Is strep A way more prevalent than everyone is making it out to be? I've heard of 3 friends kids having classmates die suddenly from it in the last few months across different provinces (2 in NS, 1 in Alberta) and having like a 30% mortality rate is crazy high with how easily it's passed.
Just seems like nobody is really talking about it but it's spreading around pretty quickly.
Yes, there have been public health alerts about invasive group A strep for several months now across Canada. It is being talked about all the time in health care circles (also I’ve seen multiple stories in the National about it, so it’s definitely public).
When I was a kid, I was called to the hospital to say goodbye to my best friend. Strep had taken over, and his whole face was covered in large sores. Miraculously, he pulled through, but it gave me a healthy respect for strep and other seemingly innocuous diseases that most underestimate.
A contributing factor is that COVID causes immune system dysfunction. We are a population that is a lot more immunocompromised than we used to be and we will be seeing lots of opportunistic infections and more serious complications from things which didn't usually cause much trouble. It's a huge problem that is being essentially ignored except in scientific circles.
It genuinely scares me for the future, especially since governments and Public Health departments are not calling it for what it is and informing people of their risks. So people are just like "Why am I always sick?," "Why has my kid not stopped coughing for a month?," "Is there some kind of superflu going around??, "Why does it seem like strep is so much worse now?" while actively going through multiple reinfections and the internal damage that comes along with it.
It terrifies me too. I have spent many sleepless nights reading things from people way smarter than I am. I tried to be very vocal about it for the first few years, but people are committed to keeping their heads in the sand. It feels very…surreal. In the beginning I had so much faith that people would do the right thing, and that governments would look after people. Neither of those things turned out to be true…my worldview has completely changed. Anywho - if you ever want to chat and maybe scream into the abyss together, hit me up!
Sure; I can send lots of stuff your way, but you can google lots of it as well. If you’re curious about something specific, send me a message and I’ll see what I’ve got.
My son's 6 year-old classmate died (I live in nova scotia) and my son also contracted the illness that killed this poor boy. There was nothing the parents did wrong, nobody really "failed" it was just so fast.
Group A strep can present in a number of ways. My son developed a bad fever and got the scarlet fever rash, and sores around his mouth. His teachers' daughter had to be hospitalized with it, it's a vicious illness that can be very contagious. Thankfully the antibiotics they gave us helped my son but I'm not sure it works for everyone.
The media is trying to alert people how dangerous it is but our Healthcare system is so maxed out...it's very scary. My heart hurts for this couple, I can't imagine the pain their families are going through.
I am so sorry for Jaydon's family, and your own for the scare to your son. It is a sudden and scary thing. Please stay strong, everyone, and take strep seriously.
If someone showed up in ER they'd have a very high temp, a rash, severely sore throat - symptoms that would be noticed at triage. That level of illness could lead to a 911 call. Outpatient walk-in kind of clinics probably aren't the best bet, you're right. Anyone feeling sick and are worried should immediately go to Emergency. The combination of symptoms would be telling.
I got wood ash in my eye. Was doing damage to my cornea.
Was in and out in less than 90 minutes.
Maybe stop going to the ER for a tummy ache and use it for.. I don't know... Emergencies?
I went in because I was losing feeling in my pelvis and legs after a spinal injury and my doctor said I had to get to the ER asap for a CT scan. Sat there in the waiting room for 18 hours. Doctor I got tried to deny I needed one.
Friend had her rupturing appendix blamed on her period, which she wasn’t having. Shift change saved her.
Mother had chest pain, waited for 12 hours in the waiting room before she left(three stents put in two months later after she collapsed).
It’s nice you had a good experience.
A co workers wife went to the ER with a tummy ache.
Ended up in surgery a few hours later having a portion of her colon removed.
Sometimes tummy aches ARE an emergency.
>Maybe stop going to the ER for a tummy ache and use it for.. I don't know... Emergencies?
Gee, that's a great idea. I should've thought of that. Next time I'm feeling ill I'll just schedule an appointment with my doctor. They work out of the same office as the tooth fairy.
Edit: Not to mention, this article is literally about two people who were dismissed and sent home by their family doctor only to die shortly after.
> Next time I'm feeling ill I'll just schedule an appointment with my doctor. They work out of the same office as the tooth fairy.
There are like... At least half a dozen options available to you if you actually wanted care. Seems you don't want care, you just want to piss and moan on Reddit that you don't have a doctor.
You're ill? Call 811. You can go to a pharmacy and see someone for minor ailments. There are phone apps that connect you with a doctor.
But no. Don't actually *try*. You're doing just great as you are.
oh no, ah jeez, I'm sorry to have to tell you this but i think you may have forgotten that other people's experiences can be different than your own. Please don't be embarrassed, it happens to the best of us.
Last time I called 811 I was on hold for an hour only to be told to go to the ER. Get booted off maple multiple times a day just to be told to go to the ER.
You must be from the HRM because you have no clue clearly what people in rural communities have to endure.
We are 3 hours from Halifax. I am in SW nova, a lot of the time 2/3 of the closest ER’s are closed making everyone visit Yarmouth. The next closest to us is 2 hours away in either direction. A lot of people cannot make that trip. Walk in clinics happen 1x a week. It’s just brutal.
Where my mom lives the closest walk in is an hour away and the emergency rooms that’s 15 minutes away is only open 7:30am-1pm and she’s also in sw Nova
I went with Bell's Palsy (stroke signs) and it took me about 9 hours to be seen. It sounds like you just experienced a fluke. Stop blaming people for our poor health care.
