When do you take your child to the dr. for a sore throat?

[amom526]

DS1 is 5, and this is the first time I can ever remember him actually telling me his throat hurts. He's been acting otherwise like his normal self, and no other major symptoms of illness besides maybe sounding a little hoarse.

I immediately start thinking strep, and just wondering how you approach things when your kids complain of a sore throat. Do you let it go a few days, and see how it progresses? Take them in just to rule it out? I am particularly weary of this kid getting strep for other reasons, but I don't want to take him for a what-will-definitely-be-traumatic strep test, for no reason.

i know strep can present in a million different ways for kids, just wondering how you all make the call.

[SnuggleBuggles]

My kids almost always typically present with a fever and sore throat so those 2 together = go in. Just a sore throat? I wait that out especially if otherwise eating, drinking and acting fine.


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[khalloc]

Never. Made the mistake of doing it once like 4 years ago...it was nothing. Neither of my kids have ever had strep.

[georgiegirl]

Unless he has a fever, I wouldn't take him in. Sore throat can also mean the beginning of a cold. Ds1 has had strep many times, and he's never presented with a sore throat. It's always fever without any other symptoms

[ett]

I've never taken kids in for just a sore throat. Sometimes it goes away in a day or 2 and other times it'll progress into a cold. My kids have never had strep before either though.

I don't even think my ped. office would schedule an appt. for just a sore throat. For many cases, they would have you talk to the nurse first.

[o_mom]

If there is a fever of 101+ and no cold symptoms at all, or more than 2-3 days with no cold symptoms.

Mine actually rarely present with a sore throat with strep - more likely unexplained fever or in one case absolutely no symptoms at all in all three kids - so this is more like when I would go to the doctor for a sore throat.

[BunnyBee]

My kids usually get nasty looking tonsils (Google for pics), and their breath smells off. One of mine pukes with strep. Headache, sore throat, fever, and tonsils usually get me to take them in for a swab.

[Simon]

Depends on the kid. Mine rarely get a fever with strep throat so that isn't a factor for me. One of my kids is very accurate. If he says his ear hurts, its infected. If his throat hurts and he says its bad (not an overnight post-nasal drip mildly sore thing), then he has strep. Sometimes I have him wait a day, but more often I take him to the ped or UC. I've had lots of Drs give me the side-eye when I say no fever and its a new sore throat, but that kid is very in tune with his body. For the other kiddos, I'd wait a day or two unless its so bad they are refusing to eat and are clearly acting sick.

[lalasmama]

Fever + sore throat + tummy ache + headache + no cough = possible/likely strep, time for Doctor appt.

Runny nose + sore throat = postnasal drip, no appt.

[erosenst]

DD gets a fever and throws up with strep.

Having said that - we now err on going in after she had undiagnosed strep go to her bladder. She also had a streak where she had it so often the ped did "carrier testing".

Even with that - still have to have fever, sore throat and no cold symptoms before we go in.


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