<p>DS has had a bad sore throat since Saturday. Went to the health clinic today and the nurse practictioner called the doc in. He has a very sore throat, said on Saturday he felt like his throat was just closing up. Last night he had a sore ear but they said he does not have an ear infection. As a kid he had so many that he finally had his adenoids and tonsils out. </p>
<p>They asked him a bunch of questions, checked his throat etc. Ended up putting him on a strong antibiotic and giving him two vicodin pills so he could sleep tonight. </p>
<p>He said they thought at first he could have mono but ruled it out. </p>
<p>Just in case, what symptoms should he be watching for that would indicate that it could be mono? I would assume that if the antibiotic doesn’t seem to kick in and he doesn’t feel better in a few days they might be wrong and he should go back? </p>
<p>He is on the other side of the country so I can only advise by phone but he is generally very healthy/athletic and is fine with being his own advocate. He told me yesterday that it’s hard to get an appointment at the clinic but he would go down this morning and insist, which obviously worked so I know he can handle this on his own.</p>
<p>Must be the time of year as our son was in the Health Clinic as well with similar symptoms this morning! Dr diagnosed bad cold and ear infection, however. He was put on an antibiotic and decongestant. As far as mono, my recollections are that one of the symptoms is extreme fatigue with low-grade fever that continues to linger. I am not a DR, however—just a concerned parent. I would def encourage revisiting the health center and check in with him often. Make sure he is staying hydrated as well. We are monitoring by phone as well. Good Luck!</p>
<p>My s had some awful nasty-looking stuff in the back of his throat when he had mono. A simple throat culture confirmed the diagnosis. Did they swab and culture his throat for mono, strep, etc.? They can do a quick strep test and a 2 day culture to confirm. Sounds like they gave him a broad spectrum antibiotic, which may help if it is strep, but it would be good to know if it is strep vs mono as mono could debilitate him for a longer time and he may need some extensions to get work complete, especially if he cant get to, or stay awake in class.</p>
<p>thanks to both of you… parents with experience in this area are great!<br>
I don’t think they did a throat swab but I will check with him.<br>
He isn’t missing classes right now because he is on coop (working) as a NEU student. He is missing work but says his boss came to work sick late last week so she is being understanding…hopefully he just caught a bad bug from her and it isn’t mono.</p>
<p>If his throat does not improve on the antibiotic it very well could be mono. You need to have mono for about a week before a mono spot will be positive.
I am not sure how a dr could rule out mono without a mono spot - but perhaps he didn’t have the mono “look”.</p>
<p>The very sore throat, feeling like the throat closing up and ear pain (referred from the throat) all could be mono symptoms. However, most kids with mono are pretty sick - low grade fever and really really tired. Falling asleep in class kind of tired.</p>
<p>If he has strep the antibiotic should clear it up. If he has mono he won’t improve on the antibiotic. If it is a viral sore throat (most likely) he won’t improve on the antibiotic but will get well in a couple of days.</p>
<p>Having a kid so far away and being sick is agonizing!</p>
<p>^^^ Right. Viral stuff won’t respond to antibiotics. If he doesn’t feel better he should go back. Did they give him a one-dose Zpack or some brief antibiotic treatment, or will he have to take it for 7-10 days. Hopefully the antibiotic won’t upset his stomach, as if he has started a course on an antbiotic, he should finish it.</p>
<p>I wasn’t that tired when I had mono - but I had the world’s nastiest sore throat. It looked awful too - white stuff growing back there. Hope he feels better soon.</p>
<p>Gargling with vinegar and salt in warm water is often very helpful in relieving sore throats. (My friend’s mother swore by chinese mustard, but that really hurts before any relief is felt.)</p>
<p>I never heard of the vinegar but I try to get my kids gargle with warm salt water.
The acid in the vinegar probably kills bacteria but also probably hurts!
Warm salt water will bring down swelling.
