Strep Again!? Ugh! Mono?

My son had a really vicious case of mono - he had a terrible sore throat but had not had strep. His case was so severe that it showed up on the first blood test, but FYI many cases need a second, more accurate test. So if you get negative results, don't assume that means "no mono."

The enlarged lymph node in the armpit makes sense - that's the body's immune system trying to fight this. In my son's case, his spleen was so enlarged that you could see it protruding from his upper abdomen (just below the rib cage). The doctor said it was so bad, my son should not wear a seatbelt in the car lest he rupture the spleen if we had an accident. He said not to drive except to the doctor and back, and to tell any police officers who wanted to write a ticket that it was on pediatrician's orders. So you know it was bad - pedis are always drilling parents to use seatbelts for even a drive to the end of the driveway.

My son's sore throat mostly came after the diagnosis - it was horrible swallowing and my son only ate soft foods - yogurt, applesauce, soup. In the first few days, it got worse and was bleeding. So he wasn't able to eat anything and we were close to needing IV nutrients. A health professional told us about a high nutrient supplement that was thin enough for my son to swallow (not like those thick ones with emulsifiers in them). My son did great on that and wound up going back to school in 2 days, and 2 days after that the doctor said his spleen was normal sized and there was no sign of mono. So that was a 4 day full turnaround.

My son was a bit tired before the diagnosis but not to the level that we thought there was anything wrong. He complained a bit of muscle aches, but again, it wasn't constant or alarming, just something we figured out after we "reconstructed" the time line. He just woke up one day yawning horribly, complaining of the sore throat, and with noticeable swelling in his face particularly around his upper cheeks and puffiness around the eyes.

I had mono as a kid (teen). The worst sore throat I ever had, and felt like I was going to throw up. The doc pricked my finger and it came back positive for mono. SO AWFUL. I drooled on a towel, it hurt so badly to swallow. All I could eat was mashed potatoes and soft foods like that. I ended up taking steroids to get the swelling in my throat down.

If she has mono, it will be important for her to rest for several weeks. Let's hope she doesn't have that.

About the strep. It's extremely important to beat that. Has she had her tonsils removed? If she hasn't, get her healthy and then have her tonsils out. That will make a big difference.

Best of luck tomorrow!!

My sister had mono for most of the 2nd grade.
Every time she thought she was rested up and feeling better, she'd start back at school and relapse all over again.
I spent the year (yep, the whole year) bringing her school work home and turning it back in again.
It just takes time and a LOT of rest.

As for strep - for some people it never really gets better until the tonsils/adenoids are taken out.
Our sons were not infected but his tonsils had swollen up till they were almost an obstruction - so we had them out soon as he turned 4 yrs old - and it was the best thing we ever did.
Make the appt with the ENT and talk about it.

Hey...I wouldn't bother the ask a nurse when you are going tomorrow. And the doctor even told you to wait until Monday....not like she is spiking 105 fevers that won't come down or can't swallow her own saliva...

My son had mono in kindergarten. Seemed like a really nasty cold to me and I thought it might have gone into his ears....so I only took him because I wanted his ears checked. When she diagnosed mono I was floored....but he did sleep for the next two weeks pretty much straight....he would be up and playing then bam asleep...and he never napped well.

It was over Winter break but even after the two weeks he could only handle half a day of kinder....I picked him up right after lunch at the teacher's request for another two weeks. We didn't want him to miss but by lunch he was asleep at his desk. Poor little guy.

Really the symptoms were so much like a cold that is all I remember, except the tiredness.

My daughter just has the nastiest sore throat and fever for seven days....they were pretty sure it was mono and sent her for blood work (mono test is a blood test) and to rule out other things. Turns out it was just a random virus. As soon as we had all the labs drawn she started feeling better...

I would take her back into your pedi tomorrow and then ask his advice on going to an ENT. If they think mono they will do the test....but if she is feeling better and not so tired, it might be just strep. Good luck!!

my nephew had strep several times in a row, finally the nurse asked his mom if she had gotten him a new toothbrush to use after finishing the abx. mom got him a new toothbrush and it was more than a year before he got it again.
it could be strep again, it could also be mono, the dr will help you figure that out. but i would try a deep house cleaning and a new toothbrush and tube of toothpaste to see if it helps

My daughter had mono a littke over a year ago, she had just turned 6 at the time... Her symptoms were extreme neck pain and EXTREME fatigue, no appetite, mild sore throat, on and off low grade fever. We were on a cruise when she first showed symptims, and woukd literally scream anytime we touched her neck... Also didn't want to do ANYTHING but stay in the room and sleep - and this is a child that loves to travel and swim and socialize... We really didn't know what in the world was wrong with her til we got back home. Dr said it's highly unusual for a kid that age to have a case that bad, most in the under ten age group show very little symptims and most never know they've had it. So... not sure if that helps or not, but I'd go back on Monday if she's not better, a week on antibiotics shoulda done the trick. And I'm guessing you'll be referred to ENT for consult and possibly tonsil removal - they are infection vectors in a lot of people. Good luck!

Why would you wait until the morning to call? Just call the doc's 24/7 nurse advice line and speak to them. THEY have access to your child's health history, WE do not.

Do you have a Prompt Care or Urgent Care? I would take her there today rather than waiting until tomorrow. No need to prolong her suffering.

If you don't have a Prompt Care, call the doctor's office now. You can talk to the nurse and see what he/she has to say. Maybe your doctor can prescribe something over the phone of help you relax knowing that it can wait another day or tell you that she needs to be seen. Either way, you'll have answers.

ENT may be helpful. Sometimes they remove tonsils when kids have recurrent strep throat. I'd check with your doctor tomorrow.

We went to ENT when our kids had chronic ear and throat symptoms. They are a good second opinion. We had ear tubes and adenoids out - stopped our kids' constant infections.

Do you have pets? Cats and dogs can be carriers of strep. It is also possible that the strep is not completely being cleared. A friend of mine has a daughter who had multiple cases of strep. They decided to remove her tonsils, but had to wait until she was strep free. She finally had a clear strep test so they did the surgery. The surgeon said that when he got the tonsils out they were clear of strep on the outside, but the inside was filled with strep. Definitely go back to the doctor. It wouldn't hurt to have her tested for mono. Mono can get pretty serious. I'd also ask about seeing an ENT.