# Bad case of strep throat -- could I die???!??



## LalaCity (Mar 2, 2008)

Ok, my story of physical woe in a nutshell (or as nutshelly as I can make it):

I've got a case of strep throat that is so bad I'm a bit frightened for my health, and it seems to be antibiotics-resistant to boot! It is the third time I have had it in the last 6 months (contrary to the urban myth that you can only get it once) and each time it returns it is harder to treat.

My main predicament is this: My student health coverage has just lapsed and I am now uninsured. Nonetheless, as I know the doctors there, I went to the clinic on campus. I was told I would be billed for labs and meds -- fine. The thing is, because I am now poor and not covered, I was given the cheapest possible course of antibiotics -- we're talking the penicillin your grandmother took in 1950. It doses at two per day for 20 days!!! Whatever, I'm just glad for anything I can get.

Things were going along apace until about 15 days into it -- then I screwed up last wednesday and missed my evening dose. By the next morning the thing had come roaring back in all its misery. I've been taking my pills the last several days but it has not cleared up -- in fact, it seems to be worsening. Last night the pain was so excruciating I could not sleep, despite taking a massive dose of ibuprofen. What's worse, the pain is spreading down from my throat and now my shoulders and chest ache badly, accompanied by a burning sensation. I'm feeling feverish, but I haven't taken my temperature because my thermometer broke.

I am leery of going to the emergency room today (sunday) because I know from recent experience that a visit is likely to cost upwards of $700 and I'm currently drowning in debt, what with student loans coming home to roost, several sizable hospital bills I have yet to pay, etc....so I'm thinking of riding it out another day then going back to student health on monday and asking for a course of ciprofloxacin, or something powerful...

But the phrase "streptococcal septicemia" keeps playing in the back of my mind...

In fact, I think Jim Henson died from streptococcal pneumonia. 

I'm scared!

Any advice?


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## Butterbelly (Mar 2, 2008)

Strep Throat, if left untreated properly or with the correct medications, can cause more serious problems like heart damage. 

If there is an urgent care near your house, I'd visit that first before going to the ER, as the Urgent Care will be cheaper. The antibiotics they put you one should have at least helped some...you could have thrush along with strep, or a combination of something else with the strep.

Make a trip to your local urgent care and get this taken care of before it leads to permanent damage.


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## moore2me (Mar 2, 2008)

Lala City  Sorry to hear you are sick with the strep throat again. Also sorry to hear about your insurance lapsing. I have an idea tho. *There is a distinct possibility that you are catching this mess from your exposure on campus  either from a food handler or from the lack of hygiene somewhere on campus (people, things, or both).* If this is true, the school should be responsible for paying for your medical care, drugs, etc. And they should not be giving you expired stuff that is out of date etc. (Read the article from Wikipedia.) If you need further help, I suggest you contact the authorities at college or have your doctor contact them. Or even better tell them you are going to turn in a complaint to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta or your local state health department.
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You need to know what kind of bacteria is causing the throat infection  I am assuming your infection is caused by Group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus bacteria.

Below From Wikipedia article here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strep_throat
There is interesting info that indicates casual contact can transmit the strep organisms such within families through pillow cases, toys, and patients tooth brush. They future indicated that hygiene instructions may help to cut down on the transmission rate.

Another case of possible transmission involved cooks with the bacteria transmitting them to their clients thru food.

The article further lists some complications of strep throat but notes most of them are uncommon or rare. (People most at risk of such things are ones with compromised immune systems such as those with AIDS/HIV, brittle diabetics, people with lupus, advanced geriatric patients, newborns, people with kidney disease, etc.)

However, some of the strong antibiotics used to treat drug resistant bacteria, may themselves cause residual damage to the human body. The toxicology of these high-powered antibiotics sometimes comes with unwanted baggage. Such side effects as kidney damage, skin disorders, liver damage, etc. are often warning on the life saving drugs.)

Even some of the old stand-by drugs such as penicillin can cause unwanted side effects if taken too long and in high strengths. My mom had to take antibiotics for years and it completely ruined her hearing. She has now pretty much lost all of her ability to hear normal conversation & such. But, she is alive.