Tea with honey is soothing sometimes as well.</p>
<p>I’m not a doctor, but my kid recently had mono. Started with a sore throat - a culture revealed strep. With strep you usually feel better after a day or so on the antibiotic but there was no improvement. Another symptom was night sweats. The doctor should feel for an enlarged spleen. If the antibiotics don’t help, your son should push for a blood test to confirm/rule out mono. After the mono diagnosis, my kid was put on prednisone which considerably helped that closed up feeling and brought some of the swelling down. He had lots of white stuff on his tonsils. Never had a fever, even with the night sweats.</p>
<p>twinmom, unfortunately your note didn’t encourage me. He had the night sweats with no fever a few days ago…If the antibiotics don’t help in the next two days I am going to have him go back and push for the mono test.<br>
Thanks again to everyone…</p>
<p>Also make sure they swab his throat and run a strep test. It’s nothing to fool around with and if the antibiotic he’s on hasn’t knocked it out, you need to know that and change medicine. Also, as has been said earlier, he MUST finish the course of antibiotics, even if he feels better.</p>
<p>As a third year medical student, I’ll just say that your son is like the absolutely “classic” presentation of mono. So classic that it’s the presentation they’d give on our boards exams as an easy question. </p>
<p>But the art of medicine is dealing with things when they’re not classic.</p>
<p>As everyone else has said, if the antibiotics don’t work, that’s your clue.</p>
<p>As far as him feeling better - certainly agree with the warm salt water rinses. Ibuprofen or tylenol is ALWAYS your friend when your sick and usually is the thing that makes you feel better. He can take up to 800mg (4 tabs) of Ibuprofen 3 times a day with food, or 1000mg of tylenol (2 extra strength tabs) up to 4 times a day. Other than that, fluids fluids fluids. Gatorade is usually more appealing to people than just glass after glass of water.</p>
<p>Re Mono- somewhere in the archives is a long, comprehensive thread about Mono-wish I had the link for you.</p>
<p>Very important that your son not do any weight lifting/ contact sports until he has a diagnosis. The enlarged spleen can rupture with strain, and this is something he would be told to avoid.</p>
<p>Hope he feels better- (won’t the antibiotics give a false strept test now?)</p>
<p>SouthJersey, DS is a former wrestler and gym rat. I had no idea…I will definitely convey that. Thank you!!
Bigredmed, the np did at least call a doctor in and apparently he asked a series of questions that made him “rule” out mono. Not sure what all those questions were…one had to do with kissing strangers…</p>
<p>^^^^^
Yep - he can’t have a strep test now.</p>
<p>My daughter had mono last fall - over 1000 miles from home. Very stressful.
Definitely he should go back if he is not better - perhaps on Friday.
The mono spot should be reliable by then.
If he had his tonsils out then he is actually lucky because my daughter’s tonsils swelled so much they were touching and she needed prednisone to bring down the swelling.
Sometimes kids quit drinking because it hurts so badly. They then end up dehydrated and on an IV. Don’t be afraid to ask if he is getting dehydrated )(peeing less than 3 times a day).</p>
<p>If he goes back - they should feel his belly to check his spleen.
One of my kids had all the classic symptoms including a swollen spleen and a false mono spot - he will have to go by the clinical symptoms of swollen spleen.
IF his spleen is swollen - this is a serious side effect of mono. Stress to him that he not do ANYTHING physical until he is cleared in 6 weeks or so. A ruptured spleen is a “true medical emergency that can result in death”. Use scare tactics if you have to - ;)</p>
<p>Hopefully he will have turned the corner and is feeling better today.</p>
<p>D is home for spring break and I had her at the doctor yesterday suspecting mono – strep was negative – they ordered bloodwork, but the doctor said she didn’t “look” like she had mono –</p>
<p>there must be some nasty post-midterm bug infiltrating the dorms these days. Hope your S is better.</p>
<p>ebeeeee, How is your son doing today? Last semester my son got a nice case of bronchitis. ebeeeee, and ivoryk, hope your children feel better soon!</p>