Strep Throat - Oceanside,CA

my son has come down with something today and i can hear him coughing in his room right now..so..i will be keeping him home from school and instead of his dad picking him up tomorrow i'll tell his dad he's ill and that i'll keep him..best when they're sick to be at home and just rest..my son's dad will be happy b/c he isn't so keen on having him over when he's not well. I think i would appreciate it that she's keeping her home and letting her rest...this way you guys won't catch it and you can visit with her in a few days ..have a make up day for the day you lost.

Karen is correct - the issue is being contagious and possibly infecting other people, but it doesn't mean you have to be quarantined at home. They usually just don't want the child in school as they're more likely to spread the strep bacteria through their close contact with other kids.

There really should be no reason not to be outdoors - all the old wives tales about being out without colds or with wet hair seem to have been debunked over the years.

I do not think the 24 hours included a visit with daddy but here are some things to think about. What is the relationship with her mom? Does she resist visitation with you? Or do you have a good relationship? Does she not want to burden you with an ill child? what are your visitations like? Do you do a lot of activites or are very busy? It is a maternal instinct to want to be there to take care or your child when they are ill. And maybe the six year old doesn't even feel like being around anyone else. I know its not easy but maybe you could allow her to stay with mom until she feels better and they she can spend an extra day with you when she feels better. If you make that suggestion and mom is just trying to take your visitation I'm pretty sure she will take her to you. good luck.

Hi. We have had a LOT of experience with strep throat. Usually, the Dr. will say no school or interaction with friends/classmates for 24-48 hours. I find it hard to believe that the Dr. meant visiting daddy.. unless there's a baby in daddy's house. You or her dad have the right to call the Dr. and ask if that's what he/she meant. As for the swab test, no it isn't very new. My daughter is 10.5 yrs. old and her first strep was at about 5 yrs. old and they did that test on her. They have improved on the amount of time it takes to get it back, though. My daughter just had a test done this week (negative) but it only took about 5 mins. to get the results. Amazing, isn't it?

Anyway, good luck and I hope she feels better soon!

L.

I would call her doctor, if you want the real scoop.

If she is sick she is sick. She doesn't need to go out if she doesn't feel good. If it is to see daddy, then daddy needs to know how she is really feeling. 24 hours and no more fever is the key for antibiotics to settle in. They just don't want the child to be exposing other children, that is the 24 hour rule. Just note, it would be better if daddy didn't get strep throat, my husband and son shared it and as an adult it's just not pleasant!

I don't know enough about your situation to make a recommendation as to how to address the visitation, but if you have questions about strep, the test that was done, and what the doctor recommended and you aren't getting enough info from the mom, then have Dad call the doctor. I presume they have joint custody and he has every right to discuss his children's medical condition with the doctor directly.

They do inhouse swab testing it takes roughly 20 min to get a culture if it comes back + or - the dr may send it to the lab for further testing & will notify parent of results itf it is + & basically will tell you no school daycare or other school related activites till antibiotics are taken & fever is free for 24 hrs.Depending on her severity of illness then yes the dr may of said no outdoors for her wellbeing & others

A swab test for strep throat in the doctor's office is routine now, and it only takes about 5 minutes to come back with an answer. Once you take any antibiotics, it is said that you are still contaigious for the next 24 hours, and then it kicks in. So, the doc probably did say she shouldn't be out before midday tomorrow. Do you have an amiable relationship with the mom, where you could maybe reschedule visitation for a day soon, since you couldn't get together this time? I wish you luck!

The rapid strep test is new. What the dr meant about not leaving the house for 24 hours, was that she should not be going back to school, running to the store with mom, go to the park, etc. She needs 24 hours with antibiotics to not be contagious anymore. The dr (I am pretty certain) was not referring to change of custody. As long as she is home in bed (any home or bed would do) she should be fine.

Hi A.. I know strep throat very well. I had it every year for 6 years in a row. It was misrable. I'm surprised the Dr. said ONLY 24 hours. Strep is highly contagious. It would put me out for a week! The swab is not new at all. They were doing that back in the 90's when I was getting it. It's probably better she didn't visit or your whole houshold would be sick. I'm sure mom was just wanting her to rest and get better. Even though she felt better, she still needs lots of rest. I'm sure mom just didn't want her shuffling around from her place to yours and all that. Even minor excursions when your sick are draining. I know I would have wanted my child to just rest and stay home until she was better. It was just one night. And she was sick. Unless mom does this kinda of thing more often, I don't think it was intentional to keep her away.

