Key points from today’s guests:

Quinique Pike, Jaidah’s mom

• Five-year-old Jaidah had a severe sore throat and her mom took her to the doctor, where they elevated the situation.
• She was diagnosed with strep c and had an abscess on each tonsil – which was a spreading of the infection.
• It became difficult for Jaidah to breathe and doctors had to move fast.
• She is so glad she took Jaidah to the doctor to get treated because if she waited any longer, her throat would have closed up.
• Jaidah spent four days in the hospital and she became such a popular patient with the staff.
• She is back to normal health today.

Dr. Shawn Sood, pediatric critical care medicine, The University of Kansas Health System

• Strep throat is typically not life-threatening, but complications can make it life-threatening.
• Surgery was necessary to protect her airway because her tonsils were so inflamed it was blocking her ability to breathe.
• Because Jaidah is so small and the tonsils were so large, that’s why it became an emergency.
• This progressed so rapidly and Quinique did the right thing by getting Jaidah the care she needed as quickly as possible.
• Spike in fever, drooling, and inability to open your mouth are important red flag symptoms with a situation like this.

Dr. Carrie Francis, pediatric otolaryngologist, The University of Kansas Health System

• The abscess is not typically seen on the viewable side of the tonsils, but on the underside.
• Having abscesses on both sides is very rare and can be very serious, especially for pediatric patients.
• We need to make sure we have a clean airway to allow for breathing.
• We can use a needle to drain the abscess and the operating room is the optimal place to do that.
• Parents know best, so trust your gut when it comes to health care.

Monday, Aug. 26 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. Two sports injuries threatened to derail a 15-year-old’s baseball career. Learn more about the surgery and therapy that got him back in the game.

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