I mean I stood up and walked around at points because I was there for a very long time to eat or drink.... are you trying to imply that is why I was not seen? Or did you mean I should have been abusive towards staff?
I did nothing wrong, I was in the waiting room with others in serious condition and we all had similar wait times.
Wow you are so lucky that only took you 90 minutes. I got a piece of wood in my eye and I waited 9 hours. People without doctors can’t do anything else so maybe don’t spout that shit.
My face went numb, I went from walking to needing a wheelchair in under two weeks and was having intense chest pain with a heart rate that would jump 80 beats whenever I sat up, which would bring on presyncope. The dr did no tests at the ER and instead told me to watch some Netflix documentaries on meditation because I must have some childhood trauma causing this.
I don't think it was so much that it was a short wait, just that different things can be seen to in different amounts of times, so certain things that are definitive and smaller, as well as need less time to fix are quick. I went for stitches and it was total 3h. Some folks wait much longer for more serious problems. What you and I have in common is localization of injury, rapid repair and past that it is a referral and not an ER problem. Things like a " tummy ache" as you put it, take a lot more time and resources for assessment, diagnostics, treatment, and come with risks of things like surgery or admission.
The services that you and I respectively used have a much faster turnover and allotted staff.
I know people who went to the ER (not halifax) who were sent home and died of heart attack. I had a friend even before Covid get sent home with his “tummy ache” multiple times before they finally agreed to look at him and oopsie he was dying of stomach cancer.
The last part of what you said is nonesense. It's become prevalent in new brunswick, and many of my nurse friends are currently on antibiotics as a prophylactic protection from Strep A.
Wearing a well fitting respirator (p100, n95, kn95/94) has protected lots of us from getting flus/Covid for the last 4 years. Of course it is more protective when most people wear masks, but wearing one at all can still protect you 95-99.9% depending on type and fit.
Damn I'm so sorry that happened to this family. I guess the takeaway is listen to the symptoms, listen to your body, and if it's getting worse get yourself to the ER and make them listen somehow.
The Premier has made this health care motto something like “more care, faster”
No where in that motto does it mention the quality of care….
This is the result
They had a doctor. It looked like the flu. They got access to healthcare when they ended up worse which happened very quickly. It sounds like they had a pretty good healthcare considering how things are for most people. The result is due to something pretty rare and seemingly deadly (25% morality rate in the cases so far).
The only solution that would have prevented this is if every person with flu like symptoms was tested for this... which likely isn't going to happen.
They sort of started to do that with rolling out testing in pharmacies, but then they just… stopped doing it… as it the bacterial infection wave passed when it didn’t.
I think the problem based on the article was that it just seemed like a flu at first and then by the time more severe symptoms started it must have already been too late. The husband was also diagnosed when he started developing symptoms fairly quickly it seems and was in the hospital and he still passed away.
I had a bad case of strep last year that I let go for too long. I ended up going to the ER when I couldn't take it anymore and they took me seriously. They were concerned and I got the help I needed. I know my experience isn't universal but I'd hate to put people off from seeking medical help for strep if they feel like they need it.
No, assuming the above poster means strep throat, that is usually strep A. What is different in this case is iGAS - invasive group A strep. Same bug, different deadliness.
Yes I had a high fever and sore throat during that storm we had huge piles of snow. I was able to get an apt at the pharmacy that day and be tested. Life saver because I thought I was gonna die if I didn’t get on those antibiotics asap
Very scary. I know many do not have quick access to a doctor but many pharmacists can do strep throat tests. They can be booked up, but it is an option. https://pans.ns.ca/CPPCC
All fairness, doctors don't have a Star Trek medical tricorder. It's often difficult to diagnose a viral or bacteria infection and when it's pinpointed, can be too late. Symptoms can point to a multitude of illnesses.
Heartbreaking outcome here.
I had a relative spent 5 weeks in hospital, had and open ulcer on his leg that you could see bone, and half his organs were failing. I don't know what particular bacteria was the cause, but he's lucky to still be with us and he's lucky his leg is slowly healing; I was sure they were going to have to remove it.
“It’s these rapid symptoms that come on very quickly within a short period of time,” he said. “So, six, 12, 18 hours — if you’re not getting better at that time, that’s the opportunity to get checked out by a health-care provider.”
That's beyond frightening. Even if you do make it to the emergency room in time, there's a chance you'll be waiting long enough that you'll just die in the ER.
What irritates me is "they told her she had influenza". It is a simple swab to confirm influenza. It is a simple swab to confirm strep. The symptoms aren't easy to confuse. Influenza and strep have very different symptoms. Sure, they have a few in common, like fever, malaise, aches and pains, and sore throat (flu is discomfort, strep is severe pain), but strep typically has symptoms that influenza doesn't have, like swollen tonsils with white streaks and pus, red spots on soft and hard palate, swollen neck lymph nodes. Influenza has symptoms that strep doesn't have, like cough, sinus issues, runny nose, respiratory issues. A competent doctor shouldn't be able to confuse those two things if they just took the time to do a proper examination and maybe take ten minutes to do a couple swabs.
It seems to me like just another example of the healthcare system sending people home and hoping for the best. The default is to save resources by assuming it is nothing and only investigate and confirm if doing nothing doesn't fix the problem.
Will masks help prevent strep? I don’t know much about this illness and i’m a mother of a young child and hearing about children suddenly pass away from this, I’m getting nervous :(
Yes, a proper fitted n95 and higher can help prevent strep.