Strep throat is an infection, which means it burns to swallow, extremely achy and most likely fever. I'm sure all she wants to do is sleep. You really don't want to take her outside. It's better for her to stay home and in bed. One missed visitation isn't going to matter in the long run. She needs to get better.

Hi A.-

The swab test has been around for awhile and usually they get a diagnosis within minutes. If it's negative they still do another test to confirm that it is negative but an immediate positive has been my experience with the swab.

My understanding has always been that the 24 hours refers to them being contagious. It doesn't have anything to do with the child's health or her recuperating. It's just to protect those who might be exposed by her going to public places. That being said I would think that if you and your husband are "willing to take your chances" then it should be ok.

Good luck,
K.

Yes as you are very contagious with Strep throat I dealt with it all my life as I am prone to allergies that lead to sinus infeactions which in turn lead to bouts with Strep throat. Strep throat can be passed from person to person. When a person who has strep throat breathes, coughs, or sneezes, tiny droplets with the strep bacteria go into the air. These droplets can be breathed in by other people. If you come into contact with strep, it will take 2 to 5 days before you start to have symptoms. If the rapid strep test says that you don't have strep (the test is negative) but your symptoms suggest that you do, your doctor may want to do a throat culture to be sure. This is because rapid strep tests are not always accurate. To do a throat culture, the doctor will swab a sample of cells from the back of your throat. The sample will go into a special cup (culture) where the strep bacteria can grow over time. If strep bacteria grow, the doctor knows that you have strep.

If the rapid strep test is positive and says that you do have strep, there’s no need to do the throat culture. Dr.s usually treat strep with antibiotics but unfortunately they do not make you feel any better only lots of bes rest. I hope your litlle one recoups quickly!

Best regards,

M. R

Hello, From the understanding that I have (my kids are grown) the reason for the 24 hours is that they are still contagious for 24 hours after starting the treatment. She may have been fine coming for her visitation, but may have been more comfortable staying home. Strep is very uncomfortable and if not treated properly can have serious side effects. Maybe the visitation should have been changed to another day? As far as the on the spot culture, I know that doctors have diagnosed our grandchildren a couple of times right on the spot. The old culture took a couple of days. I hope this gets worked out. It isn't good for anyone to have to second guess when it comes to visitations.
Good luck with your precious little girl.
K. K.

I would say there is no reason that Daddy can't take care of his sick daughter as well as mommy can. However, strep as an adult is miserable and if it takes 24 hours for the antibiotics to kick in, I personally think it is best that she stay at home, rest and feel better rather than expose new family members to the illness.

Hi A.-

The Rapid Strep test has been around for at least 7 years because my daughter and I had it done and it came back positive for both of us. We both were miserable, although I think I was more miserable then she was!! What most people are saying is what my understanding is, you are contageous for the first 24 hours you are on the antibiotics. I don't know if that is the true intent for his ex not letting his take his daughter, but if they have a good relationship, the reason is a good reason.

I'm sure not having her was a huge disappointment. I hope she's feeling better!

You were not clear on whether you were sending a child over to the strep throat house or wanting the strep throat kid to come outside.
Personally if it was my kid, I wouldn't want him/her going to someone's house with strep throat. and if it was my kid that was supposed to do the visiing outsidet, it would have been called off... she would have stayed in the house in the bed. Strep throat can be dangerous. Nothing to play around with. And it isn't fun for the parents. I would want her to get well as fast as she could, plus it usually gives them a bad headache and I am sure the kid didn't want to see anyone and really wanted to be left alone when you are that sick. And yes the dr usually tells you to stay in bed with plenty of fluids for 24 after the fever breaks and the child feels like getting up. That means that it may be more than 24 hr before she can see anyone or have anyone over or go to school.

And yes on the spot testing is all they do. They have been doing that for 20 for sure. I have a 23 yr old that went through a bout of strep throat over and over when he was about 5 or 6 and they did the on the spot testing way back then.

The swab test has been around for over 10 years.

The doctor probably told her that the child should not return to school or day care for 24 hours, and should avoid exposure to others. Unless the child had a fever or was not feeling well, there's no reason she can't visit daddy.

I recently had strep myself and was told I would be contagious until I had been taking the medicine for 24 hours.