Out of the Ordinary Strep Throat Info...

[Chrisandgary]

Hi! I have not posted in so long - I have been reading posts here and there and glad to see all the familiar names and lots of great info here - especially for the newbies who are just starting to go thru cardiac issues.
I have a strange question - my hubby and my family can just not do things by the book, but seem to always have very STRANGE issues! Gary is almost 2 years post-op his 3rd OHS - the third was an aortic aneurysm repair. Last month he came down with strep throat. We have 4 children - 11, 10, 7, and 5years old. My 11 year old daughter is a carrier of strep. We never know she is active until one or more of her siblings get it - or I get it. The pediatrician has several times not treated her because of the whole antibiotic issue - of her becoming immune to all of them some day. So now she was active, 2 other children came down with it, then my hubby came down with it. Our family doctor put him on amoxicillin and he was fine. I called the cardio - left a message - no one got back to me. My pediatrician now sent us to an Infectious Disease specialist and put her on clindamycin to deactivate her! She was cultured 2 weeks later and came back negative. The infectious disease doctor told me that the protocol for persons with rheumatic fever and heart valve conditions should be on antibiotics for life! I have never heard of this and the cardio and surgeon have never mentioned this. Gary has never been told his valve disease is definetly from rheumatic fever (his mother cant recall - claims he had scarletina as a child).The infect. doc told me to contact the cardio and tell him Gary should be on antibiotics permanently.
So my question is this - anyone out there who is on antibiotics forever??
I am very confused and really don't want to see him take anymore meds for life. As it was the Amox. made him sick to his stomach for 2 weeks and sent his INR up to 6.0
Thank you all!!
Christine

 

[PeggyM]

Ughhhhh...Don't believe everything they tell you! Ha!

Personally, I would never go on antibiotics for life. A prime candidate for MRSA if you ask me. They say MRSA is so prevelant now because we've been taking too many antibiotics and have become resistant to them.

I have to go right now but I'll be back.

 

[geebee]

I think the permanent antibiotics is a dated belief. When I was first diagosed (in 1974), I was put on penicillin and took it daily until after my second surgery. That was about this time that my cardio said they were no longer doing this regimen. Unless they have started it again, I think your doctor might be behind the times.

 

[Natanni]

Wow! I HATE strep (hubby had endocardititis d/t Strep Viridans). Gary's situation sounds very unique Chrisitine. I would contact another infection control specialist and get a 2nd opinion. It sounds like your daughter is only deactivated and still a carrier? I have a friend that has a daughter is a permanent carrier of strep which only surfaced once with some strange infection on her leg that lasted months. I drag my poor kids in now at the mere mention of a sore throat for cultures, even though that form of strep has nothing to do with the kind my husband had on his valve. My daughter did have strep this year, and my asymptomatic husband did get treated also-his GP and doc at the Mayo said it was a must I do know there are rare cases where lifelong antibiotics are given--my father in law, a heart transplant recipiant has been on Bactrim since day 1 with his new heart.

Wishing everyone a speedy recovery

Ann

 

[hensylee]

my nurse cousin has been on an antibiotic for years and will be for the rest of her life because of her kidneys, so it is still going on.

Isn't scarletina a lighter case of scarlet fever? I have heard that forever.

If I were you, I would go to some infectious diseases sites on the net and explore the questions you have. This is a serious matter if your daughter is a carrier and a danger to those she comes in contact with. I don't know that we in VR can really advise you on this one. You really need more information on the entire subject. It's very complicated, isn't it?

Blessins...........

 

[Turkey Hunter]

I am a carrier of strep. We didn't discover it until after my ross procedure; yet no one ever mentioned to me to be on antibiotics forever. The infectious disease guy gave my rifampin (sp?) to try to kill it off and my culture came back positive. That was some very powerful antibiotic; but still wouldn't knock out the strep.

There was discussion of removing my tonsil's to get rid of the strep and my cardio and surgeon were dead set against that. (all the bacteria would be instantly released into the blood stream)

I am just very careful about any tickle or sore throat I get. I've never given strep to anyone who wasn't already sick.....to my knowledge. It is very managable to be a carrier and a valvereplacement patient.

Hope this helps

Ben

 

[catwoman]

Christine:

Check this out:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strep-throat/DS00260/DSECTION=1

My mom is on antibiotics indefinitely because of a kidney problems -- a congenital problem with backflow that creates infections. In January 1994, she stopped taking her Rx -- and landed in the hospital for 2 weeks on IVs of antibiotics. I don't know the type of bacteria.
She has not gone off the antibiotics since.

 

[Chrisandgary]

Thank you all for your advice and stories! I had asked about removing her tonsils so that maybe she wouldn't become activated so easily/or pass it along so easily and the infectious disease doctor said removing her tonsils would make it harder to detect when she is active - and that with or without tonsils she would be the same in passing it along. (We did have her sisters tonsils removed after 4 cases of strep within 6 weeks - her tonsils were UGLY! All pitted and scarred. IT was gross.)
Who knows???? Like I said my family cannot get anything simple or by the book! I will check out some sites!
Thank you again,
Christine

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Like Gina, I had RF a long time ago (1976) and was put on a therapeutic dose of Penicillin, which was upgraded along the way to a higher dosage of Penicillin and then a stronger antibiotic because I continued to get strep. When I did get strep, I almost always had a Penicillinase producing staph infection at the same time, which "deactivates" the Penicillin, making it very difficult to knock out the strep. At the time, MRSA wasn't around yet, but I think that I was having a form of it then. I had to take Tetracycline or Erythromycin type antibiotics, as well as strong Penicillin, to knock out the staph and strep. Somewhere in the mid-80's, I was told to stop taking the antibiotic because that regimen was no longer followed and I was probably immune to it. Then, in the early 90's, when I had young children, I was put back on Penicillin, again a therapeutic dosage, but only for about a year while they were first in daycare and bringing home lots of germs.

How old is his ID doctor? I don't think that they've taught daily antibiotics for RF in quite a while. Taking too many antibiotics or using too much antibacterial stuff (cleaners, hand washes, etc.) is not really good for the ecosystem that is your body.

I remember 30-40 years ago my parents discussed removing my tonsils to keep me from getting strep. My doctor was emphatically against it because he said that the tonsils act as a door, stopping the germs from going farther into your body and bloodstream. Of course, they didn't keep me from getting RF, but I had a really mild case of strep ear before my RF, which my doctor diagnosed as a virus. The classic symptoms of strep weren't there.