Back to strep throat. If you want more technical info, you can read this source - The Merck Manual - section on Strep Throat here http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch171/ch171d.html?qt=strep throat&alt=sh

Sore throat = Pharyngitis
Strep throat = Strep pharyngitis or Streptococcus pharyngitis
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From http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030215/practice.html

Household contacts may harbor group A streptococci in their upper respiratory tract but have no symptoms. It is usually not necessary to test these asymptomatic contacts or to treat them if test results are positive. When post-treatment testing of a patient is necessary (see microbiologic test discussion), the IDSA recommends cultures for asymptomatic family contacts, with treatment given to those who have positive results. The management of close contacts of patients with invasive group A streptococcal infections (e.g., necrotizing fasciitis, toxic shock syndrome) is beyond the scope of this guideline.


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## D_A_Bunny (Mar 2, 2008)

As far as antibiotics go, some of the stores are offering different ones for free and/or very inexpensive. I am in Florida and Publix offers some for free and Walmart and KMart have some for about $4.00. You may want to check there websites before you go to the doctor and see if any on the lists would help and you could curb some of the medical costs involved.
I hope you feel better soon!


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## Sandie_Zitkus (Mar 2, 2008)

GO TO THE HOSPITAL!!

What is more important - the money or your life. Yes - you can die from this especially if it becomes pneumonia!!

GO NOW!!


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## Green Eyed Fairy (Mar 2, 2008)

You know.....until recently, I lived quite awhile with no insurance. I totally understand the worry/concern over the emergency room bill. 
However....it sounds like you have a recurring problem, with a serious illness/bacteria, that is not being treated properly (Three times isn't a charm on something like this). 
The urgent care center might be cheaper- however, they demand payment up front. The ER will bill you later....and a second opinion definitely sounds needed here. Don't play with your health. If you can FEEL it spreading, get thee to another dr before you suffer permanent health damage.


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## HottiMegan (Mar 2, 2008)

I dont know about your hospital but my local hospital does a sliding scale to your income if you're uninsured. They also take payments. Strep can really suck, i used to get it VERY frequently as a kid. i have also had pneumonia twice and that's worse..


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## LalaCity (Mar 3, 2008)

Thank you all for your concern -- still feeling the same as yesterday and I have not been to the hospital yet (slept most of the day sunday), but will go this morning back to student health to see if they can accommodate me...and thanks for the tips regarding urgent care, possible school liability, pharmacy options, etc....something tells me I'll be relying on this advice in future if my problem doesn't clear up.


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## Miss Vickie (Mar 3, 2008)

Lala I'm glad you're going to go see someone today. Strep throat is NOT something to mess with and it sounds like yours is a particularly virulent strain. Those of us who love the Muppets may know that Jim Henson died of Strep Throat; he was a Christian Scientist and didn't seek medical care in part because of his religious beliefs.

So... I don't mean to scare you but you need to treat it seriously. Also, whoever told you you couldn't get strep throat more than once was wrong (obviously). Strep is a bacteria and just because you killed it off once, doesn't mean you won't get it again. Bacterial infections don't work the same way as viral infections do, and so you're at risk to get it again; in fact I've heard that you're MORE at risk. Also, some people are just carriers, and don't get sick at all. 

The good news about bacterial infections, as you probably know, we have antibiotics to treat them. So if the standard antibiotic doesn't cut it, they can move up the line to find something that will. Sometimes they can also do what's called a Culture and Sensitivity where they grow your bacteria on a dish and try various antibiotics to see what would kill it. That way they can pinpoint exactly what drug you need; this is tough since you've been on antibiotics already but they may still be able to do it.

So please, get this treated, get a long course of antibiotics and, ideally, get re-cultured when you're done to be sure you got rid of ALL the nasties. I know it's hard without health insurance -- I had emergency gall bladder surgery when I had no insurance (ka-CHING!) -- but this isn't just a wee little annoyance. It's serious business, and if you got really sick with pneumonia you'd be in the hospital and you don't even want to know how much inpatient care costs. Much better to pay $700 now for an ER visit than $7,000 (or more!) for a hospital stay.

Take care, and feel better!


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## SocialbFly (Mar 3, 2008)

you know, you also need to figure out where you are getting the reoccuring strep throat...i have to tell you, i had it a bunch one year at work, and one of my coworkers said, hey, you can get strep from dogs...my dog was giving me strep throat when i was kissing her, or letting her lick my face....so, i went to her vet, got her antibiotics and quit letting her kiss my face, and walllahhh no more strep....

are you changing your tooth brushes?? are you washing all your eating untensils well...so many stupid things we dont even think about...

i will say this last flu acted like strep throat, which i thought i had, but it didnt clear with two seperate rounds of anitbiotics, and my poor throat had red pustules and while pustules on it...gross and scary...and the body aches etc was miserable...it is possible this ISNT step....

