Do my symptoms indicate strep throat? help?! is doc lazy???

Question

Ok, my husband and I have both been really sick for about a week. We saw a doctor today, and he didnt even test us for strep throat. He said probably just a virus that will have to go away on its own, and prescribed us Vicodin for the joint and muscle pain. Thats it. Is there any chance we have strp throat?

Symptoms:
fever as high as 104 F
cold and hot flashes
horrible body aches
sore throat, but not horrible
phlegm-y cough
lightheadedness
headaches
occasional nausea
an incidence of vommiting and diarhhea in my husbbands case
bloody noses for my husband
that spot on the sides of your neck that they sometimes check for swelling or whatever, is swollen and tender feeling

our daughter also had what seemed to be the same thing for TWO WEEKS. She still has a bit of a cough, and is really mucousy, but otherwise seems fine.

IS anyone experienced with strep throat? our symptoms seem to match what i have read online, except our throats are only mildly sore. more dry

also, the vicodin helps for the pain, but can we also take Coricidin for the fever, etc? are those meds ok to mix? it has acitaminophen in it.

yeah, one other symptom is a gravelly voice. our bodies have been hurting so bad, that we cant even get out of bed unless medicated. with a toddler in the house, not a good thing. glad shes a pretty mellow kid, but im worried about my husband missing so much work. the coricidin has tylenol in it, and it was working really great at first, now doesnt even touch our symptoms. ugh!
thanks for all your help

Answer 1

Most of the time with strep you will get white spots in the back of your throat- not always but 99% of the time. That dr has no clue what he is doing - Vicodin should only be prescribed for severe chronic pain - meaning broken bones, tooth surgery, back problems etc - pain that is 24/7 and lasts for months and months and is never prescribed for things like this. Go to another doctor immediately or the hospital.

Strep symptoms are: sore throat, swollen glands, fever, aches, cough, etc but as for the nausea, bloody nose, vomiting, diarhea, swollen, etc - no - those are not strep throat symptoms.

This sounds way more serious - could be the flu which is not that serious but it could be tuberculosis or something really really serious and I would get to the doctor immediately. Your symptoms are much more severe than strep throat which is just a sore throat with some body aches and a fever. These are not typical of that at all. Strep throat clears up in a few days with antibiotics and you need them to clear it up - it will not clear up on its' own. Considering escpecially that you have a child who is also getting sick - it is urgent that you get all 3 of you to the doctor.

You never need Vicodin for pain relief for strep throat and never even really need it for most sicknesses like that and the flu etc.
I think this is much more serious like TB, pnemonia, a parasite, or menigitis even. It could just be the flu but some of those symptoms don't even fit that at all. The bloody nose is what bothers me the most unless he has had allergies in the past and is just coincidental.

Please - go to the doctor. The dr should take blood work to check your white cell count to see if it is too high, should check stool and urine samples, do a throat culture, and you should also get a chest x-ray, prescriptions and testing - you will not get better at home. I can't believe that dr just gave you a painkiller that is never presribed for things like this. This is too severe and I would be very worried. You can actually die from some of those things if you don't get treatment. And - while your daughter may seem ok - if you are both around her, she obviously has something too but may not be showing symptoms yet or like you guys - she needs to get checked out too.

I hope you find out what this is and feel better.

Answer 2

I have had strep throat several times and each time the symptoms were different. In one case, I did not realize I even had it!

If it is strep throat it may be part of another problem. I think some of the symptoms are more than Flu or Strep throat condition or at least a combination of them.

If your doctor did no further tests (blood work, etc.) then he is not likely a person you want to go continue seeing. I would suggest looking for a more sensitive and understanding doctor.

If you want to stay with him, than politely request assertively that he do a "lot" more to determine what the problem is and how to treat it. That you and your husband are very concerned about the long-term affects of not treating a possible strep-throat or other possible undiagnosed conditions.

Remember half of the doctors graduated at the lower half of their class!

Answer 3

Possibly, but as your throats aren't the main symptom, I'd say you have the flu.

People think a cold and the flu are the same thing, but if you really have the flu, you feel so ill that you can't get out of bed, and it can last anything from two weeks to six weeks (sorry, hope yours doesn't last that long).

All the symptoms you describe are possible with flu. A chesty cough afterwards is very common.

Unfortunately, flu is caused by a virus, and antibiotics don't kill viruses. Nothing does, unless you can afford interferon! So there really isn't much you can do apart from treat the symptoms.

The more you fight it, the longer you will take to get better, so the best thing is to stay in bed and rest as much as you can.

Answer 4

I'm sure you will feel better if you just take Tylenol and drink plenty of water every day and rest. With all those symptoms it does sound to me like a virus that is moving from one family member to another. Vicodin can upset your stomach if you haven't eaten anything. The bloody nose could have been caused by dry air in the house. Swollen glands can also be caused by a virus. The fever is because your white and red blood cells are fighting with each other

If your daughter had similar symptoms recently, the probability is that this is a virus. . Rest, drink plenty of liquids, take Tylenol.

Answer 5

Go to a mirror with a flashlight, open wide, and look for little white bumps at the back of your throat. If you see some of these bumps, go get a second opinion, because that is the greatest indicator of strep throat.

If you don't see them, but you have a highly inflamed throat, you may still want to get a second opinion.

When I was a kid, I went to the doctor with many of the symptoms you mention above. When I went in, the doctor mentioned strep throat, but said he really didn't think I had had it.

A few weeks later I finished my recovery from strep throat. It was very painful, and I didn't exhibit the little white bumps until after I first went to the doctor.

Answer 6

Sounds more like a severe upper respiratory infection and the flu together. It's been going around here in the St. Louis area like mad lately. Get plenty of rest and drink tons of fluids.

My oldest daughter is the expert on strep; she's 16 and had it 28 times in one form or another including Scarlet Fever when she was four. If all you have is a mild sore throat, then it's highly doubtful that it's any form of strep.

Good luck, get off of the computer and go get some rest!

Answer 7

Go to a clinic and ask for a strep test. Involves just touching your throat with a Q tip and putting sample in a petri dish to see if it grows. Untreated, strep can damage your heart. To me, 104 degree temp should be treated with something other than Vicodin, which can be very habit forming.

Answer 8

this is not strep, sounds like the flu or a viral infection. treat your symptoms, get plenty of fluids and rest. you shouldnt be taking vicodin for this, vicodin is a scheduled narcotic only used for severe pain, like after surgery. It should be helping your fever though, because vicodin has tylenol in it. Maybe you should try some ibuprofen instead for your achyness and fever.

Answer 9

well sounds more like a really bad sinus and laryngitis infection to me, you need antibiotics, get a z-pack(zithromycin), as far as the vicodin and the other med, if it has tylenol don't take together you'll hurt your liver, it's either or, also with the joint pain sounds like you also caught that flu that has been getting around, hope you feel better.

Answer 10

You have the flu. I had strep throat. It's alot different. It feels like a rock in your throat. You can hardly swallow. It can be hard to talk.