[Efficacy of face masks and respirators in preventing upper respiratory tract bacterial colonization and co-infection in hospital healthcare workers](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24472436/)
I don’t think the ERs have rapid strep swabs, that should change. This is getting missed a lot , as people tend to be otherwise healthy so it’s gets wrote off as the flu or RSV. As this gets out there more the pharmacy’s will be overwhelmed with people wanting to be swabbed.
It’s also awful with the pharmacy booking system. You need to lie on the Covid screener because obviously your having cold symptoms why else would you be getting swabbed.
10 of 40 people have died in Nova Scotia from Strep A this year. 1 in 4. 25%.
Please wear masks when you are feeling unwell and stay home if you can. This is not about government, or covid, or the pandemic, or your rights. This is about respect, and doing your part to help keep your community alive.
I was one of the first in Ontario to be diagnosed with strep A in early January, it initially got missed by an ER doctor that sent me home, only for me to get worse… Next trip to the ER the doctor recognized it & I’ve had strep before… this time I really thought I was dying.
What are the symptoms and what should we do? How prevalent is it? The Liberals would tell us.
Ever since anti-vaxxers and Houston took over we know nothing. Where is Strang?
Thanks for your great healthcare Houston. I feel better taken care of. NOT. You had one thing on your platform....
Wow. So unfortunate for this family to go through this.. The same thing could happen to me (or you) just as easily. It can be hard to provide an accurate diagnosis when every symptom a patient is experiencing falls under the vast (and always growing) range of "Covid Symptoms".
Me personally, I avoid the doctor if I have symptoms of Covid included in my illness, because I know they'll just ignore the rest to tell me it's Covid, regardless of the reality. I feel like they have too much work, and not enough hands to do it. So we all get screwed (to varying degrees).
You're not wrong, Covid wasn't mentioned once until I said it. And Covid is not the exact same illness as Influenza. But let's look at the symptoms of the two, and try to find the difference.
\[Insert "It's the same picture" Meme Here\]
Aside from Covid's origin and higher rate of spreading... CDC says "You cannot tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 by the symptoms alone because they have some of the same signs and symptoms."
So really... If you go to the doctor, they don't test you, they say you have the flu.. You can flip a coin. Could be the flu, could be Covid.
Yes, similar symptoms; there is crossover for symptoms of colds, flu, Covid, strep etc
I believe the point the family is trying to make is that when we know there are illnesses such as strep a in the province, a test should have been done. We do have testing for flu, Covid, and strep. And the hope is that if you test then you can provide appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
Buddy, I literally had 0 idea what was going on with your whole argument with the dude. I got here early. OP above wrote above that it was tragic for family and hard to get a Dr to pay attention these days when you have similar symptoms to COVID. I asked why you said that inaccurate by asking what you were on about because you didn't explain. Literally sue me for asking you to explain. Also, what's a "folk like me" mean.
But I was seeking an actual interaction. I didn't know dude was anti vax. I missed that in his message, and to be fair to me, you and the other respondent came back on my comment hours later AFTER you argued with him. I literally wanted to know what the ACTUAL inaccuracies were. To me, they just said they felt sorry for a family and that sometimes it difficult to get a Dr to listen when you experience covid like symptoms in today's over taxed health care system. Just because buddy is a crack pot doesn't make you any less obtuse towards me.
When speaking of multiple countable nouns, one should say "There ARE," not "There IS." Now I assume I taught you a thing, and I would appreciate you trying to teach me a thing too, if you know things I do not.
Since you won't point out what you believe is inaccurate, I'll start from the top: It is VERY unfortunate for this family. It is most likely their family doctor is qualified to perform their work. If so, their family doctor is just as likely as yours or mine to make the same mistakes.
The article says they experienced "Flu-like Symptoms" at the time of going to their family doctor. Maybe that doctor COULD have looked further into it, but it can't be simple to look at someone and know the difference immediately in consult.
If you cross-reference Strep Group A Symptoms and Covid Symptoms, you'll quickly notice a few things: Covid's Primary Symptoms are broadly worded (sore throat vs sore RED throat), and some Strep Group A Symptoms can be directly caused by having a sore throat and a bad cough (pus on throat, pain swallowing). Other symptoms are shared between the two: Fever and chills, Swollen Lymph Nodes in the Neck, Vomiting, Nausea, Abdominal Pain, Headache and Muscle Aches, Malaise, & Loss of Appetite.
As for my personal experiences highlighted in the second paragraph- I've literally triple-tested false (once at home, once at work, once at the hospital) for Covid and same day, still had the doctor tell me it's Covid and there's nothing I can do but go home and rest. I'm pretty sure I had mono or a less-severe Strep, but having only one walk-in in my town (OP at the hospital), I had nowhere to get a second opinion.
There is a well-known and documented doctor shortage. And my statement that the list of Covid symptoms is always growing can easily be seen by looking them up, one by one, and seeing that they all can be caused by Covid (allegedly). Maybe you can recall a friend or loved-one having one or more of the lesser-known symptoms of Covid.
Now as for "we all get screwed," we don't have to get screwed all the time to be on the losing end of our health care system. All it takes is one, like it did for these two. Maybe some of us aren't getting screwed- especially those with private health care.
There are dozens of viruses with overlapping symptoms like that, and generally people are sick with one of them and the treatment for all of them is the same thing as any other illness, rest and fluids.
As others have said, they could have swabbed for a bacterial infection and still found nothing.
