Dd aged for in hospital with quinsy tonsillitis last week, now has hives - what to do?

[Lyannaa]

My GP are useless and have given me an appointment for 5pm with not even a doctor.

Last week she was in hospital after taking pen v and augmentin for tonsillitis which developed into a quinsy. It was serious - she had a seizure and also couldn't breathe or swallow properly.

She had 2 days of IV antibiotics and steroids and then was sent home on Friday with another course of antibiotics (pen v) which I've been giving her since but at 3am she woke up with these hives that itch.

I'm worried about not giving her the antibiotics but also scared to give them.

Has she had chicken pox?

No she hasn't but she has been vaccinated against it.

Is she still on antibiotics? I wonder is she's allergic to them?

Poor little mite. I've not had quinsy but I've had tonsillitis as an adult and that was bad enough. My mum had quinsy as a child and they took her tonsils out because of it but that must have been 80 years ago so I don't know if they still do that.

I hope she gets better soon xxx.

It’s possible to be allergic to penicillin and have a delayed reaction but as you say not giving them is a worry when she’s been so unwell. I think she needs to see a doctor ASAP.

I'm in Ireland so I'd take her into the local GP surgery and expect to be seen asap. They always prioritise sick children at my local surgery. Would they not do this at yours?

Otherwise, I'd ring up the consultants secretary to pass a message to the consultant asking for advice.

The photos aren't very clear to me, but I'm not convinced that is hives. They look more like spots than hives. Good job you have an appointment today.

Does the rash blanche under a glass?

The practice nurses can call in the gp if they are worried. In my experience they are actually better with most of the childhood infections etc anyway.

If you don't want to wait (and I understand why you wouldn't) can you take her to a pharmacist for advice?

I called 111 and have managed to get her an appointment for an earlier time, luckily. They think it sounds like she may be allergic to end antibiotics. They said don't give her more until we've seen the GP.

I have given her piriton and the hives / rash are still there. It's even on the bottom of her feet.

The advanced practitioners aren't very good at my GP - they don't seem remotely interested in helping unfortunately.

Yes it does.

It looks like this all over now.

With the sore throat it might be scarlet fever. That has a rash like that. Insist on seeing an actual doctor and if you're not satisfied take her to ED. Whatever it is, she'll be fine OP, you're on it!

Thank you. Unfortunately our GP has gone downhill in recent years. My mum was struggling with a health problem for years which they dismissed and ignored.

Interesting about scarlet fever - does that cause pus at the back of the throat? In the hospital they said she had an abscess.

The doctor thinks it's quite likely scarlet fever. Good call from you! She's changed antibiotics just in case though. Thanks for your advice.

I hope she is on the mend very soon, how scary 💐

As soon as you said the rash was over n her feet I thought scarlet fever as that comes with a sore throat
Good luck and don't be fobbed off three doctors dismissed my worries and it actually was scarlet fever

Does the rash look/feel like sandpaper?

It does feel quite rough and is not showing any signs of going away. Last week though, when I started to realise that something strange was going on I did think that this illness is not a typical infection. There was something very weird. She was taking Augmentin and was getting worse. Only IV and steroids seemed to help. At home she has been much more her old self apart from this rash.

The GP looked in her throat and said that it's red and swollen still but the abscess thing is a lot better than it was presenting initially. I knew this must be the case because she was able to breathe and eat better.

My DS always gets rashes after any virus. They are blooming scary but if it's blanching and she is ok in itself it could be the virus infection. If her airways are fine I'd just let it go in its own, obviously if you are worried see another GP or 111

My DC breaks out in hives with every virus. I usually treat her with Pirton and Oatmeal or Bicarb baths. It usually hives after 4 days. Have you done the glass test? I'd call 111 if you're worried. It's worth the time for the reassurance.

My son had strep A which caused awful throat and rash, 39+ temperature. Hospitalised for three days on iv cephatriaxone (sp) and azithromycin

It might be worth googling Guttate psoriasis. My child developed this after a bout of tonsillitis which is a known trigger. It did look like hives at the beginning. Hope she's feeling better soon.

Thank you for all your replies. The GP we saw today was really good and thorough and looked properly through DD's hospital notes. I'm going to keep a very close eye on her. The main thing is that she still has antibiotics that she can take now. Her dad was supposed to be going abroad for work today but he ended up deciding not to go because he's so worried about her.

Glad you got a good review.