Strep Throat, Fever and Continuing HEADACHES in My 4 Year Old -- ADVICE?

Hello,

Strep is a real crazy one, took both my boys to the doctors approx a month ago and neither one complained of a sore throat but the doctor ran a strep test in the office and they both had it, one thing my youngest did complain of was a tummy ache, yeap that is a sign that they might have strep and I have also heard of headaches as well.
Just keep watching him for anything "different" other than that he should be feeling better when the medicine takes effect.
K.

Strep is a tricky one. My son had strep once and got a fever and a rash all over his body- no sore throat. How weird is that? I think strep has all kinds of tricks in it's bag.

Sicknesses are weird things, especially ones like Strep....try not to worry - I know it's stressful when you care. My kids had it before and it lasted FOREVER and had a ton of symptoms, so I finally got them meds and it took awhile, but it got rid of it - till then just be patient; your son is a lucky guy to have you as a mom! :)

Me personally...I've had strep many times and for a few of them, I didn't know I had it since my throat didn't hurt. As far as the headache goes, I always get a headache when I have a fever so that could be the link for your son.
One of my boys had strep in October and never complained of pain or headaches or anything. If the kid didn't have a fever, we never would've know he had anything. Each kid is different, one of my boys cried alot for teething, the other never uttered a peep. Kids have different tolerance levels. Keep and eye on the fever and if it doesn't seem better today, go back to the docs if that will make you feel better. Remember that fevers are ALWAYS worse at night and it's happened to us several times that one of the boys will go the whole day with no fever but then still have one overnight and then again nothing the next day.
Good luck
Jules

Handwashing, handwashing, handwashing - no sharing with other children - strep is highly contagious and can easily be passed to other children.

Also, for headaches - you must make sure they are drinking enough water - kids are sooooo busy that they just forget about drinking water.

V.,

I know it sounds wierd, but I would have a mono test done (epstein barr virus). Strep throat is very common with Mono, as is headache and high fever. My son was diagnosed with Mono last fall and he was 4 then too. Go figure where he picked it up. But the virus is spread through saliva and children are always putting things in their mouth. Good Luck

My oldest son either never got a sore throat with strep or only got one for literally an hour. He didn't even always have a fever, but a lasting headache and just not feeling well were usually his symptoms.

If I have learned anything this winter season, it is that strep comes in many shapes and sizes. We have all had strep here in my house over the past 2 weeks, including my husband and myself. By the way, when and adult gets it, it has all of the symptoms of the "flu". The body aches and spiking fever and cough were the symptoms for us and my girls both had bad headaches and stomach aches. I had a friend whose children both vomitted several times with strep and another who broke out in a rash all over her body. It is scary, but I guess that the fever is out indicator to go to the doctor and get that swab to see, otherwise, who would have known?

V.,

My 6 year old son has had strep many times. The first time he had it, the 1st symptoms were headache and vomitting. I knew he just had the flu and put off going to the doc. He never said his throat hurt. Finally, someone suggested it might be strep. Sure enough it was. Ever since, as soon as he complains of a headache and stomach ache, I'm prepared to get him tested for strep. It always is. And rarely does his throat really hurt. Strange. Be happy he doesn't get the vomitting with it!

My son gets strep throat probably 6 or 7 times a year. starting when he was 9 months old when we were told kids that young don't usually get strep. He usually gets a sore throat 1st and a headache and a fever around 102-103. But this last time about 2 weeks ago he only got a low grade fever (less than 100) but with his history we took him in and sure enough he had strep. Our friends daughter got strep 2 times and neither time had a sore throat. Once her head and ear hurt and the other time the only symptom was a rash on her bottom. My son also gets headaches a lot especially when he has strep or is getting over it. Once the antibiotics start the sore throat goes away within hours but the headaches will last 2 to 3 days or so. My son also has had back to back episodes of strep where he got it again or it never went away where the headaches lasted the whole time. But check again with the dr. if he still has them in a few days. Good luck and I hope he feels better soon.

I have had strep several times and almost had my tonsils taken out. I never once had a sore throat! All I had was a headache and a really high fever. When I asked my doctor about my throat didn't hurt, he said it is very common for the throat to feel fine.

Strep is nasty. You can have a stomach ache as your only symptom and have strep. My kids get headaches with strep as do many of their friends.
Give tylenol or advil every 4 hours.
Welcome to the world of strep. Pretty soon you'll know what symptoms your kids display and you'll catch it early.
Good luck!

