Could it be Lyme?

[Vanessa_m]

I'm 20 years old and I live in South-Eastern Pa. Over the summer I went to Valley Forge Park with my boyfriend. We were walking around in the tall yellow grasses there to take photos. In retrospect, I realize that this probably wasn't a good idea. About a week to two later, I got this bizarre middle-of-the-summer cold. I had severe nasal congestion and my throat was so sore I couldn't eat. I thought nothing of it- in fact, my roommate also had a slight cold at the same time. But then I also had this red bump on the top of my right foot. It itched like nothing else, and I thought it was a spider bite or some kind of poison ivy. I started to get really worried when the bump began to get larger. I bought several different poison ivy/sumac treatments, bug bite creams, etc. Some things took the itch away temporarily, but did nothing to stop the bump from growing. I also tried to keep it clean, but taking hot showers made itch more intense and very painful. About 2-3 weeks after I initially noticed the bump, it started to change shape and texture. It was almost like there were three layers...a smaller red dot in the middle of a yellowish, scabby circle that had a ring of tiny raised blisters. I was actually picking the scab in the middle, hoping it would go away. Many people told me to get tested for lyme disease. I put off going to the doctor until I broke out in a rash all over my body- small red clusters that were not raised at all and did not itch like the mass on my foot. They were just there, and seemed to be under the skin. I finally walked to the Jefferson Hospital emergency room in Philadelphia. I had a rough time getting there because my foot itched so bad that it was hard for me to walk. I had about three doctors/nurses look at my foot only to confirm what I had already thought- lyme disease. Then a fourth doctor told me that it couldn't be lyme because bulls-eye rashes don't normally itch. He prescribed me hydrocortisone cream (a tube that cost me over $10 when I could have went to CVS to get it for $2) and told me to go home. A few weeks later, the rash on my foot literally just disappeared within a few days. The rash on my body went away over night. I was so confused, but extremely relieved that over a month of suffering was over. Though, I do have a light scar on my foot from the rash. Now, more than six months later, I'm starting to wonder if that last doctor only told me the rash was nothing for insurance reasons. And I'm not sure if this is of any significance, but I only had a month of insurance coverage left when I went to the emergency room. It doesn't make sense that three medical professionals would immediately tell me that the rash was due to lyme disease only for some doctor to come in and prescribe me hydrocortisone cream without even testing me. In the passed few months I've suffered from an ever-present fatigue, constant headaches (some migraines, and I've never gotten a migraine before in my life), muscle aches, etc. Also worth mentioning, I'm currently anemic due to a three year vegetarian lifestyle. I've recently started eating meat again to increase my iron intake. I was under the impression that these symptoms were due to my anemia, but now I'm referring back to the rashes I got months ago. I realize that these are minor symptoms, but I can't help but think that this is just the beginning of something worse to come. I have no medical insurance and cannot afford to see a doctor, so I'm resorting to help and advice on the internet. Please tell me anything you can. I've included a photo of my foot. I took this about a week before I went to the emergency room. It's not the best quality, but it's all I have. I'm terrified and desperately need to know if this could be lyme disease or not so I can try to take care of it the best I can before it gets worse! Thank you!

[EricaO]

Wow, I will try to scan my picture today so you can see my rash. I also had it on my hand. It was on my left pointer finger(knuckle). It extended from the knuckle all the way up on to my hand. I went to a dermatologist and was told it was just a rash and was givin antibiotic ointment, which helped very little.

[patsy10]

Welcome to the forum.  I'm not a doctor but that picture looks like the classic bullseye rash to me.  Cortisone is not the treatment for lyme disease.  I'm very surprised you were not treated with at least a couple weeks of antibiotics. I would see a doctor for this and at least get tested for lyme.  The testing is not very accurate but people do test positive sometimes.  Regardless of testing, a bullseye rash is diagnostic of lyme in itself.  I know you mentioned you don't have insurance which if very unfortunate.  If this is indeed lyme you could become very ill.  If by chance you are able to see a doctor I would take that picture with you.  It is the only proof you have of the rash.

Best wishes.