Hi,I am Dr. Santosh Kondekar (Pediatrician). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
My 7 year old daughter complains of headache , stomach ache, sore throat , and has a fever . This happened about a month ago and the ER checked for strep with a negative result. They prescribed antibiotics and she was fine. Now it seems to be back again. Is this bacterial? What can we do to reduce the chance of it returning again and again?
Hi dreandnell,
Thank you for your query It must be frustrating to see your child being sick repeatedly.It is worth having someone examine her tonsils for signs of bacterial infection (namely pus on enlarged red tonsils) as Strep is not the only bacteria that causes these infections and antibiotics may be required again. It is most likely that your child has viral tonsillitis. She may experience some relief from the pains with paracetamol (up to 4 times a day) and ibuprofen (up to 3 times a day). Encourage her to drink plenty of fluids and to only take the ibuprofen with or after food. She should also eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to optimise her immune system. Some people also suggest a few drops the herbal remedy Echinachia a day, but there is little scientific proof.
Many children at this age also get recurrent bouts of tonsillitis ins a short period of time. Especially as they start school and are in contact with many other children, carrying all sorts of viruses. Over 6 months with a good diet she will start to build immunity and the episodes will settle.
If you find that she has six or more episodes in a period of 1 year, or each episode is really severe causing her to miss a significant amount of school, it is worth seeing an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon to discuss whether she needs to have her tonsils removed. They will know which children are most likely to benefit from this procedure, as the medical evidence is very limited.
All the best.
Tamara
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Hi dreandnell, Thank you for your query It must be frustrating to see your child being sick repeatedly.It is worth having someone examine her tonsils for signs of bacterial infection (namely pus on enlarged red tonsils) as Strep is not the only bacteria that causes these infections and antibiotics may be required again. It is most likely that your child has viral tonsillitis. She may experience some relief from the pains with paracetamol (up to 4 times a day) and ibuprofen (up to 3 times a day). Encourage her to drink plenty of fluids and to only take the ibuprofen with or after food. She should also eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to optimise her immune system. Some people also suggest a few drops the herbal remedy Echinachia a day, but there is little scientific proof. Many children at this age also get recurrent bouts of tonsillitis ins a short period of time. Especially as they start school and are in contact with many other children, carrying all sorts of viruses. Over 6 months with a good diet she will start to build immunity and the episodes will settle. If you find that she has six or more episodes in a period of 1 year, or each episode is really severe causing her to miss a significant amount of school, it is worth seeing an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon to discuss whether she needs to have her tonsils removed. They will know which children are most likely to benefit from this procedure, as the medical evidence is very limited. All the best. Tamara