also, while i am on my soap box NEVER take ibuprofen if you are dehydrated (which when our throats hurt badly, it can get thatway quickly) so, be cautious, dont take ibprofen or motrin if you are dehydrated. (i know, redundant)

strep can go after kidneys and the heart valves, so always get strep taken care of....

you can also have strep passed back and forth betweeen people, so if you have a guy or girl you see, and they are untreated you can trade the infection. I was seeing a guy who was a healthy carrier of strep (yeah, just like my poor dog, lol) and until he got treated too, i kept getting sick....

so, please, when you feel better exhaust yourself finding a reason why you keep getting this...are you getting enough sleep?? if i am too tired and dont get rest or i drink...i get strep...sucks, but that is life...


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## Miss Vickie (Mar 3, 2008)

Oh man, Di, I had no idea. A DOG??? I always knew their mouths were foul (or fowl, depending on what they've been eating) but I had no idea they could pass on strep. Ew.

Changing toothbrushes is an excellent idea. We should all be doing that every three months anyway, but any time you get sick it's a good idea to get rid of that brush and get another (or in the case of electric toothbrushes, a new head).


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## SocialbFly (Mar 4, 2008)

Yeah, Preshy was an akita, and had the cutest nose ever, i used to kiss her all the time, then when my friend Colleen told me that, i was like, ok, i am over getting strep, this has to stop, so i gave up kissing preshy there (i still kissed her on top of her head and gave her hugs) and walla no more strep....just crazy...the boyfriend, well, that took some doing to get him to believe it...but when i quit dating him, i didnt get strep after that either, so there is something to the story...

I can always tell when i have strep, i get the most horrid headaches, and my thumbs hurt so bad, yeah, it makes no sense to me either...i still get the stupid sore throat, but i always know when it is that, and can take care of it quickly....


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## Risible (Mar 4, 2008)

Miss Vickie and Social Bfly - I appreciate your comments so much here in the Health forum. I know you two are too busy to mod, but just know that I, and I believe I can speak for Missaf as well (the other Health forum mod) consider you both Valedictorians of the Health forum.

_*Ris extends a Hearty Handshake*







_


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## SocialbFly (Mar 4, 2008)

Risible said:


> Miss Vickie and Social Bfly - I appreciate your comments so much here in the Health forum. I know you two are too busy to mod, but just know that I, and I believe I can speak for Missaf as well (the other Health forum mod) consider you both Valedictorians of the Health forum.
> 
> _*Ris extends a Hearty Handshake*
> 
> ...




Awww thank you, I am happy to give what info i know...hugs and keep up the good work my friend...Dianna


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## SocialbFly (Mar 4, 2008)

LalaCity, you need to check in and let us know how you are doing...i hope you are feeling much better....


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## Miss Vickie (Mar 4, 2008)

Risible said:


> Miss Vickie and Social Bfly - I appreciate your comments so much here in the Health forum. I know you two are too busy to mod, but just know that I, and I believe I can speak for Missaf as well (the other Health forum mod) consider you both Valedictorians of the Health forum.
> 
> _*Ris extends a Hearty Handshake*
> 
> ...



*blushes furiously*

Uhm, thanks, Ris'!! I really appreciate it. I'm just so happy we have a health board I'll do what I can to make it a go. So let me know if there's anything I can do to help. You're a rockin' Mod! :wubu:


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## moore2me (Mar 4, 2008)

My mom is a retired RN and she just is getting over a little flu virus. She threw her toothbrush away and got a new one. She washes all of her bed linens, towels, and wash rags with bleach and hot water. Cold water is not good enough to kill bacteria or viruses. Bleach is needed as well. 

Mom would never let a dog kiss her on the mouth or lick her anywhere - so that is not an issue. But bacteria and viruses are not the only things dogs and cats can harbor in their mouths and on their fur. Parasictic worms are very common and easy to transmit - that's what the worms do for a living - their experts at it.


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## LalaCity (Mar 5, 2008)

Thank you, everyone -- Vickie, SocialB, M2M, and all...I am being treated with a different course of antibiotics now (cipro, again) and I am feeling so much better! Here's hoping this thing just dies once and for all!

(Oh, and yeah, it wasn't until the most recent bout that the doctor mentioned to me, "and make sure you get rid of your old toothbrush..." You'd think I'd have thought of that, but nooooooo. :doh:


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## SocialbFly (Mar 9, 2008)

sooooo are you all better???


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