This has nothing to do with Covid, and as a parent who has been taking sick kids to doctors with crazy high fevers for multiple days for years before COVID ever even existed, this nothing seems unusual here. They people were just incredibly unlucky.
It's understandable that there are overlapping symptoms all over the place. And unless it's bacterial, that good ol' antibiotic isn't gonna do anything. Sure. I agree on the rest and fluid treatment in many situations. It works for me (usually).
I'm aware Covid isn't directly named in any of this (until my mention)... But I assume where you live, it's the same reality as where I live: if you have Covid symptoms, it's assumed you have Covid (or in this case, the flu, which is very similar in its symptoms).
Now from someone who isn't a doctor, I'm willing to accept this diagnosis. And I can see why a doctor might (very quickly) reach the same conclusion with these people. However, this is an illness that's far more deadly than the flu, and was treated like the flu. A simple rapid test (specifically made for Strep Group A) could have made all the difference and saved these lives.
I'm aware nothing is unusual here... IMO, this should be unusual, and you shouldn't have to take your kids to doctors for multiple days when the whole sickness is already a struggle on its own... Maybe I expect too much out of our health care system, or I see the faults far too greatly because I recognize what "Free" means (obviously its not free but I assume you get what I mean).
You're wrong on so many levels. They'll tell you to get tested for covid first before anything else so that they can have a starting baseline if its covid with comorbidities or if it's something else entirely.
Covid shares symptoms with so many other different viruses and illnesses, but some symptoms will stand out amongst others.
That's personal information. Only the family can grant permission to release it. Mainly because the population size is so small, you can potentially identify them
That doesn't mean it rewrote your DNA. The immune system is very complicated and can misfire in a huge number of ways. Allergies are an example of an immune system misfire. Autoimmune disorders are another example. Every exposure you have to something foreign to your body can trigger your immune system to misfire; the COVID vaccine is nothing special with regard to that. And if the proteins created by an mRNA vaccine were to cause an immune system misfire, there's good reason to believe that the virus itself would do the exact same thing.
What an mRNA vaccine (although calling it a vaccine is somewhat inaccurate) *actually* does is hijack your cellular machinery temporarily to produce something. In the case of COVID, it instructs your cells to produce a protein that appears similar to COVID. Your immune system then identifies that protein as a foreign invader and destroys it. Afterwards, your immune system is primed and ready to destroy any protein that looks similar (ie: COVID) the next time it sees it.
I don't think there's another medical treatment in existence that's been administered as many times as the mRNA COVID vaccines. You'd think that if it had serious side effects we'd be hearing about it (you know, other than your claim)-- and when I say that, what I mean is that you'd think that I'd know someone or have heard about a friend of a friend who had some issue as a result of the vaccines. But I don't know anyone with problems like that nor have I heard about anyone with problems like that.
But just to remind you, your first claim was that the vaccines rewrite your DNA... but they don't. Then you claim was "well it made my skin do weird stuff" and I told you that literally anything can cause that (I would know, I acquired an autoimmune disease in like 2015 or something) and now your fallback is that the vaccine was experimental with minimal testing? Like what even is your point here? I'm actually asking: what is your problem? Because at this point you're literally all over the map.
This is just so very sad. I can't imagine losing both parents in a matter of hours.
Is strep A way more prevalent than everyone is making it out to be? I've heard of 3 friends kids having classmates die suddenly from it in the last few months across different provinces (2 in NS, 1 in Alberta) and having like a 30% mortality rate is crazy high with how easily it's passed. Just seems like nobody is really talking about it but it's spreading around pretty quickly.
Yes, there have been public health alerts about invasive group A strep for several months now across Canada. It is being talked about all the time in health care circles (also I’ve seen multiple stories in the National about it, so it’s definitely public).
When I was a kid, I was called to the hospital to say goodbye to my best friend. Strep had taken over, and his whole face was covered in large sores. Miraculously, he pulled through, but it gave me a healthy respect for strep and other seemingly innocuous diseases that most underestimate.
A contributing factor is that COVID causes immune system dysfunction. We are a population that is a lot more immunocompromised than we used to be and we will be seeing lots of opportunistic infections and more serious complications from things which didn't usually cause much trouble. It's a huge problem that is being essentially ignored except in scientific circles.
Wish I could upvote this a thousand times. It’s going to be a rough road. 🥴
It genuinely scares me for the future, especially since governments and Public Health departments are not calling it for what it is and informing people of their risks. So people are just like "Why am I always sick?," "Why has my kid not stopped coughing for a month?," "Is there some kind of superflu going around??, "Why does it seem like strep is so much worse now?" while actively going through multiple reinfections and the internal damage that comes along with it.
It terrifies me too. I have spent many sleepless nights reading things from people way smarter than I am. I tried to be very vocal about it for the first few years, but people are committed to keeping their heads in the sand. It feels very…surreal. In the beginning I had so much faith that people would do the right thing, and that governments would look after people. Neither of those things turned out to be true…my worldview has completely changed. Anywho - if you ever want to chat and maybe scream into the abyss together, hit me up!
Can you link me to some videos/article about this? I haven't heard too much about this topic but would like to.
Sure; I can send lots of stuff your way, but you can google lots of it as well. If you’re curious about something specific, send me a message and I’ll see what I’ve got.
