19 Mo Old with Tonsilitis or Strep Throat???

Hi T.,
It sounds to me like your dd has Herpangina. My dd got it at about 14 months. My understanding is that they cant get strep that young. My doc knew what it was immediately. It is like strep throat. They don't want to eat because of the lesions in their throat. It hurts to swallow. My dd drooled alot when she had it so I though it was teething at first until I took her in. Did your doc mention it? It is very common, viral I believe. I would google it. So what did the doc say??

My son had this last year - form of hand, foot and mouth. He was very cranky, didn't want to eat, white sores on the inside of his mouth and his body was very sensitive to heat. It does go away with time. The doc gave me a mixture of meds to heal / sooth his throat.

My son is going through the exact same thing right now. His test came back neg for strep and the doctor said that it is a virus that would run it's course. It should last 4-7 days.

Good luck and I hope your little one feels better soon!

It's going around right now. My DD had it twice. Our ped said it is a virus (form of hand foot mouth) and it is terrible. Our whole playgroup has passed it around this month. Good news is typically once they get it once, they become resitant to it. Tylenol, lots of cuddles and popsicles got us through. It lasted about 5 days total for us.

If you've got white spots (pustules) on the back of her throat, I'd be willing to bet $20 that the long test comes back positive. $50 if her breath smells metallic.

Tonsillitis is just a catchall phrase (literally meaning swollen tonsils). It's applicable to strep throat as well as any other creepy crawly that makes them swell up, viral or bacterial.

If she's capable of gargling without swallowing, have her gargle saltwater. Strep is halophopic...can't exist in salty environments. If she swallows the saltwater though, it will make her vomit...so it's not worth it, if she doesn't gargle yet. Chloroseptic spray will numb a painful swollen throat as well. Keep an eye on the dosages though. You don't want to over do it. Other than that...just the standard care for any illness...

- Keep the fever down (tylenol, ibuprofen)
- Hydration (she should be peeing at least once an hour and clear, water or juice or even clear soda if the bubbles don't burn. Obviously, water the most, but the juice/soda will give her badly needed sugars. The salts in soda are actually helpful in this case. I wouldn't do pedialyte/gatorade though unless she's vomiting or has diarrhea)
- Chicken broth (or other high protein/high fat broth...for energy and building blocks for antibodies)
- Rest
- Cool compress if her fever spikes on the nape and over her eyes, to help pull out the heat.
- Mommy love and patience

Were you or your husband prone to sore throats? I had sore throats, white pus pockets, fevers...for years as a child & teen & finally, when I was 17, I was without a sore throat long enough for them to take out my tonsils....It was NEVER strep...just all the symtoms. My oldest daughter started doing the same thing, as a toddler & we watched it & decided to have her tonsils out when she was 8 or 9..it really did help. It was NEVER strep, just always looked like it. Now she gets a sore throat once a year, when she gets a cold, just like me.

I think you just need to make her comfortable, frozen juice pops, gargling with warm salt water...a MESSY thing for a not yet 2 year old to do....but you can make it fun for her to try, anyway. Good Luck & Take Care....