wrong with his ears when I knew something was. I went around him and found out he had only 30% of his hearing. DO WHAT YOU THINK IS BEST FOR YOUR CHILD! I stress this. Good Luck

 

[massagemama]

Does she still have the rash from the amox? Where is the rash? Is she complaining about an upset stomach?

Last year my 8yo DS had what I thought was hives on his legs and forearms, no where else. He had previously had a reaction to penicillin the year before and it looked the same to me. He also complained of joint pain and an upset stomach but it was the beginning of the school year and he had some anxiety about starting school so I initially chalked it up to that. I did end up taking him to the pediatrician and he was diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP). For the most part it's not a big deal but it can cause kidney damage in a percentage of kids who get it.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/980800ap/980800b.html

He's been fine since it went away. No kidney issues though he did have blood and protein in his urine for a few months. He had urine tests bi-weekly till Christmas when he finally got the all clear. He's had no issues since.

I'd have her looked at if I were you.

 

[Soon2B4]

I second go with your gut!!! You are her mother and who cares what the doctor thinks! I listened to my ped about my oldest once and he was WAY OFF on what was wrong. Even doctors can be wrong.

 

[NemoMom07]

As an adult I continuously had strep. I got the sore joints and even lumps in my legs. The Dr told me it was the strep. It spread. I thought it was odd, but he gave me more antibiotics and it cleared it up. I don't know why your Dr. Did not put her on another antibiotics since she probably did not finish up the round of amoxcillian. My DS is allergic to the penicillinhe got a rash all over as an infant.

Can you take her to a different pedal Dr. It diffently sounds like something is going on. If you can't get the help from a Dr I would go to the ER.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Go back to the doctor. DD12 gets joint pain as a primary symptom of strep. Rash can also be associated with strep. Another possibility is that maybe she also has mono. One time I had both at the same time and found out the hard way that full body hives is a common side effect of the penicillin family of anitbiotics when you have mono and take the med.

Is there another doctor in the same practice as her primary? I'd be looking for a new doc if he wouldn't even do a rapid strep test when you were in there for a sore throat. You do want to be seen today. Insist on another throat culture as well as testing for additional possible causes for the hives.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

What is the new med, is it cipro? It can cause ankle problems, it's rare but it can happen. I think she needs to be seen.

 

[kt_mom]

It could be one of several forms of Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

I was diagnosed with it when I was 15. My first symptom was acutally a rash. Not bumps so much as just a raised warm red warm. I thought I had poison ivy at first. Then my joints got very sore. I was sick for a long time but I've been in remission since I was about 17. This is something that normally affects kids when they are younger, around 2-5 I think. It was very rare for me to get it in my teens. If you have it you have it, its just a matter of when you show symptoms and get sick. They say that strep can be one of the things that brings it on.

There is another form I've heard of though that is related to having strep also but is a very short term thing. A coworker of mine had a son who was diagnosed with it.

There isn't really a test to check for JRA its more a matter of ruling out everything else. I would ask your Dr. specifically about it and if they can't figure out what it is then see a Rhuematologist and they can run tests.

 

[moopdog]

The new med is Cefdinir. She DOES have stomach pain, but that is not too unusual for her (she has GERD), but I admit the stomach pain is one of her biggest complaints right now. I am calling in a few minutes and I will update later on. Thanks so much. Oh and the rash was on her ribs, back of neck, forehead and on her left foot (the right one is the one she can't walk on though).

 

[granmanh603]

So sorry ..my story first I am 67 and am a strep throat magnet all my life... and took Penicillin for year with no reaction, then like 10 years ago after taking it for 7 days for strep I broke out in a rash like you explained...and was told to take benedryl too but also got prescription for another antibiotic which I have also taken since then for my strep erythromycin , I think it is and works fine and I think is generic . Just remember that she is now allergic to penicillin and get on records.
I also have been told by a dr that I didn't have strep(believe me I know when its strep) and then taken test and it was strep and he didn't even come back in to room, sent nurse with perscription..so they can be wrong but with the new test why not just check...get a new oppinion... Good luck

 

[mistysue]

Has she been on the new antibiotic long?

My DD had strep every 3-4 weeks for a YEAR (until they took her tonsils out, greatly improving our family life). It would clear up, come back, clear up, come back... sometimes with a rash. Upset stomache is also fairly common with strep.

While the second antibiotic makes it less likely to be the cause, I would have another strep test done because the rash and joint pain can develop from strep and if it sat dormant for over a month it may have just spread a lot.

 

[raenyny]

This happened to me last year...not a pleasant experience...I ended up with cellulitis...which is caused by strep bacteria getting into the skin...very painful please get her checked asap

 

[fakereadhed]

Sounds like strep, but was going to bring up JRA also in case the rash and joint pain come back when the strep clears up. My oldest had JRA without rash but it is common to have a rash with an artritis flare.

Really strange that another poster had a child who got HSP. My oldest had it also and I've never met anyone else who got it. It was very scary for us because she hemmorhaged and would bruise wherever we touched her.

 

[masonjar]

My guess would be mono as well. My daughter was put on an antibiotic for strep by her pediatrician. A week later she her throat was still ugly and the fever wouldn't go away...and she had started breaking out in a horrible rash. I then took her to the local Physician's Assistant and he said she had mono...the rash was a classic symptom of being put on an anitbiotic with mono. He tested her and she did have it. Mono or something else, you need to have her seen again by someone.

 

[StephMK]

When DD10 gets strep, sometimes she does not even have a sore throat but will get a rash. The first time it happened, we thought she was having an allergic reaction to something. It spread over a couple days then an allergy dr determined it was strep. It looked just like the rash she got when she took amoxicillin as a little kid - little tiny red bumps.

Hope your DD feels better & you get some answers soon!

 

[PatMcDuck]

Most of what I would advise has already been posted!

But in situations like these, I would want my child seen, and I would want labs run for a urine analysis with culture, complete CBC, profile, mono, and Lymes (we live in a high Lymes area here in central NJ). If her levels of CK, AST, ALT, Aldolase, GGT, etc looked funky and symptoms continued, I would consider looking for a pediatric rheumatologist.

Count me in as a parent of a kid where things went totally wacko with one of my children...... she ended up diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis. (it is a skin/muscle autoimmune thing, like JRA but effects the muscles, not the joints, and it far more rare than JRA).

But I am well aware that most things get better on their own, my DD illness is so rare, but listen to your instincts.

 

[pigletto]

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head. Strep can come with a rash. It's not common but not unheard of either.
Second, my husband was given antibiotics for similar symptoms and broke out in a tiny pin prick rash all over his body. It turned out to be Mono. Apparently mono will react like that to an antibiotic. They have to test specifically for mono to find it.
It sounds to me like either of those, but more likely to be a strep rash if she has already tested positive for strep.

 

[lukenick1]

As a Mom of a recurrent strep child it does sound like the strep is pretty bad. Make sure you throw her toothbrush away and anything else she puts in her mouth. My son takes Advair daily for asthma and everytime he gets strep I make sure to clean the inhaler. Let us know how it goes. Good luck!