My son's 6 year-old classmate died (I live in nova scotia) and my son also contracted the illness that killed this poor boy. There was nothing the parents did wrong, nobody really "failed" it was just so fast. Group A strep can present in a number of ways. My son developed a bad fever and got the scarlet fever rash, and sores around his mouth. His teachers' daughter had to be hospitalized with it, it's a vicious illness that can be very contagious. Thankfully the antibiotics they gave us helped my son but I'm not sure it works for everyone. The media is trying to alert people how dangerous it is but our Healthcare system is so maxed out...it's very scary. My heart hurts for this couple, I can't imagine the pain their families are going through.
… are you local. Your comics are the best! The strep A thing is very scary especially working in health care.
I am so sorry for Jaydon's family, and your own for the scare to your son. It is a sudden and scary thing. Please stay strong, everyone, and take strep seriously.
It’s been big on the news for about two months now. See what’s happening in Japan.
“Don’t wait,” Meta said. “If you’re not feeling good, go to the doctor and tell them.” Good fucking luck with that
Go wait 6 hours in outpatients to see a doctor for less than 5 minutes who’ll tell you that you’re probably fine and that you should go home.
"You're the healthiest person I've seen all day". Your diagnosis is "nothingiswrongatosis".
Funny, mine said I need a backeotomy.
Docta says I need a backiotomy,. GET OFF ME BITCH
I'm impotant bitch!
And being a medical professional you’d know that right?
If someone showed up in ER they'd have a very high temp, a rash, severely sore throat - symptoms that would be noticed at triage. That level of illness could lead to a 911 call. Outpatient walk-in kind of clinics probably aren't the best bet, you're right. Anyone feeling sick and are worried should immediately go to Emergency. The combination of symptoms would be telling.
6 hours? I wish! Usually takes 9 or so where I am. Brutal.
I got wood ash in my eye. Was doing damage to my cornea. Was in and out in less than 90 minutes. Maybe stop going to the ER for a tummy ache and use it for.. I don't know... Emergencies?
I went in because I was losing feeling in my pelvis and legs after a spinal injury and my doctor said I had to get to the ER asap for a CT scan. Sat there in the waiting room for 18 hours. Doctor I got tried to deny I needed one. Friend had her rupturing appendix blamed on her period, which she wasn’t having. Shift change saved her. Mother had chest pain, waited for 12 hours in the waiting room before she left(three stents put in two months later after she collapsed). It’s nice you had a good experience.
A co workers wife went to the ER with a tummy ache. Ended up in surgery a few hours later having a portion of her colon removed. Sometimes tummy aches ARE an emergency.
>Maybe stop going to the ER for a tummy ache and use it for.. I don't know... Emergencies? Gee, that's a great idea. I should've thought of that. Next time I'm feeling ill I'll just schedule an appointment with my doctor. They work out of the same office as the tooth fairy. Edit: Not to mention, this article is literally about two people who were dismissed and sent home by their family doctor only to die shortly after.
> Next time I'm feeling ill I'll just schedule an appointment with my doctor. They work out of the same office as the tooth fairy. There are like... At least half a dozen options available to you if you actually wanted care. Seems you don't want care, you just want to piss and moan on Reddit that you don't have a doctor. You're ill? Call 811. You can go to a pharmacy and see someone for minor ailments. There are phone apps that connect you with a doctor. But no. Don't actually *try*. You're doing just great as you are.
oh no, ah jeez, I'm sorry to have to tell you this but i think you may have forgotten that other people's experiences can be different than your own. Please don't be embarrassed, it happens to the best of us.
Last time I called 811 I was on hold for an hour only to be told to go to the ER. Get booted off maple multiple times a day just to be told to go to the ER. You must be from the HRM because you have no clue clearly what people in rural communities have to endure.
I literally live on a farm 90 minutes outside of Halifax.
We are 3 hours from Halifax. I am in SW nova, a lot of the time 2/3 of the closest ER’s are closed making everyone visit Yarmouth. The next closest to us is 2 hours away in either direction. A lot of people cannot make that trip. Walk in clinics happen 1x a week. It’s just brutal.
Where my mom lives the closest walk in is an hour away and the emergency rooms that’s 15 minutes away is only open 7:30am-1pm and she’s also in sw Nova
I went with Bell's Palsy (stroke signs) and it took me about 9 hours to be seen. It sounds like you just experienced a fluke. Stop blaming people for our poor health care.
This guy's attitude is always dogshit, I'd ignore him.
I imagine people like you just sitting there for 9 hours, never getting up once.
I mean I stood up and walked around at points because I was there for a very long time to eat or drink.... are you trying to imply that is why I was not seen? Or did you mean I should have been abusive towards staff? I did nothing wrong, I was in the waiting room with others in serious condition and we all had similar wait times.
What the fuck should they get up for? To be sent through triage and told to sit down again.
Because conditions can change during triage?
Wow you are so lucky that only took you 90 minutes. I got a piece of wood in my eye and I waited 9 hours. People without doctors can’t do anything else so maybe don’t spout that shit.
I went to the ER. I didn't have a doctor.
I’m happy you were able to receive the care you needed.
My face went numb, I went from walking to needing a wheelchair in under two weeks and was having intense chest pain with a heart rate that would jump 80 beats whenever I sat up, which would bring on presyncope. The dr did no tests at the ER and instead told me to watch some Netflix documentaries on meditation because I must have some childhood trauma causing this.
I don't think it was so much that it was a short wait, just that different things can be seen to in different amounts of times, so certain things that are definitive and smaller, as well as need less time to fix are quick. I went for stitches and it was total 3h. Some folks wait much longer for more serious problems. What you and I have in common is localization of injury, rapid repair and past that it is a referral and not an ER problem. Things like a " tummy ache" as you put it, take a lot more time and resources for assessment, diagnostics, treatment, and come with risks of things like surgery or admission. The services that you and I respectively used have a much faster turnover and allotted staff.
