A Canadian with strep A says he was turned away from hospital. He's one of many who had treatment issues

Canadians are finding it difficult to get treatment for strep A because of long wait times at busy hospitals and clinics.

Group A streptococcus is a bacteria that can cause severe infections like pneumonia, a flesh-eating disease, rheumatic fever or toxic shock syndrome if not treated.

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Canada recently logged an increase in strep A infections, and Canadians are reporting a range of symptoms including painful necks, full body rashes and infections.

Canada's health-care system has been under pressure for years, something that has resulted in overflowing emergency rooms and patients being treated in hallways.

In some extreme circumstances, Canadians have died as a result of not getting proper care.

With an increase in strep A in Canada, some are worried the compounding health-care backlogs could leave people without proper treatment.

Getting diagnosed and medication can sometimes turn into hours of waiting in crowded rooms in pain.

CTVNews.ca asked Canadians about their experiences with strep A. Some Canadians said they were turned away from hospitals, or left to deal with painful symptoms without antibiotics. The emailed responses have not been independently verified.

'You're in heart failure'

Kevin Johnston told CTVNews.ca he was initially turned away from the hospital while infected with strep A.

"My symptoms were progressively getting worse, to the point where I felt I was hallucinating when I was sleeping," Johnston said in an email. "My joints were stiff, I explained it as if I had lactic acid build up in my system. I had a rash unbeknownst to me."

Johnston's brother helped him to the nearest hospital in London, Ont. where he could "barely walk."

Kevin Johnston (centre) and his spouse Shawna and brother Brandon.

The doctor told Johnston that his body is fighting a virus and that it "will go away." Johnston said his brother pushed back.

"Unfortunately, I remember the doctor being annoyed by my brother's concern and said I was fine," Johnston said. "Releasing me from care with an amoxicillin prescription."

The next day, Johnston said, the rash spread across the "majority" of his body, his throat was sore and his eyes were bloodshot. Back at the hospital the emergency physician was "puzzled" with the symptoms.

"After several blood tests, MRI and chest X-rays, I was told that I had puss pockets in the back of my throat," he said. "It wasn’t until I was admitted to the cardiac ward when they told me I have rheumatic fever. The doctor said, 'You're in heart failure! Your heart is functioning at 30 per cent.'"

Johnston was hospitalized for seven days, receiving antibiotics hourly and the ICU team introduced themselves to him, he said, in case they needed to intervene.

The hospital staff were able to treat Johnston and he was able to walk out on his own. The "road to recovery" didn't end there, he said, with penicillin shots prescribed to him monthly for the next 10 years.

'Felt like acid down my throat'

Johnston is not the only Canadian finding it difficult to navigate the overburdened health-care system with strep A.

Elena Bernier, from Gatineau, Que., said she waited almost a week to receive a diagnosis of strep throat and medication.

The mother, of two young children, told CTVNews.ca in an email that she was in "extreme pain" and was paying out of pocket for remedies at her pharmacy.

"I don’t want to get too graphic but I remember giving birth … Currently, swallowing feels like when my firstborn was crowning but in my throat," Bernier said.

Swallowing anything — including water, saliva and food — feels like her throat is being stretched beyond its limits, she told CTVNews.ca.

Elena Bernier (pictured) with her husband and two children waited almost a week for medication for strep. (Contributed)

"My husband made pasta with marinara sauce and it felt like I was pouring acid down my throat," she said.

Bernier tried extra-strength Advil and Tylenol to reduce the pain. Out of desperation, she bought throat sprays to fight the infection and numb her throat.

By day five of not being able to eat and being in pain, Bernier called her doctor.

"She said she was sorry that the system hadn’t alerted her of my results but that they had come in on Tuesday," Bernier said.

That same day, Bernier said she was prescribed penicillin and was feeling better overnight.

Battling busy clinics

New symptoms may present themselves over time, and early signs of infection might be easy to shrug off, according to Melanie Kruger. Her son caught the bacteria in early January.

"Then it was trying to get him out to a clinic because it was on a Saturday afternoon," Kruger told CTVNews.ca in an interview.

By that time many clinics in Guelph, Ont. were full or closed, Kruger said. The family went to another clinic about 35 minutes away in Kitchener where a nurse tested him for strep throat.

After having amoxicillin for 10 days, Kruger's son started feeling sick again.

"I looked at his throat and it was red," she said. "And I thought, 'My gosh, does he still have it?'"

A follow-up trip to the clinic proved that Kruger's son still had strep.

The doctor said it's possible her son didn't respond to the medication because he was given it prior for an ear infection in October — something that would have been caught if Kruger initially went to the clinic; however, it was closed, she said.

Melanie Kruger's husband and daughter in the waiting room of a clinic. (Contributed)

Instead of setting her son down the path of recovery, Kruger had to endure another week of him having a hard time eating and feeling ill.

"He's on the mend now but he's just been kind of off the last few days … You can just tell he's more agitated, definitely tired … I mean, he's had it now since Jan. 6,” Kruger said.

Initially, Kruger thought her son could benefit from hospital care, considering strep A’s growing prevalence in Canada. But wait times at her local emergency department deterred her from trying.

She added the alternative – waiting for a child to recover at home – brings its own set of anxieties.

"You give them Advil or Tylenol,” she said, "(And wonder), is this just going to mask a symptom of what could be something more serious?"