How do you comfort your child when he/she has strep-throat?

Question

My 8yr old son came home from school early today. I am almost positive he's getting strep. (he's very prone--gets it every year.) I gave him a dose of Childrens Tylenol+Sore Throat, a Sucrets throat lozenge, Campbells Chicken Noodles and now he's laying in my bed watching a movie. What else can I do to make him comfortable? What do you do for your kids when they are sick?

Answer 1

All the things that you do already are just the right ingredients. I also give my children warm tea which always helps. Please keep in mind that strep can turn into something very serious if left untreated with antibiotics. Some strands of strep can cause heart problems. I can tell just by your question that you aren't the type of mom that would let it go but I did want to mention it for people that might not know this. You have to have an antibiotic to cure it. Good luck!!! Lots of hugs also help ;-)

Answer 2

I buy the Cepacol which has the numbing agent in it for when it's really sore. It does the trick. I think it comes in lozenges too. First thing I do is let them stay home and in bed till they feel better. Sleep and lots of water to wash the germs out. Can't say they've ever had strep though. You sure it's strep? Have a swab done to make sure. Strep needs antibiotics. If you look at strep under a microscope the bacteria forms a chain...literally a chain of bacteria that grows and spreads and you can't even cough it out as it just "sticks" as it's all connected. So get it properly diagnosed and treated. Sometimes it's the environment (dirty air, etc.) that can bring it on too.

Answer 3

I have had strep as a child and an adult. Only an ER doctor offered a few days supply of hydrocodone. That was the most humane thing ever. It made the difference between misery and comfort.

My nephew was given children's hydrocodone. It was appropriate. In many cases, physicians have good reason not to dispense narcotic analgesics. Strep is a very legitimate indication for their use. I have also learned that phenergan is a very good med to take with narcotics. It prevents side-effects and helps cause sleep. Both hydrocodone and phenergan are old, well-known, safe meds.

Of course, you need antibiotics to cure strep. And, untreated can cause heart-valve and kidney damage. Do take him to a doctor.
Hope your child gets well soon-:)

Answer 4

There are many good recommendations listed here. I agree that taking your child to the doctor to make sure it is strep is a good idea. Next, you should ask your doctor to make sure that your child is not allergic to sulfur. Antibiotics may cure the strep throat, but will not entirely clear the streptococcus bacteria from the body. It likes to lie in wait in the organs, and eventually the joints. Sulfur tablets will clear all of the bacteria from the body for good.
I used to have strep throat alllll the time as a child until a doctor prescribed sulfur. Since I did the sulfur regimen, I never had it again. Your local health food store will have what are called "cell salts". They come in many different forms, including sulfur. They are very small tablets that dissolve under the tongue. There really isn't a taste to worry about. BUT you must check for an allergy before you try them. There are people out there that are allergic to sulfur.

Answer 5

If your child's throat is sore and he has other strep throat symptoms, it's a good idea to call your child's doctor. The doctor will likely do a rapid strep test in the office, using a cotton swab to take a sample of the fluids at the back of your child's throat. The test only takes about 5 minutes.

If your child has strep throat, he or she will start to develop other symptoms within about 3 days. Those symptoms can include:
red and white patches in the throat difficulty swallowing tender or swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck red and enlarged tonsils headache lower stomach pain fever general discomfort,uneasiness, or ill feeling loss of appetite and nausea or rash.

In most cases, doctors prescribe about 10 days of antibiotic medication to treat strep throat. Within about 24 hours after your child starts taking the antibiotics, his or her temperature will probably be back to normal, and your child will no longer be contagious. By the second or third day after taking antibiotics, the other symptoms should start to go away, too.

There's plenty you can do to help your child feel better. To prevent dehydration, make sure your child drinks plenty of cool liquids, such as water or ginger ale, especially if he or she has had a fever. Avoid orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade, or other acidic beverages, which may irritate your child's throat. Warm liquids like soups, sweetened tea, or hot chocolate can be soothing.

Answer 6

The first thing to do is get your child on antibiotics. If not treated it can develop into Scarlet fever and cause damage to the heart.

Take his temperature regularly and give motrin to reduce. If his temp goes above 102 put him in a warm bath and add cool water a little at a time to reduce chills. Leave in tub until temp goes to at least 100.5. Keep pouring water onto his head and or use a cool cloth while he's soaking for at least 20 min.

If you give your child orange juice to drink the first day...that should sweep away the exudate at the back of the throat and tonsils and reduce swelling immediately. No need for popsicles or other sweet treats. Plenty of water, chicken soup and more than anything...rest!! Keep your child out of school for several days as it is very contagious.

Answer 7

You must call your family doctor. But what I would do is try to look at his ears carefully. You may notice signs of an ear infection which can be the real reason of his illness. It is a good idea to rinse his ears with an anti-biotic solution, or at least to tell a doctor about this. General antibiotics are advisable, but should have been prescribed by a doctor, who has looked (and listened) your child in your presence very carefully. I also suspect, that there is some kind of internal defect in his lungs. Everything should be investigated by a well-educated specialist, the sooner the better.
No alcohol drinking can be appropriate at the moment, but cleaning his hands with vodka can be a good idea. It is also good to clean his body (at least arms and back) with the alcohol. Fresh air is a good thing, but its temperature should be not lower than 75 Fahrenheit degrees. Everything else is up to you, your child and the doctor you should call ASAP.

