Kids are so predictable – well, at least my kids are -they each have their own unique behavior patterns that tip me off to how they are feeling or what is ailing them.

My twelve year old daughter woke up this morning with a headache, no appetite and was whinier than her normal self. She spent most of the morning laying on the couch – not interested in TV or anything else for that matter – and then suddenly she started throwing up. And there was my cue!! I quickly escorted her to the car and we headed straight to the Urgent Care center where the puking continued. These are my middle daughter’s tell tale signs that she has strep. Every single time she has had strep in her twelve years, the tell tale sign has not been a sore throat, it has been a headache, fever and puking.

My other two kids rarely get strep, more often than not, those two are affected by strep’s cousin – viral pharyngitis. Viral sore throats are characterized by pain, redness in the throat, runny or stuffy nose, hoarseness and cough. However, when they do get strep, they tend to have the “traditional” symptoms of a fever, pain when swallowing, and spots on their tonsils.

So how can you tell the difference between strep throat and a viral sore throat? According to InteliHealth the symptoms of the two are:

• Viral pharyngitis – Sore throat often occurs with the following symptoms: pain when swallowing; redness in the throat; runny nose; stuffy nose; cough; hoarseness; redness of the eyes; and, in children, diarrhea. In some cases, there can be a painful redness around the mouth or small painful sores on the lips and inside the mouth.
• Strep throat – With strep throat and other forms of bacterial pharyngitis, sore throat can be accompanied by any of the following symptoms: fever; pain when swallowing; a generally sick feeling (malaise); headache; redness and swelling in the throat; a coating on the tonsils or tongue; and swollen, tender lymph nodes (swollen glands) in the front of the neck. Children also can have nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

However, when in doubt, you should ALWAYS have your child checked by a doctor.

Some kids are more prone to strep than others  and some are simply the “carriers” of strep, never really showing the symptoms themselves. Chances are, your kids will develop their own set of tell tale symptoms making it a little easier for you to figure out what is up.

Next challenge? Keeping the twelve year old from getting bored as she spends her day in bed tomorrow. Luckily she just got a new book for her Kindle and can use part of time reading.

The other day when I went to pick my daughters up from swim practice, my 10 year old was perched on the edge of the pool while her friends were still swimming. I asked her coach what was up and she told me my daughter was complaining that her ear hurt. This was coming from a child who never complains at practice about anything.

She didn’t finish practice and I got her some ibuprofen to at least help with the pain until we could figure out was was going on. As the evening progressed her pain got more severe – to the point of tears. I did everything I knew to do – ibuprofen for the pain, Childrens Sudafed to help with the congestion, a warm compress, warm olive oil drops, and even Similasan Children’s Earache Relief Ear Drops.

Still no relief. Since I had no desire to sit in the Emergency Room unless absolutely necessary, I called the night nurse for our pediatrician’s office to get more ideas. When I mentioned that my daughter had been swimming she immediately thought of swimmers ear. She asked where the pain was coming from, could I see any redness, pus or discharge from my daughter’s ear canal (the answer was no), and did it hurt to touch the outer part of her ear (again, no). Swimmers ear is an infection in the ear canal and is usually caused by water pooling in the canal (kids with waxy ears are more prone to this).

She recommended that we treat it like both swimmers ear and an ear infection because the home treatment for swimmers ear would help if it were swimmers ear and would not make things worse if it was just a regular ear infection.

The home treatment for swimmers ear is to mix 1 part water to 1 part white vinegar in a glass container. Then use a dropper and fill the ear canal with the water/vinegar mix. Let it sit for 15 minutes then drain fluid with towels. If it is swimmers ear, this will give dramatic relief immediately.

Seeing as she got no relief from the water/vinegar mixture we determined that it was most likely an infection in the middle ear and the inflammation and pressure on her ear drum were making her so uncomfortable. At this point I had done everything I could do to make her comfortable and we decided to tough it out through the night until we could get in to her doctor’s office in the morning.

The ibuprofen was the only thing that reduced the pain to the point where she could sleep for a few hours at a time. The next morning we were the first ones at the doctors office and they were so kind to take her right in even though I didn’t have an appointment (I guess that is one benefit to using the same pediatrician for 12 years!).

They swabbed her throat for strep – just in case – and it came back negative. When the doctor examined her ear it was without a doubt an ear infection. They prescribed anti-biotics and we were instructed to continue the ibuprofen, heating pad, and sudafed as needed.

Day two and she seems to be feeling better, but still not healthy enough to go back to school. Looks like I may need some sick day sanity savers.

Remember that I am not a doctor, but after years of hearing swimmers ear vs. ear infection, I finally understand the difference and hope this makes it a bit easier for you to understand, too. When trying to determine what steps are needed to make your child more comfortable, when to call your doctor, or whether to send your child to school or not, information is definitely your best line of defense!

Photo originially from StockXchng, modified by me for explanation purposes.

This summer my daughter had a urinary tract infection that became so bad, she ended up with a kidney infection and hospitalized for most of a week. When the UTI first appeared, I didn’t realize it what it was. I figured my daughter was just going through an irritable few days and was too busy playing to stop and go to the bathroom.

Fast forward 6 months! Friday evening we were at an event and my kids were playing games with their friends. Out of the blue, my daughter who is 6, has an accident while sitting on the floor. She was mortified and I was puzzled. She didn’t have a fever and she didn’t say that it hurt when she went to the bathroom.

