Out of the blue: The scary side of childhood strep
I almost didn’t take my 7-year-old son, Luke, to the doctor right away when he experienced a sudden onset of excessive blinking. He had just started a new school and was having trouble adjusting so I figured the stress of trying to fit in was producing this psychological habit.
I had no idea at the time his tics were the result of a strep infection I never even knew he had. Thankfully, our pediatrician made the correct diagnosis and treatment began immediately. My son was one of the lucky ones.
Kristin Kutz’s daughter, Abigail, came home from her first day of third grade excited and eager to go back. “Best day ever!” she exclaimed. The next day — out of the blue — she cried uncontrollably, insisting she couldn’t go back to school even though she didn’t know why. This dramatic, uncharacteristic behavior kept up for weeks. A nurse eventually found strep in her system.