Answer 8

Sounds like your doing everything possible. I suppose you could put your child in a bubble but that is just not feasible and silly. My husband and my youngest have always been the catchers and unfortunately I am the carrier. One thing I learned is sugar seems to soothe them. This is something I make and if you follow the directions it is yummy and works great. I give it to my kids and my guy when they are stuffy and it works like a charm. It is better on icky throats but it is wonderful.
Warning: Be sure that your child is not allergic to any of the ingredients.

6-8 Earl Grey tea bags
1/2 quart or 3 cups of boiling water
1 cup of cream or half and half
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup of freshly peeled and grated ginger root

Boil water; add ginger and add tea bags, seep until very dark almost black. Strain liquid, add cream and sugar to strained liquid. Cook on low until sugar dissolves. The sugar is a matter of taste. Some like it real sweet and others not so much.
I have used milk in place of the cream and find it just doesn't have the same effect. I don't know why! Also, you can use de-caf tea but again it does reduce the effect.
This something that was given to me as a child, however over the years my mother found that the teas in the Earl Grey work much better. Now for some reason the combination of tea, cream, ginger, and sugar is not only soothing but seems to relax and heal. It might just be one of those family things that keeps the Mom busy and the child happy but I find it works.

Good Luck

Answer 9

Some people are just more suseptible to strep throat. My 4 children and I have had it many times, although my husband rarely comes down with it. I have become pretty accurate at diagnosing it before we have the strep screen done at the doctor. If he is running a fever, his throat is sore all the time (not just when he swallows), and you can see white spots on the roof of his mouth and/or at the back of his throat, there is a pretty good chance he has strep. He'll need to go to the doctor as soon as you can get him in. Antibiotics work great in a couple days. Before the antibiotics kick in, though, we always feel pretty miserable. So, at our house, anyone with strep gets plenty of chicken soup, Sprite or ginger ale (where we live we can get Vernors and that is really good warmed up for a sore throat), gargle often with salt water as warm as you can stand, and Tylenol for the fever, headache, and achy body. I would definitely avoid ice cream as strep can cause vomiting (it does in all of us) and there is really nothing much worse than throwing up a milk product. Popsicles will help ease the discomfort, but our doctor suggests drinking hot things so we drink tea with honey and lemon, soup, and broth. My kids like to lay on the couch with their heads in my lap when they have strep. I rub their heads and back and place cool wash cloths on their foreheads. They get to sleep on the couch at night, too, when they are sick. We have a special "sick blanket" that is really just an old soft, warm comforter that they like to wrap up in.

Answer 10

Not all sore throats are step throats. Most episodes of sore throat - which can be accompanied by a runny nose, cough, hoarseness, and red eyes - are caused by viruses. Sore throats usually clear up on their own without requiring medical treatment.

If your child has strep throat, he or she will start to develop other symptoms within about 3 days. Those symptoms can include:

red and white patches in the throat
difficulty swallowing
tender or swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck
red and enlarged tonsils
headache
lower stomach pain
fever
general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling
loss of appetite and nausea
rash
Diagnosing Strep Throat
If your child's throat is sore and he or she has other strep throat symptoms, it's a good idea to call your child's doctor. The doctor will likely do a rapid strep test in the office, using a cotton swab to take a sample of the fluids at the back of your child's throat. The test only takes about 5 minutes. If it's positive, your child has strep throat. If the test is negative, the doctor will send a sample to a lab for a throat culture. The results are usually available within a few days.

Treating Strep Throat
In most cases, doctors prescribe about 10 days of antibiotic medication to treat strep throat. Within about 24 hours after your child starts taking the antibiotics, his or her temperature will probably be back to normal, and your child will no longer be contagious. By the second or third day after taking antibiotics, the other symptoms should start to go away, too.

Even though your child may not feel sick at that point, it's very important that he or she finish the antibiotic prescription. If your child stops taking antibiotics too soon, bacteria can remain in the throat and the symptoms can return.

If your child is not treated for strep throat, he or she is most infectious when the symptoms are the most severe but could remain contagious for up to 21 days. Lack of treatment - or not finishing the prescribed course of antibiotics - also could put your child at risk for other health problems, such as rheumatic fever (which can cause permanent damage to the heart), scarlet fever, blood infections, or kidney disease.

To prevent your sick child from spreading strep throat to others in your home, keep his or her eating utensils, dishes, and drinking glasses separate from those that everyone else is using. Wash them in hot, soapy water after each use. Also, make sure your child doesn't share food, drinks, napkins, handkerchiefs, or towels with other family members. Make sure your child covers his or her mouth and nose during a sneeze or a cough to prevent passing infectious fluid droplets to someone else.

Caring for Your Child With Strep Throat
There's plenty you can do to help your child feel better. To prevent dehydration, make sure your child drinks plenty of cool liquids, such as water or ginger ale, especially if he or she has had a fever. Avoid orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade, or other acidic beverages, which may irritate your child's throat. Warm liquids like soups, sweetened tea, or hot chocolate can be soothing.

As your child starts to feel better, talk to your child's doctor about the best time to return to school and other routine activities.