For some reason, both in summer and winter, my children used to take pictures of tonsillitis with fever. Whether of viral or bacterial origi...
According to the Mayo Clinic, tonsillitis or angina occurs when the tonsils become inflamed, causing a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. Fever, bad breath, and a reddened throat are accompanying symptoms.
Young children tend to have this type of condition quite often. But mine got sick more than three or four times a year, and I had started to worry.
Until I discovered the main cause
Every morning my little ones eat their breakfast in a particular way: in a cup and with a straw (straw, light bulb, or straw, as you call it in your country). Each one has an exclusive straw and they don't want to change it for anything in the world. The way I wash them every day is simply with dish soap and water.
One day, the pediatrician asked me if my children used straws or straws. And he explained to me that if I did not clean them frequently, countless bacteria would settle there that would live there until they were deposited in my children's throats.
I got home and found that, indeed, when I looked inside the straw, it had traces of chocolate milk adhered to the walls of the plastic. I felt like a bad mother for not having realized it earlier, and I got down to work.
Cleanliness was critical
To clean the straws, I used a wooden toothpick, approximately 20 cm long, with which in my country we prepare the so-called “brochettes”. I put a cotton ball on the tip and soaked it in alcohol.
As the improvised swab passed through the straw, a kind of dark substance came out, which was nothing less than the dirt that was causing my children's tonsils. And this I was able to verify when the tonsillitis pictures subsided, after the periodic cleaning of the straws.
More ways to clean straws
Researching on the internet, I realized that I am not the only mother who deals with cleaning the straws, and I was able to discover other ways to clean them. For example, using a pipe cleaner, which is a long wire covered with hairs, like a very very fine brush.
Another option that I usually incorporate every 15 days is to place a fountain with water and a splash of chlorine (bleach) and leave the straws submerged for two hours. By removing the straws, all the dirt will be gone.
In the meantime, I continue to clean the straws twice a week with the cotton swab made from a wooden stick. I change them until it comes out clean. And my conscience remains clear.
Differences between bacterial and viral angina
As its name implies, viral tonsillitis or tonsillitis is caused by a virus, while bacterial ones are caused by bacteria. It should be noted that for the former, antibiotics have no effect, while for the latter, this drug is indicated to stop the infection.
Knowing this difference will help to understand why the doctor prescribes antibiotics, at the same time that it will not bother us if he does not do it since it is not always needed.
In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, the inappropriate and unnecessary use of antibiotics has made many bacteria-resistant, making many diseases difficult to eradicate.
Symptoms
According to the National Library of Medicine of the United States, tonsillitis or viral tonsillitis is characterized by nasal discharge, high fever, general malaise, cough, and headache, ears, and throat.
While a bacterial infection in the throat, also called strep throat, is characterized by purulent, greenish, or yellowish nasal discharge 24 hours a day, a higher fever, and a more severe general malaise.
Pay attention
Many times, one of the ways in which we moms realize that our children have a sore throat is because they refuse to eat. When they are very young and still do not speak, they do not know how to identify well what is happening to them, nor to communicate it, so they refuse to eat food because swallowing causes pain.
Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the symptoms, to be able to go immediately to the doctor and thus determine what the child's condition is. Treatment will depend on whether it is a viral or bacterial condition, so you should only follow the doctor's instructions, and never self-medicate your child with antibiotics.
Other things you can do so that your children do not get sick
In addition to the periodic and thorough cleaning of your children's straws or cups, you can also help them to suffer from fewer diseases if you clean other spaces and objects that children use daily.
For example, toys are often a place where bacteria settle and become a source of disease. Toys tend to move from one side to the other, from the bed to the floor, from the floor to the car, and babies and children often touch them with dirty hands, leaving traces of dirt.
Thus, millions of germs make a colony and if toys are not properly disinfected, diseases ensue.
Clean toys regularly
The cloth dolls and stuffed animals can be put in the washing machine, while those plastics can be washed with water and detergent or use a special disinfectant.
Don't forget to keep your home clean. Floors, countertops, changing sheets and padding, and keeping the bathroom very clean, are measures that will prevent the proliferation of germs and bacteria and thus avoid possible diseases.
An attentive mom is a smart mom. Fight your children's illnesses by keeping objects and home clean, to help your child not get sick. (And don't forget to clean the straws!)
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