Strep, You Are Beastly.

Just got back from the pedi, and after leaving behind a portion of our life savings and  almost having to promise my first-born to pay for the four visits, strep tests and Bicillin shots,  we know that four of four children have Strep.  Have I mentioned that even Strep exposure causes a reaction in one of my children...I mean a major OCD reaction in my already constantly raging child?  I think I mentioned that before.

I knew that the visit would be expensive, but I had to have proof, antibiotics and a paper trail on all of my children.  If we cured just one or two, we'd continue to pass this yuck around.  And we still might, but at least now we have a shot--no pun intended.

The visit was interesting.  Interesting because our pediatric group that is all over this medical center city does not believe in PANDAS.  So I didn't really bring it up.  I just mentioned that one of my children had an auto-immune issue and was severely affected by exposure to strep.  I hate to say it, but I think he could tell which one. 

I was in last week with my youngest daughter (3) who tested positive for the third time in 7 weeks.  She was given Augmentin since we had already tried Amoxicillin and Cefdinir.  Yesterday when she was still positive after a week on the new antibiotic, the pediatrician seemed a little confused.  A little like, "This is not supposed to be the case."  He flirted with the idea of me causing a resistance in her by not giving her the antibiotics on schedule (which is not the case).  Before we left I asked him if he saw this often.  He subtly changed the subject.

So I'm wondering if we have a particularly virulent strain of Strep or if our immune systems are not up to snuff.  I tend to think it is the latter.  Because although we are not sick often, it seems that strep lingers in our family.  And I am starting to discover that strep does not always cause symptoms in us.  

Sometimes the only symptom has been a strange "evergreen" smell  that I get a whiff of--seems to come from the nose rather than the throat.  Sometimes there is nausea or vomiting, and sometimes just a headache or even just a warm little hand in mine.  Sometimes nothing.

So I am reading, reading, reading.  I have discovered that lingering Strep cansometimes have something to do with Lyme, and we already know that Lyme is an issue, so maybe....

Anyway, I'm leaving you with a few links about PANDAS.   If you are living with this beast, I encourage you to visit the ACN Latitudes board for PANDAS (for some reason, my link button won't work, but go here:  http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showforum=17  .  There are other parents there who are trying to figure out this stuff, too.

 And I'm again reminding you to tell everyone you know about the link between Strep and OCD and the host of symptoms that go with PANDAS.  

http://childrenshospitalblog.org/one-mothers-story-how-strep-throat-attacked-my-childs-brain/

http://www.foodsmatter.com/asd_autism/miscellaneous/articles/pandas.html

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocdinkids/parents/PANDAS_story.aspx

http://www.raisingarizonakids.com/2012/07/pandas-my-brain-is-making-me-do-this/

(ugh...none of those links are working correctly...you'll have to cut and paste them to your browser bar....sorry :(  )