Saturday she was tired, cranky, cried about EVERYTHING and had another accident. Still no fever or pain. Sunday comes and she is still ultra crabby and has TWO accidents – one while sitting at the dinner table as she looked at her food.

My Motherly instincts told me that something just wasn’t right!! I took her into the doctor’s office this morning and as I suspected, she has another urinary tract infection.

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) can have “text-book” symptoms of pain during urination, frequent urination, fever, and cloudy urine, but they can also be somewhat stealthy as well. As always, when in doubt check with your doctor.

Over the next few weeks I am going to work on boosting her immune system and am also considering adding cranberry juice to her daily diet.

It’s just a virus. Those have to be the four most frustrating words a parent can hear at the doctor’s office. I mean seriously. My daughter has been miserable since Thursday (5 days ago) and I took her to the doctor’s today. She has been running fevers of 102-103 since Saturday, her eyes look like she has been on a three day bender and she won’t get off the couch.

The doctor did a strep test – negative. A flu test – negative. Took blood – everything looks good. So, it must just be a virus. ICK!! There is nothing to give her except Motrin to make her comfortable, plenty of vitamin C-rich liquids and let her rest.

Tomorrow will be her fourth day in a row missing school and her 6th day in a row at home. I may be taking some of my own Sick Day Sanity Saver advice.

It has been two weeks since our last visit to the doctor’s office and I have lost count on the number of times we have been there this summer.

My 5 year old daughter has these little bumps on her arms, legs, and trunk that the doctors keep telling me are molluscum warts. The problem is that they keep getting infected and becoming abscessed. According to our doctors the molluscum are viral and will go away on their own. They have not mentioned them being contagious and neither of my other children have them – and my girls sleep in the same bed frequently.

I just can’t help but to think that there is more to it than meets the eye. I have been doing some research and then there is the family history part of it all. My mom had similar skin issues as a child and now has diabetes. There is also celiac in the family, too.

The warts are not breaking open and then getting infected, rather the infection seems to come from the inside. I know the infection is taking its toll on her little body. She is tired, cranky and has no real appetite.

When we are at the doctor’s today, I am going to see if they are willing to do more research, run some tests and help me get to the bottom of this.

If you have any experience with kids and molluscum, I would love to hear about what worked, what didn’t and such.

<strong>GET THE UPDATE:</strong> <a href=”http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/the-molluscum-are-finally-gone/”>The molluscum are finally gone! </a>

We had a very scary experience this summer – our 5 year old daughter was hospitalized with a kidney infection and dehydration after getting a very aggressive Urinary Tract Infection.

As it always seems to be the case, I first noticed her symptoms on Saturday when the doctor’s office was closed. I also waited until Monday to take her to the doctor’s because she didn’t have a fever. Looking back on it, I should have taken her to a walk in clinic at the first sign of the UTI.

Here are a few tips to help prevent UTIs:

1. Make sure your child drinks plenty of water and other clear fluids – especially in warm weather.
2. Call a time out! Kids are so busy playing that they often have no interest in stopping what they are doing to go to the bathroom. Encourage frequent breaks.
3. Remind your child of the importance of taking the time to wipe correctly and properly (front to back) even if they are in a hurry to get back to their friends.
4. Avoid bubble baths or long soapy baths.
5. Eating blueberries and drinking cranberry juice have been recommended for better urinary tract health.

If your child shows symptoms of a UTI including frequent and painful urination, fever, and general discomfort, don’t wait. Call your family doctor immediately.

Luckily for us, our daughter did not suffer any long term effects from her infection and subsequent hospitalization, but we are much more aware of her fluid intake now.

Over the years I have learned that there are certain things I can do as a parent to make the kids’ annual check ups a better experience.

When they were very little (under 2):

• Schedule the check up when your child is most likely to be happy and alert.
• Administer infant Tylenol or Motrin prior to your child receiving any vaccinations. (Just double check with your doctor and make sure they are okay with it. Mine always was.)
• Bring along a favorite blankie or lovey for comfort.
• Bring a few small toys that your child hasn’t played with in a while too. The doctor’s office may have toys and books in the room, but chances are they aren’t cleaned after every patient and are a major carrier of germs.

Ages 3-6

• Most of the tips for the younger set still hold true.
• Explain to your child what is going to happen ahead of time.  Be truthful and use the correct names for everything.
• Practice the examination on a baby doll or stuffed animal ahead of time. Then bring that same “patient” along for the check up too.
• Keep things positive. Avoid saying things like “those mean nurses are done hurting you now.” Empathize with your child and explain that a shot may hurt now but it is protection for the future.

Ages 7 and up

• Teach your child to use their own voice. By 7 your child is used to interacting with grown-ups at school and in the community. Your child needs to develop their own rapport with the doctors and nurses.
• Continue to be an advocate for your child. Fill in the gaps in the conversation and ask the questions they may not feel comfortable with.
• Again, be truthful about the exam and procedures your child will get ahead of time. Use correct terms and answer any questions they may have.
• As your child gets older, he or she may not want you in the room for the exam. Respect your child’s privacy, but use good judgment.

I’d love to get more input. Do you have any tips for making check ups or doctor’s visits in general, easier for your kids? Leave a comment and let us know.

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