1. Is strep throat going around?

And 2. What time does cvs ready clinic open? I need to get tested for it if I do! I have had a sore throat, runny nose, itchy eyes and ears and now a headache since Wednesday! I thought maybe the allergies finally caught up to me but I'm beginning to think otherwise! 

No fever? It sounds more like allergy symptoms and post nasal drip infecting your nasal passages. Catch it before you get bronchitis or ear infection and let the professionals do the diagnosing. There is a Doc in the Box (Nextcare) near Shipley's on Northpark that I like. They are thorough! On that note, a good antihistamine can help with the post-nasal drip, i.e, Zytec etc. And Mucinex will not only thin the mucus but help with coughing. 

I think strep is the kind of thing that's ways kind of going around.


Do you have a fever? Sounds more like allergies than strep. 

Ugh, time for an exam. But the allergies are really bad right now and the drainage could easily make your throat sore too. I'm betting allergies. Usually with strep, you feel sicky sick. 

Strep Throat - Symptoms
Common symptoms of strep throat in children and adults include:

Severe and sudden sore throat without coughing, sneezing, or other cold symptoms.
Pain or difficulty with swallowing.
Fever over 101?F (38.3?C). Lower fevers may point to a viral infection and not strep.
Swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
White or yellow spots or coating on the throat and tonsils.
Bright red throat or dark red spots on the roof of the mouth at the back near the throat.
Swollen tonsils, although this symptom may also be caused by a viral infection.
In teens, mononucleosis can cause a severe sore throat that looks like and has symptoms similar to those of strep throat. For more information, see the topic Mononucleosis (Mono).


It is easy to tell when you have a sore throat or a cold. It is harder to know when you have strep throat. Typically, sore throats are caused by a viral infection and not strep bacteria. Strep throat usually does not occur with cold symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, or a runny or stuffy nose. The more cold symptoms you have, the less likely it is that your sore throat is a strep infection.

In some cases of strep infection, a skin rash develops and spreads over the neck and chest and eventually over the whole body. The rash feels rough like sandpaper. This condition is called scarlet fever. Scarlet fever is treated with antibiotics. This usually leads to a quick recovery. Scarlet fever is not dangerous if treated. 

When I have a regular sore throat I worry if I have strep. But when I have strep I KNOW it! It feels completely different and hurts way more. 

My son had strep throat 3 weeks ago, I caught it from him and even though I went to the doctor the same day the symptoms started and got antibiotics.....I ended up with pneumonia. :( Second round of antibiotics, and I'm still coughing junk up out of my lungs..... 

Allergies. i've never had Strep, but have seen it.. and your tonsils will look really inflamed with white spots/pus 

There's a strep going around that does not have a fever associated with it. It's also resistant to Z-pack. 

My 11 year old has never ran a fever with strep and we don't realize he has it til he breaks out with scarlet fever. He will just be tired with a sore throat. 

Had a family birthday party yesterday with 5 kids -12 &6 , 4 y/o twins, and an 18 no. Old. Last night the big kid got sick and dr said strep today. And that's how it spreads .... 

You can have strep without fever. My kid has had it without fever. You do not have to have all the symptoms to have strep. 

Same symptoms as you. Went to Dr. and no strep. (I'm particularly vulnerable)

Over the counter Mucinex MD (max strength) for releaving the congestion and cough seemed to work well. Went back to the gym today after staying away 3 weeks. Still have just a trace of bronchial congestion.

3 weeks. Haven't had it last so long before. 

okay...so i went to the urgent care since i had to go after work.

he checked my throat, sinus/ears, etc. and said "doesnt look like strep, but im going to treat you like you have strep"....


so he gave me a z-pack.

Kinda confused, bc he didnt even swab my throat. I basically paid a $50.00 copay for him to look in my mouth and me say ahhhhh.

GRRR 

okay...so i went to the urgent care since i had to go after work.

he checked my throat, sinus/ears, etc. and said "doesnt look like strep, but im going to treat you like you have strep"....


so he gave me a z-pack.

Kinda confused, bc he didnt even swab my throat. I basically paid a $50.00 copay for him to look in my mouth and me say ahhhhh.

GRRR





It's ok, he really just saved you the cost of a strep test which would have probably been another $50.00. In the end, the Z pack was cheaper and will probably make you feel better.

You had more symptoms of allergies and maybe a secondary infection anyway. 

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, also. 

He thinks you can manage a head cold. Keep infection out of your chest at all cost. Zpak will help. Drink lots of water to thin the mucous so it can leave the body. Neti Pot if you can. Or Saline Spray keeps the mucous thin. Rest. Get Well. 

See I disagree here- the dispensing of antibiotics without confirmation of infection isn't right. If it's a virus -the antibiotics won't help. All that it does is continue to allow bacteria to mutate and become more resistant to antibiotics.
Case in point- 20 years ago I had bacterial pneumonia - I was on 1,000 mg of Biaxin a day- back then that was a lot of antibiotics! Just this last week I was DX'ed with an UTI and kidney infection- they put me on 2,000 mg of Cephalexin and then switched me to 1800mg of Augmentin because the bacteria I have is resistant to the Cephalexin. This particular infection has really messed me up and now I'm on high doses of antibiotics and there's side effects to that as well
At some point in the near future there won't be anything left to fight even the simplest infections. If I'm sick and suspect a bacterial infection- I insist on a test. No point in taking the antibiotics unless I need them. Plus they kill all the beneficial bacteria that lives in my body. 

The strep going around is resistant to the Zpack. 

Have to agree with JPgirl. My son had community-acquired MRSA and my niece has had c diff twice. Dispensing antibiotics without confirming that they're needed is dangerous. Even if a person has a bacterial infection, it's important to know what kind of of bacteria you're dealing with so you can prescribe the right medication otherwise you're just going to create more problems and more resistance. 

See I disagree here- the dispensing of antibiotics without confirmation of infection isn't right. If it's a virus -the antibiotics won't help. All that it does is continue to allow bacteria to mutate and become more resistant to antibiotics.





Normally I'd agree with you bc I think antibiotics are over prescribed. But it does depend on the person as well. She isn't on them a lot and they are very effective for bacterial infections. She may not have had strep in particular but her throat was infected. I saw it. White pus pockets on her tonsils, very red and inflamed. With all the allergy and virus issues going around, I think she got an infection in all that. I'm betting she feels way better by tomorrow! 

Actually, the only reason antibiotics are indicated for strep is for the prevention of rheumatic fever as a sequelae (very rare in the United States presently).

Strep pharyngitis is a self-limited disease that resolves on its own. Antibiotics can possibly speed recovery by 12-24 hours.

The majority of pharyngitis is viral which is still an infection and can present with purulent exudate. Unfortunately, antibiotics have no affect on viruses. If you present with cough or upper respiratory symptoms along with a sore throat, the pharyngitis is most always viral in nature according to Centor's criteria. 

Order your own strep test kits and test for yourself next time. 

In some cases of strep infection, a skin rash develops and spreads over the neck and chest and eventually over the whole body. The rash feels rough like sandpaper. This condition is called scarlet fever. Scarlet fever is treated with antibiotics. This usually leads to a quick recovery. Scarlet fever is not dangerous if treated

However you might not have a sore throat, some folks are actually carriers of strep. Yes Scarlet Fever is treatable however untreated episodes of strep can lead to Rheumatic Heart which is dangerous and sometimes fatal. Don't mess around with it.