Strep throat doesn't just run in our house; it gallops. It enters with force, knocks us to our knees and just when we think we've kicked it, it appears again for an encore. They say that fall and winter are the peak seasons for strep, but in our house, strep knows no season. It is timeless, enduring and a royal pain in the... throat.
Currently, all five of our children have been struck down by strep. There are 10 little bottles of amoxicillin (two per kid) in our fridge and five sad, sore-throated kids on our couch. My day is a revolving door of administering antibiotics, Tylenol and ice pops while juggling a valiant attempt to work from home. I feel like Florence Nightingale with a laptop -- and a mission: To conquer strep for once and for all. Here's my plan:
- Know the signs. The most obvious is a child whimpering that his throat hurts. If that whimper is accompanied by a high fever and breath so bad it could wilt a flower, run, don't walk, straight to the doctor's office. And keep an eye out for less obvious signs like a headache, stomach ache or vomiting.
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