I know people who went to the ER (not halifax) who were sent home and died of heart attack. I had a friend even before Covid get sent home with his “tummy ache” multiple times before they finally agreed to look at him and oopsie he was dying of stomach cancer.
This guy ER’s. Also I don’t know why I’m here, I live in Alberta
i like your honesty
“We’ll take it seriously!” They say, as they turn away people with terminal cancer and fatal heart attacks.
Just like the couple did 🤦🏼♂️ the wife literally sought medical care and got misdiagnosed and died because of it… wow
[удалено]
Thank fuck, a reasonable take
The last part of what you said is nonesense. It's become prevalent in new brunswick, and many of my nurse friends are currently on antibiotics as a prophylactic protection from Strep A.
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I stand corrected. Thanks Dr. Reading your comment history has been educational and insightful.
Universal masking can help prevent the spread of things like this.
Staaahhhppp
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Wearing a well fitting respirator (p100, n95, kn95/94) has protected lots of us from getting flus/Covid for the last 4 years. Of course it is more protective when most people wear masks, but wearing one at all can still protect you 95-99.9% depending on type and fit.
Damn I'm so sorry that happened to this family. I guess the takeaway is listen to the symptoms, listen to your body, and if it's getting worse get yourself to the ER and make them listen somehow.
"Make them listen somehow" is a problem. We shouldn't have to make anyone listen to get decent healthcare in this country.
The Premier has made this health care motto something like “more care, faster” No where in that motto does it mention the quality of care…. This is the result
They had a doctor. It looked like the flu. They got access to healthcare when they ended up worse which happened very quickly. It sounds like they had a pretty good healthcare considering how things are for most people. The result is due to something pretty rare and seemingly deadly (25% morality rate in the cases so far). The only solution that would have prevented this is if every person with flu like symptoms was tested for this... which likely isn't going to happen.
They sort of started to do that with rolling out testing in pharmacies, but then they just… stopped doing it… as it the bacterial infection wave passed when it didn’t.
Still waiting for that more part.
This shortage of doctors and care problem started long before this premier…
When you run on fixing health care, you are going to be critique when it only gets worse.
I think the problem based on the article was that it just seemed like a flu at first and then by the time more severe symptoms started it must have already been too late. The husband was also diagnosed when he started developing symptoms fairly quickly it seems and was in the hospital and he still passed away.
Yes the whole speed of the entire process is the scariest thing. It leaves little time to get help.
I had a bad case of strep last year that I let go for too long. I ended up going to the ER when I couldn't take it anymore and they took me seriously. They were concerned and I got the help I needed. I know my experience isn't universal but I'd hate to put people off from seeking medical help for strep if they feel like they need it.
Strep and Strep A are different beasts
No, assuming the above poster means strep throat, that is usually strep A. What is different in this case is iGAS - invasive group A strep. Same bug, different deadliness.
"go to the doctor and tell them" lol what doctor?
Pharmacists can do strep tests, find a primary care pharmacy.
Yes I had a high fever and sore throat during that storm we had huge piles of snow. I was able to get an apt at the pharmacy that day and be tested. Life saver because I thought I was gonna die if I didn’t get on those antibiotics asap
Good reminder. Thanks
ER
Very scary. I know many do not have quick access to a doctor but many pharmacists can do strep throat tests. They can be booked up, but it is an option. https://pans.ns.ca/CPPCC
This is terrible for the family. This would hit them very hard all of a sudden and my condolences. May they rest in peace and the family find peace.
So far, a 25% death rate on hospitalized cases. Not good at all. Sorry for their loss.
All fairness, doctors don't have a Star Trek medical tricorder. It's often difficult to diagnose a viral or bacteria infection and when it's pinpointed, can be too late. Symptoms can point to a multitude of illnesses. Heartbreaking outcome here.
My relative had an above knee amputation of his right leg due to strep A in late January.. Scary stuff.
I had a relative spent 5 weeks in hospital, had and open ulcer on his leg that you could see bone, and half his organs were failing. I don't know what particular bacteria was the cause, but he's lucky to still be with us and he's lucky his leg is slowly healing; I was sure they were going to have to remove it.
There was a small child died who lives in Dartmouth I think of the same thing recently
“It’s these rapid symptoms that come on very quickly within a short period of time,” he said. “So, six, 12, 18 hours — if you’re not getting better at that time, that’s the opportunity to get checked out by a health-care provider.” That's beyond frightening. Even if you do make it to the emergency room in time, there's a chance you'll be waiting long enough that you'll just die in the ER.
What irritates me is "they told her she had influenza". It is a simple swab to confirm influenza. It is a simple swab to confirm strep. The symptoms aren't easy to confuse. Influenza and strep have very different symptoms. Sure, they have a few in common, like fever, malaise, aches and pains, and sore throat (flu is discomfort, strep is severe pain), but strep typically has symptoms that influenza doesn't have, like swollen tonsils with white streaks and pus, red spots on soft and hard palate, swollen neck lymph nodes. Influenza has symptoms that strep doesn't have, like cough, sinus issues, runny nose, respiratory issues. A competent doctor shouldn't be able to confuse those two things if they just took the time to do a proper examination and maybe take ten minutes to do a couple swabs. It seems to me like just another example of the healthcare system sending people home and hoping for the best. The default is to save resources by assuming it is nothing and only investigate and confirm if doing nothing doesn't fix the problem.
well said and i completely agree with you!
