Does this look like Lyme EM?

[Teddyjacks]

Hi.

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if this looks like a Lyme EM?  It was about 4 inches across and stayed that size.  It was painful and burning from day 2 through day 5.   I was treated for 14 days with Dozycycline.    I am just wondering if this looks like an EM.  I noticed it right behind my knee the day the rash came out.  I kneeled down to change my son and when I bent my leg I felt alot of heat.  When I looked I noticed the red rash.  

Thanks for any help!

[JackieCalifornia]

Sorry, I scrolled up after I posted and see that you already had a course of doxy.  I never had a rash, and don't know how long it hangs around.  To be on the safe side:  follow up with a doc, maybe the one you already saw.  If that doc blows you off, consider going to a Lyme specialist.

[JackieCalifornia]

There are so many biting insects that it takes a doc to know what you may have been hit by ... just to be on the safe side, I would trot off to a Lyme doc asap to have it looked at.  The sooner you get meds, the simpler and cheaper it is to deal with:  if you get treated quickly, usually a week or so of doxycycline is enough to treat you completely, but if you wait till the Lyme bacteria are settled in, they are hiding in areas of your body where doxy can't reach, and the meds used are different, and can be pretty expensive.

I'd go to a doc ... like tomorrow.  If the first doc blows you off, go to another.  Seriously.  Lyme is not only a miserable hassle, but it can be very pricey to deal with beyond the initial stages.  Don't wait.

[Teddyjacks]

Thanks!

I never had any symptoms other than this rash which I noticed right when it popped up because I could feel warmth from it suddenly.    The rash started to go away after 4 days. Can anything else cause a rash like this?  

[mojogal]

Ditto whatJackie said. More than 50% of us don't get a rash. I never did but that looks like pix I have seen.  The usual starting dose is minimum 3 weeks on doxy, 4 is even better so like Jackie said if you aren't better after 2 weeks it could be a co-infection. I have 3 myself and they should be treated with different medications.

Good luck!

[JackieCalifornia]

I never saw a rash on myself, but this indeed looks like many of the fotos I have seen of Lyme.  I understand that if doxycycline is started very soon after the bite, it can stop the infection.  (Most docs agree about that, from what I read.)

If however you do not feel entirely well when the doxy treatment is done, then I would see the doc again and ask about additional testing:  many Lyme ticks also carry other infections that may not be killed by doxy, and you may need additional testing and different antibiotics to wipe out the 'bonus' bites that the Lyme tick brought.

Keep an eye on your son too, and if he gets a similar rash or just isn't up to his usual energy level or seems a bit off, then take him to the doc too.  Even if he doesn't get a rash, it's still possible that he got another bite, but the rash didn't show.  I had Lyme and another infection the 'Lyme' ticks carry, but I never saw a rash at all, nor did a family member of mine who was diagnosed with the same things I had.  Bottom line:  the rash is useful, but not necessary, in making a diagnosis of Lyme -- and the other infections the ticks can bring don't make rashes like Lyme does.

I know, this is confusing, but just keep an eye on for rashes and for how your son seems to feel -- having a rash is a good signal that something is up, but the rash doesn't always show.

Good for you for being so vigilant!  Let us know how you both do, okay?  Take care.