Strep Throat but Throat Doesn't Hurt?

Yes.
She is sick, and the doctor missed something
I cannot belive he didn't even look- find someone else who does their job.
best,k

Ever since I taught I get seem to pick up strep throat every 3 or 4 months. I never have a sore throat...always fever with fatigue and faintness. It affects everyone different. Try to remember her symptoms...so that if she feels this way again they can test her and quickly get her on the meds so that you don't infect the rest of the household.

I'm not sure how the doctor did a strep test without looking into her throat as he would have had to look to swab her throat. I've had strep throat and it is painful, from what I remember. With her symptoms as you have described, I would personally get a second opinion right away.

I so know what you're talking about! My son complained of his stomach hurting and of a headache. This kept on until I noticed he wasn't eating right and just didn't want to play. We thought it was nerves.....he even threw up once and I thought he had gotten whatever stomach but he had, out of his system. Turned out to be strep. As soon as I told the nurse why we were there and his TWO symptoms (tummy ache and headache) she said right away, "sounds like strep". I was dumbfounded. I have asked many friends of mine and we all thing strep has changed over the years. We remember our throats hurting so bad we could hardly swallow. Not anymore.

They gave him the Penicillin shot....but that didn't even work. It used to!! One shot and it would be gone in the old days! It returned (they said it hides behind the tonsils). Then he needed antibiotics.

So - yes, strep without the slightest hurt of the throat DOES EXIST! And only from first hand experience can I tell you this.

there are several strains of "Strep" and they can manifest in many different ways in the body. Strep throat is what we hear about most, so we think we have to have a sore throat to have strep: not true. My daughter once had a hangnail on her finger, it swelled up to three times her fingers normal size at the tip, it was strep!

The antibiotic should kick in within 24 to 48 hours and the fever should break. If it doesn't, then there might be something else going on. You can alternate ibuprofen and tylenol to break the fever (i.e. tylenol at 8, ibuprofen at 12, etc) and to help with the discomfort. BTW, strep is not viral, it is bacterial (another poster said it was viral, but it is caused by a strep bacteria, which is where it gets its name). Be sure she completes the entire course of antibiotics, even if she is feeling better, it is particularly important with this infection (I am a health care professional). Good luck, hope your daughter feels better.

Hi J. - I understand your confusion, first hand. My daughter had the strep virus awhile back & I wld have NEVER known it...the school called & told me my dghtr had some red bumps on her stomach and asked me to come pick her up. The bumps weren't there when she got dressed that morning....when I picked her up, no fever, no other symptoms at all.....took her to the Dr. and she was stumped also...then the Dr. said, "Let me do a strep test, I don't think that's what it is, but let me do one anyway." And it came back positive---no fever, no sore throat...just timy red bumps (that didn't hurt, itch, etc.) all over her stomach...sometimes kids are just like the monkey on that old movie "Outbreak", LOL!

Strep is very very contagious. I had it as a child and it led to Rheumatic Fever. The whole family needs probiotics ASAP. They are available in capsules and chewables as well as yogurt and kefir. I get the plain, low fat yogurt and kefir and sweeten with stevia. The probiotics will protect and strengthen the immune system which starts in the gut.

In Kindergarten my child had strep 4-5 times (positive tests) - yet never really complained of a sore throat. My child would get very lethargic yet have a hard time sleeping (extrememly irritable), would sometimes run a fever, and would sometimes throw up.

If it continues (i.e., continues to get strep after proper course of antibiotics) you may want to research/ask about "PANDAS" too (especially if you notice any OCD-type symptoms).

You may also want to research and ask your health care provider about probiotics following a round of antibiotics.