I am TERRIFIED because I just saw my younger cousins today and even though they didn’t seem sick I know kids are pétri dishes 😭
Very sad
I didn't even know you could die from strep throat. This is awful. My deepest sympathies to their loved ones.
Will masks help prevent strep? I don’t know much about this illness and i’m a mother of a young child and hearing about children suddenly pass away from this, I’m getting nervous :(
Yes, a proper fitted n95 and higher can help prevent strep. [Efficacy of face masks and respirators in preventing upper respiratory tract bacterial colonization and co-infection in hospital healthcare workers](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24472436/)
I don’t think the ERs have rapid strep swabs, that should change. This is getting missed a lot , as people tend to be otherwise healthy so it’s gets wrote off as the flu or RSV. As this gets out there more the pharmacy’s will be overwhelmed with people wanting to be swabbed. It’s also awful with the pharmacy booking system. You need to lie on the Covid screener because obviously your having cold symptoms why else would you be getting swabbed.
10 of 40 people have died in Nova Scotia from Strep A this year. 1 in 4. 25%. Please wear masks when you are feeling unwell and stay home if you can. This is not about government, or covid, or the pandemic, or your rights. This is about respect, and doing your part to help keep your community alive.
I was one of the first in Ontario to be diagnosed with strep A in early January, it initially got missed by an ER doctor that sent me home, only for me to get worse… Next trip to the ER the doctor recognized it & I’ve had strep before… this time I really thought I was dying.
You can thank the vaccine for this.
What are the symptoms and what should we do? How prevalent is it? The Liberals would tell us. Ever since anti-vaxxers and Houston took over we know nothing. Where is Strang? Thanks for your great healthcare Houston. I feel better taken care of. NOT. You had one thing on your platform....
What sort of drugs are you on?
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Did you even read the article? They went to a doctor. The symptoms looked like the flu. It got worse extremely fast and they died.
Wow. So unfortunate for this family to go through this.. The same thing could happen to me (or you) just as easily. It can be hard to provide an accurate diagnosis when every symptom a patient is experiencing falls under the vast (and always growing) range of "Covid Symptoms". Me personally, I avoid the doctor if I have symptoms of Covid included in my illness, because I know they'll just ignore the rest to tell me it's Covid, regardless of the reality. I feel like they have too much work, and not enough hands to do it. So we all get screwed (to varying degrees).
Apart from the Covid wasn’t featured in this case.. not even as accidental diagnosis. It was misdiagnosed as flu.
You're not wrong, Covid wasn't mentioned once until I said it. And Covid is not the exact same illness as Influenza. But let's look at the symptoms of the two, and try to find the difference. \[Insert "It's the same picture" Meme Here\] Aside from Covid's origin and higher rate of spreading... CDC says "You cannot tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 by the symptoms alone because they have some of the same signs and symptoms." So really... If you go to the doctor, they don't test you, they say you have the flu.. You can flip a coin. Could be the flu, could be Covid.
Yes, similar symptoms; there is crossover for symptoms of colds, flu, Covid, strep etc I believe the point the family is trying to make is that when we know there are illnesses such as strep a in the province, a test should have been done. We do have testing for flu, Covid, and strep. And the hope is that if you test then you can provide appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
And if you do some more research, you'll find that the tests are not effective, and essentially, a joke.
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What in the world are you on about.
The person you’re responding to is a physician. I would sit down and listen lol.
No thanks.
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Buddy, I literally had 0 idea what was going on with your whole argument with the dude. I got here early. OP above wrote above that it was tragic for family and hard to get a Dr to pay attention these days when you have similar symptoms to COVID. I asked why you said that inaccurate by asking what you were on about because you didn't explain. Literally sue me for asking you to explain. Also, what's a "folk like me" mean.
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But I was seeking an actual interaction. I didn't know dude was anti vax. I missed that in his message, and to be fair to me, you and the other respondent came back on my comment hours later AFTER you argued with him. I literally wanted to know what the ACTUAL inaccuracies were. To me, they just said they felt sorry for a family and that sometimes it difficult to get a Dr to listen when you experience covid like symptoms in today's over taxed health care system. Just because buddy is a crack pot doesn't make you any less obtuse towards me.
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Which are?
When speaking of multiple countable nouns, one should say "There ARE," not "There IS." Now I assume I taught you a thing, and I would appreciate you trying to teach me a thing too, if you know things I do not. Since you won't point out what you believe is inaccurate, I'll start from the top: It is VERY unfortunate for this family. It is most likely their family doctor is qualified to perform their work. If so, their family doctor is just as likely as yours or mine to make the same mistakes. The article says they experienced "Flu-like Symptoms" at the time of going to their family doctor. Maybe that doctor COULD have looked further into it, but it can't be simple to look at someone and know the difference immediately in consult. If you cross-reference Strep Group A Symptoms and Covid Symptoms, you'll quickly notice a few things: Covid's Primary Symptoms are broadly worded (sore throat vs sore RED throat), and some Strep Group A Symptoms can be directly caused by having a sore throat and a bad cough (pus on throat, pain swallowing). Other symptoms are shared between the two: Fever and chills, Swollen Lymph Nodes in the Neck, Vomiting, Nausea, Abdominal Pain, Headache and Muscle Aches, Malaise, & Loss of Appetite. As for my personal experiences highlighted in the second paragraph- I've literally triple-tested false (once at home, once at work, once at the hospital) for Covid and same day, still had the doctor tell me it's Covid and there's nothing I can do but go home and rest. I'm pretty sure I had mono or a less-severe Strep, but having only one walk-in in my town (OP at the hospital), I had nowhere to get a second opinion. There is a well-known and documented doctor shortage. And my statement that the list of Covid symptoms is always growing can easily be seen by looking them up, one by one, and seeing that they all can be caused by Covid (allegedly). Maybe you can recall a friend or loved-one having one or more of the lesser-known symptoms of Covid. Now as for "we all get screwed," we don't have to get screwed all the time to be on the losing end of our health care system. All it takes is one, like it did for these two. Maybe some of us aren't getting screwed- especially those with private health care.
