Rapid Strep Tests

My son was just (finally!) discharged from the hospital (Phoenix Children's Hospital). Last Tuesday, he told me that he had a sore throat, as I was getting him ready for school. I checked and saw a red throat with white dots on his tonsils. I know that most moms, would immediately think, "strep", but we have a long history. Last year, like clockwork, he would get a sore throat and run a high fever (104) for 3-4 days. MANY times, we treked into the pediatrician's office, only to hear that the rapid strep test was negative and that it must be viral. This started with an actual case of strep/scarlett fever in Aug, but continued monthly, until the following April. Finally, on the 11th illness, the nurse practitioner in the Pediatrician's office, ordered blood work. It showed that he had, had mono months earlier. They concluded that his resistance was low and he simply caught every bug going around for the rest of the year. So, when this happened again last week, I gave him some Motrin and made an appointment for later that day - with our new pediatrician. She checked and ran a rapid strep test - negative. We proceeded with motrin, water and rest. But, two days later, the fever showed up - 105, and his lymphnode on one side of his neck was swollen to the size of a golfball. We called the doctor, who told us just to head to urgent care, where some blood work could be done on site. They ran another rapid strep test - negative, and a mono test, also negative. Just to be safe, the doctor there (new Phoenix Children's Hosptial Urgent Care in the East Valley) gave him some amoxicillian anyway. Two days after that, the fever was still high and we struggled through the night to keep it under 105. The urgent care doctor called and told us to go to the emergency room. He was checked, given another rapid strep test - neg. and he was admitted. My son was treated for a Peritonsillas Abscess with 3 days of IV antibiotics. We are waiting on the culture, but most of the time, these abscesses are caused by chronic tonsilitis due to strep. I guess that he's in "the 2%" who don't test positive on the rapid test. Yet, the cultures never showed a positive either. For over a year, the doctors told me it was viral and acted like I was a "nervous Nellie", because thee was no way that the test could be wrong. I wonder how much aggrevation might have been saved if we'd been sent to an ENT last year. I'm just glad that he finally got the treatment needed, before he was in more danger. "They just don't take tonsils out anymore", but we'll be following up with a specialist, never the less.

"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein