Signs That You Might Have Strep Throat
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It’s never fun to get sick. When that tickle in your throat causes you to cough for the first time, you’re probably thinking about all the tasks that you have to do before you get too sick to complete them. Some illnesses are less likely to prevent you from engaging in your routine, but that can all depend on what kind of sickness you have.
Some infections can be very dangerous if left unchecked, and you might end up needing antibiotics in some case. This is especially true of Strep Throat, so this article will be exploring the signs which indicate that might have strep throat.
When It’s Not Strep
There are a few minor things that will give you an indication of a difference between strep and typical flu/cold symptoms. If you have a cold or a flu, you are likely to have a running nose. Colds tend to mess with your nasal area quite a bit, so your body will begin to stimulate a mucosal response as soon as it’s aware of the virus. In the case of strep, there is no runny nose. The strep bacteria tend to be centered in the throat, and particularly advanced infections can ever have an odor.
Strep Symptoms
When you have a strep infection, the throat pain is usually one of the first things that you notice. It could start with a minor tickle, but within a day or two you will probably begin to experience a sharp burning sensation. You will especially notice this during meals because swallowing will sometimes be painful. An infection in the head will almost always result in some sort of fever, which can also lead to a rash of some kind. Your body will be working to protect itself from the infection, and your lymph nodes will also likely be very swollen.
Get to The Doctor
If you experience any of the symptoms described above, it would be a good idea to get to the doctor. A strep infection is extremely contagious, so you will want to stay away from people until you have been on antibiotics for at least 48 hours. Seeing the doctor is important, because your compromised immune system could become vulnerable to other serious infectious. Be sure to follow the doctor’s instructions for a more complete recovery.
Will Strep Throat go away on its own?
Strep throat is not something that should be taken lightly, as it can get worse over time. Make sure you seek treatment as needed.
What is Strep Throat rash?
The human body is said to house at least 500 species of bacteria. While many of these are helpful and completely necessary for people live, there are still heavy amounts of infectious bacteria that can make you sick if their population becomes too numerous for your immune system to keep under control. Infections of the sinuses and throat are the most common among people, so this article will be geared towards sharing information about one of the most contagious bacterial infections, strep throat.
What Are The Strep Throat Causes?
The bacteria responsible for strep is in a family called Streptococcus. As you go through your day, you are likely to touch anywhere from 5 – 15 doorknobs on a constant basis. These sites are hotbeds for the spread of disease, because nearly everyone must touch them in order to pass through.
Coughing and sneezing can send bacteria several feet to come in contact with something you touch, and studies have shown that the bacteria that causes strep can live on a dry surface for anywhere from 3 days to 3 months.
That means that all it takes to possibly catch strep is to come in contact with a surface that a sick person has touched anytime in the last few weeks.
These are the most common symptoms
Strep is most commonly known for infecting children, but adults will often catch it. Once you have caught it, the incubation period is around 3 days and will be distinguishable by its primary symptom, the sore throat.
One easy way to tell that it’s not a virus, is that viruses usually will cause a nasal drip of some kind, while strep will not. Other symptoms include swollen tonsils, white blotches on the throat, high fever, and loss of appetite.
You may also experience rashes on the surface of your skin and nausea. If you experience any of these symptoms it would be advisable to see a doctor who will swab and test you for the presence of strep. Testing take a short time and you can find out within a half hour.
Strep Throat Treatment
The general treatment for strep would be antibiotics, and they normally must be taken for at least ten days until the prescription is finished. After a day or two of taking the medication, you will no longer be contagious and can continue your normal schedule if your symptoms are manageable.
Antibiotics for Strep Throat as Treatment Option
With the advancements in modern medicine that have taken place in recent years, the choices for patients looking for effective treatments has increased massively. As expected from an economic standpoint, these options have not only given rise to more innovation, but have also highlighted the need for quality in medicine. Infections like strep throat can now be treated with multiple drugs that give similar results, but which treatment would you choose?
Here’s a few of the most used treatments for strep throat.
Antibiotics for strep throat
Curing strep throat generally requires the use of some kind of prescribed antibiotic. These medicines are designed to be highly effective against bacteria that has invaded the body, so they aren’t going to be of any use for any illness that is caused by a virus.
When antibiotics are prescribed, they will almost always kill or weaken the bacteria enough for you to no longer be contagious. This is a good thing, because you are then less likely to pass the infection to anyone else, and that will help to prevent you from becoming infected again immediately after getting over the infection.
Pain Management
Sometimes the pain that is caused by strep makes it necessary to take some kind of pain medicine. If you have a fever, it is likely that you would be given acetaminophen pill. This will both reduce your pain the fever. If you are in need of anything more serious to help with pain it is likely that the infection has progressed into something else, and stronger antibiotics will be needed.
It would be strongly advisable to get the doctor as soon as possible to avoid any permanent damage that could be caused by a severe infection in that part of the body.
Some Advice
While it’s not a massive worry, studies have shown that the overuse of antibiotics can weaken their effectiveness on your system. It might be a good idea to wait until you have taken a culture to determine if you have strep for sure. Taker note of any pain that is out of the ordinary.
If you haven’t contracted strep, wash your hands and don’t put your hands all over a lot of random surfaces in public.
Have you ever caught yourself caressing a surface during a cell phone conversation?
Be aware of what you are touching, because the bacteria that causes strep can live on a dry surface for 3 – 90 days.
Strep Throat Home Remedies to Relieve Your Discomfort
When you experience the misfortune of contracting a strep throat infection, the resulting pain and discomfort could have you feeling like you want to lock yourself away for weeks.
Even though there are numerous over the counter medicines that have been created to help people deal with pain and discomfort of different types, many people would like to avoid taking these types of medications, and instead spend time looking for more natural alternatives.
Fortunately, the old-world methods are documented, and recent trends have made access to this information more available. Here are some remedies that can help reduce your discomfort from strep throat in more natural ways.
Salt Water
This is one of the oldest remedies around. When you Gargle with salt water, the salt helps to break up the mucus in your throat. It also helps to kill any viral or bacterial agents that are present in the throat. This can help relieve a small amount of pain, as well as help your body to heal more quickly.
Baking Soda
If you want to beef up the power of the salt water gargling session, you can add some baking soda to the mixture. The combination of the salt water and the baking soda can also help to kill various fungi and keep yeasts from getting out of control.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar can help your body to fight the infection because of its antimicrobial properties. Gargling with Apple Cider Vinegar can also help to break up the mucus in your throat. Mix a small amount into water, about 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Apple Cider Vinegar is highly acidic, so you should be sure to drink a lot of water in between gargling sessions.
Garlic
This herb is still one of the most power antibiotics known to man in food form. Garlic has been used in nearly all cultures and is famous for its ability to fight many different types of infections. You can add it to food, or you can even place a sliced clove into a very hot tea.
Licorice Root
Although this remedy should be avoided during pregnancy, this root has been associated with soothing sore throats for quite some time. Licorice root has powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and is an excellent anti-inflammatory. It can be added into a tea very easily by simply steeping it like ginger