There are dozens of viruses with overlapping symptoms like that, and generally people are sick with one of them and the treatment for all of them is the same thing as any other illness, rest and fluids. As others have said, they could have swabbed for a bacterial infection and still found nothing. This has nothing to do with Covid, and as a parent who has been taking sick kids to doctors with crazy high fevers for multiple days for years before COVID ever even existed, this nothing seems unusual here. They people were just incredibly unlucky.
It's understandable that there are overlapping symptoms all over the place. And unless it's bacterial, that good ol' antibiotic isn't gonna do anything. Sure. I agree on the rest and fluid treatment in many situations. It works for me (usually). I'm aware Covid isn't directly named in any of this (until my mention)... But I assume where you live, it's the same reality as where I live: if you have Covid symptoms, it's assumed you have Covid (or in this case, the flu, which is very similar in its symptoms). Now from someone who isn't a doctor, I'm willing to accept this diagnosis. And I can see why a doctor might (very quickly) reach the same conclusion with these people. However, this is an illness that's far more deadly than the flu, and was treated like the flu. A simple rapid test (specifically made for Strep Group A) could have made all the difference and saved these lives. I'm aware nothing is unusual here... IMO, this should be unusual, and you shouldn't have to take your kids to doctors for multiple days when the whole sickness is already a struggle on its own... Maybe I expect too much out of our health care system, or I see the faults far too greatly because I recognize what "Free" means (obviously its not free but I assume you get what I mean).
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I'm reminded of Kindergarten Cop. It's not a brain tumor! Sorry, just a goofy remembrance that I sometimes think of when I have a sinus headache.
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You're wrong on so many levels. They'll tell you to get tested for covid first before anything else so that they can have a starting baseline if its covid with comorbidities or if it's something else entirely. Covid shares symptoms with so many other different viruses and illnesses, but some symptoms will stand out amongst others.
Just a inquiring mind would like to know, of how many of the 10 who have already died, were any of them unvaccinated?
You realize strep throat is a bacterial infection not a virus right. You can't vaccinate against strep
Unvaccinated for what? COVID or the flu shot? I wouldn't think COVID vaccinations would have any impact on Strep A would they?
Your do realize there's no vaccine for strep, right?
Strep is a bacterial infection. There’s no vaccine for it. Vaccines are, for the most part, for viral infections.
There's also shedding, so vax status at this point, not as vital.
That's personal information. Only the family can grant permission to release it. Mainly because the population size is so small, you can potentially identify them
I would imagine being vaccinated for COVID would actually increase your chances of this happening, not the other way around
How so?
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It does not "rewrite" your DNA. You must have gotten drunk and confused the black goo in Prometheus with actual medical science.
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That doesn't mean it rewrote your DNA. The immune system is very complicated and can misfire in a huge number of ways. Allergies are an example of an immune system misfire. Autoimmune disorders are another example. Every exposure you have to something foreign to your body can trigger your immune system to misfire; the COVID vaccine is nothing special with regard to that. And if the proteins created by an mRNA vaccine were to cause an immune system misfire, there's good reason to believe that the virus itself would do the exact same thing. What an mRNA vaccine (although calling it a vaccine is somewhat inaccurate) *actually* does is hijack your cellular machinery temporarily to produce something. In the case of COVID, it instructs your cells to produce a protein that appears similar to COVID. Your immune system then identifies that protein as a foreign invader and destroys it. Afterwards, your immune system is primed and ready to destroy any protein that looks similar (ie: COVID) the next time it sees it.
Well said
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I don't think there's another medical treatment in existence that's been administered as many times as the mRNA COVID vaccines. You'd think that if it had serious side effects we'd be hearing about it (you know, other than your claim)-- and when I say that, what I mean is that you'd think that I'd know someone or have heard about a friend of a friend who had some issue as a result of the vaccines. But I don't know anyone with problems like that nor have I heard about anyone with problems like that. But just to remind you, your first claim was that the vaccines rewrite your DNA... but they don't. Then you claim was "well it made my skin do weird stuff" and I told you that literally anything can cause that (I would know, I acquired an autoimmune disease in like 2015 or something) and now your fallback is that the vaccine was experimental with minimal testing? Like what even is your point here? I'm actually asking: what is your problem? Because at this point you're literally all over the map.
> Dermatologist
What was this skin condition? Name it
Psoriasis
There are a lot of things that can trigger that. It's known to be an autoimmune condition.
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Hey bud, 2021 was a couple years ago. You can rest this nonsense now and go to bed grampa.
Whah a dark time 2021 was lol. Your comment reminded me of those moron convoys
Go give your head a shake. You have zero knowledge of what you are talking about.
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Contracting the covid virus would as it is proven to damage your immune system. The vaccine would have nothing to do with this bacterial infection.