diagnosed with rheumatic fever

[laurie1111]

My 15 year old daughter has been diagnosed with rheumatic fever and rhematic heart disease affecting the mitral valve.
My concern is that she didn't seem to have any of the symptoms of rheumatic fever except for migrating swollen joints.

She has moderate to severe leakage of the mitral valve that doesn't need corrective surgery at this time and is taking penecillin injections monthly but none of her doctors have ever seen a case of rheumatic fever and no one i know has ever had it either.

I don't understand how she could have had this sickness and show none oof the more obvious signs of it.

iI took her to the doctor for a swollen ankle I thought could have been fractured.

[TRMM]

I had Rheumatic Fever at age 4 - I am 35 now.  I was fortunate enough to have had a wonderful pediatrician at the time who did not wait for all of the symptoms of RF to be present before she began treating me for it - and it saved my heart from any damage.  How did I get RF?  I had a history of Strep Throat - caught Scarlet Fever, which moved into RF.  Does your daughter have a tendency to get Strep?  If so, it's important to catch it and treat it with antibiotics immediately.  From the time I was diagnosed with RF, I had monthly Penecillin injections for many years.  It kept me from getting strep again and turning into something worse. Keep doing the penecillin.

Hope this helps . . . Renae

[laurie1111]

yes she has had strep many times and her general believes she is a carrier.

i wondered if when you got the fever if it was a severe flu like illness.

They believe she had it within the last few months but we cant remember any illness what so ever

im glad she was dianosed but im worried that the damage may not have been rheumatic fever and she's still got something that is causing her heart more damage.

She didn't seem to get ill at all she just selled up in the ankles and knees

thank you

laurie

[TRMM]

I remember very clearly, odd as it may seem, waking up in the middle of the night crying.  My mom came in and I complained that my wrists hurt.  She thought it was odd, so she called my doctor.  Beyond that, I don't know if I was actually running a fever or not, but of course, doctors run their tests . . . she (my pediatrician) picked the brain of a cardiologist friend of hers - he recommended not treating for RF if all symptoms were not present.  However, she did anyway, and so thankful she did.  I had strep ALL the time before that.  I had penecillin shots til in my teen years when she thought I would out grow getting strep all the time.  I still got sore throats from time to time, but never strep.  Every time I would get a sore throat, my mom would worry and run me to the dr.  

If you have to go further and see a specialist, do it.  keep digging til you find answers.

Renae

[laurie1111]

Thankyou for helping me.

After several visits they have determined the extent of the heart damage and I'm waiting for the next echo to determine if it is still the same as the first.

The doctors have told me to not let her do anything to further stress her heart until we see how bad the valves get when they heal.  They also asked to watch for other symptoms.  She has been sleeping alot (three to five hours per evening) three or four days a week.  Is this part of the rheumatic fevver and will it continue or will she get some of her energy back. I have so many questions for the doctor that I have a hard time remembering them all for her visits.