All the mamas here have great advice. Strep manifests itself in so many different ways. My daughter can do 4 hours of gymnastics practice with strep!! She came home from practice on evening and told me that her glands on her neck hurt when she pushed on them. Sure enough, it was strep!! All of my kids show different symptoms and hardly ever the classic sore throat and fever. Just keep an eye on symptoms and remember them. good luck!!

i am responding bc i am currently on antibiotics for strep but NEVER developed a sore throat. For a week i was exhausted, would go to bed early and get up the next morning feeling fine. by mid day i was exhausted and my body was achy. one day i could barely move from the couch - hot and cold all day and was achy - off and on headaches. next morning fine again. two days later i developed a rash that looked like sunburn and was achy again. went to the dr and they drew blood to check for strep - sure enough that's what i have. but my throat never got sore - a little scratchy a time or two but that would go away once i drank something.
my understanding is that strep can develop in all sorts of ways - my husband ends up with staph infections from it. so now you know your son's symptoms you will know to keep an eye on it next year this time ;)
good luck and hope he feels better soon.

I have had throat problems before with no pain in my throat. I would think it is unusual for such a young kid, but if his head hurts bad enough, then he probably doesn't feel his throat much.

Hang in there. It is sooooo tough especially when they are sick and you need to go back to work eventually.

If they cultured his throat it pretty much has to be strep. I would give him warm showers, run the humidifier, and try saline solution in his nose---he may be having allergies or have gotten the head cold going around on top of the strep.

R.

Strep is actually the 1st thing I think of when my kids come down with a fever and complain of headaches & stomach aches. My oldest son once had amazingly high blood strep counts and NEVER complained of a sore throat. He should be feeling much better once the antibiotic kicks in. If this is not the case, it is possible that he may have contracted a virus in addition to the strep and, of course, a virus won't respond to the medication.

If you are really worried, you can always take him back to the dr. Sure they went to med school, but you are the mom & you know your child best. Good luck & hope he feels better soon.

I'm relieved to hear your testimony. You helped a lot. My daughter the same age and same complaints. When the fever comes she complain shout headache. Today is her 4 dosage on antibiotic and she woke up with fever (101,3).
I didn't know the fever last so long. Is the headache persists for how many days? Without any fever?
Maybe

I don't have experience with a child his age and strep, but my youngest (18mo) has had it and in very small children strep actually manifests as a diaper rash, not a sore throat, so maybe your son is still young enough that it's not manifesting as a sore throat. I think the sore throats from strep only start to get bad once you're a teen. I used to get it all the time when I was a teen and it was horrible. I remember the headaches too. Maybe the headache is the only way it has to manifest with your son. It's likely that your doctor did a test for strep (maybe the 5 minute test while you waited in the office), so if your doctor is saying that's what it is, I'd believe them. Just try to keep him plied with alternating tylenol and motrin. That's the best way to provide consistent relief of pain and fevers. Give him a dose of tylenol and then 4 hours later give him a dose of motrin and 4 hours later another of tylenol etc.. This way you keep medicine in his system without going over the allowable daily dosage on either. My doctor told me that for short periods of time (no more than a few days) tylenol and motrin can be taken in conjunction and suggested the schedule I've laid out for you.

Best of luck, and I hope your baby is feeling better soon. It's h*** o* us mommies when we can't do much to ease their suffering.

I googled strep with no pain in the throat and got to this site to read everyone's comments, I too was surprised when the Dr. told me my 5 year old had strep when she not once complained about having a soar throat. When I think of (strep-throat) I imagine lots of pain, my daughter did complain about stomach aches, neck pain and headaches after she was diagnosed. Well now I know, I have heard strep was going around at this time in her school but she said nothing of throat pain, thank god for her physical with the Dr. who noticed, or I wouldn't have found she had strep.

Guys, I am 35 years old, male. I had strep throat for the first time in my life two years ago. I was put on Zithromax and after about 30 hours, I felt much better. After 48 hours, my sore throat was entirely gone.

A week ago I started having minor sore throat, just enough to notice. Saturday morning I woke up with a horrible sore throat (10 out of 10 in pain). I went to the doc at 11:30 AM, with a mild fever of around 99.3 degrees, and received the same treatment. I took the meds around 12:30 PM. By that late night, my fever was gone (after taking some acetaminophen). I took the meds again 24 hours after the first dosage. No symptoms at that time, but a few hours later, I had a slight headache, so I took some ibuprofen (which was the only thing available to me at the time). All was good. The next morning, at about 42 hours after initial treatment, I still had a sore throat (7 or so out of 10), and a mild fever again. I took some acetaminophen. Again, everything seemed to be better. I took my meds again religiously at 48 hours. Now, at 52 hours, I have a mild fever again, with a slight headache.

Umm, are my bugs getting resistant to Zithromax? Should I be asking for Penicillin or Amoxicillian? I certainly do not want scarlet fever or rheumatic fever.

Thanks ya'll.