I have found out that strep is a weird and unsual thing in my house. My youngest son's has had strep twice and both time he NEVER complained about a sore throat or even ran a fever. The first time he had strep he was crying about everything for about a week, he was very anxious and would not leave my side, I even called the dr because I was worring that he was having a nervous breakdown, the next day we ended up at the dr for one of my other children, I asked the dr to talk with him to see if he could figure what was wrong, I was thinking that I had a child with a mental problem and he needed meds, he suggested that we do a strep test, it was positive immediatley, he said that not all kids have a sore throat, be gave him an antibiotic and he was back to his noramal self in 24 hours. The second time he got strep, we had been at his baseball game, we was complaining that his head was hurting SOOOO bad,It was the first hot game of the season and I was afraid that he was dehydrated, by the time we got home he was holding his head screaming and then he started to vomit, I took him to the after hours and they tested him for strep and it was positive, his throat NEVER hurt! The one and only time my oldest son got strep he compained that his stomach hurt to the point that he was doubled over and started to vomit, no fever. Strep affects people very differently, so if your dr did a strep test and it was positive then that is how your child reacts. I have a friend that when she even feels like she has a sore throat she has to get an antibotic immeditaly, becasue if her strep is not treat immediatly she will get a rash all over her body from the head down for about 6 months (this just happended to another friends' husband).

That doesn't sound right. But I've never had strep, and neither have my kids. Sounds like you needed a second opinion just to be safe. I'm glad she's feeling better now though. But you should still keep a close eye on her. When I was 15 I got mono at school. At first they thought it was strep. I never had a sore throat, but the glands in my neck swelled up and were painful, and I had a really high fever. I also was extremely physically tired. But that part comes and goes and often tricks people into thinking they are better when it goes temporarily. I ended up being out of school for a month. One of the teachers who got it continued to work and developed lupus because she didn't rest.
Hopefully for you though, your daughter is fine now. I wasn't trying to freak you out, just saying keep a look out.

Strep Throat is a Virus. Strep throat itself is not a threat. It is the other problems that it causes that are life threatening if it's not treated correctly. Also you can have strep without having your throat hurt. My daughter is getting ready to go into med school and has learned this in college. Also, she said to get her to the hospital now if her fever is that high. She can die from her temperture being so high. Your daughter is very sick and needs medical attention now.

That's how my son reacts with strep - doesn't complain at ALL about his throat, but has fever & headache. Also, all strep doesn't "look" the same - drs may look at the throat & say "doesn't look like strep", but when insistent about swabbing for it, "huh, how about that?"... Good luck with your little guy - hope he feels better quickly!

Hi J.,
Strep can be anywhere in the body. Many times it shows up in the throat.....but it doesn't have to. Anti-biotics will clear it up, just make sure she takes all of it even when she starts to feel better. If you don't see a major improvement in 2-3 days of being on the antibiotic, go back to the doctor. Strep, left untreated,can damage organs.
L.

oh yes absolutely. that is the worse. i have had my daughter almost end in hospital because it was a strep throat that only caused high fever (highest it got was 105.5). the ped. would look in her throat not notice anything not do the swab and send us home with 'it's just a viral infection'. i ended up in emergency room with her high fever as motrin rotating with tylenol was not working anymore. it was there they told us she had strep.
so to answer you absolutely. good thing he detected it.

i think its time for a second drs opinion especially if the fever was that high. also i have a 15 year old grand daughter that my daughter took her to the emergency room and they said strep with no tests of any kind, well 3 days later she wasnt any better, deb took her to TGH emergency room they ran all kinds of tests and it was mono and she had contacted it from the schools water fountains. good luck AND GOD BLESS US ALL J.

Yes definately As a child I had strep throat and because my throat didnt hurt no-body caught it until I passed out into a COMA with Rheumatic Fever a dangerous heart infection.

Hi J.,

Strep can be anywhere in your body and most everywhere else it doesn't create pain. The pain itself comes from the inflammation of the tonsils not the bacteria. So yes, you can have strep throat without pain. If your 4 year old can gargle on command, I would recommend a tea tree oil solution to absorb deep into the tissue. If she accidentally swallows it it's no big deal as that's where the name comes from. It is used to make tea.

I use a high grade oil for many things and wouldn't be without it in my home. Be grateful she still has her tonsils. The tonsils actually keep the strep from reaching the heart!

God bless!

M.