Could this be a tick borne disease

[tdodd2]

Last Wednesday my daughter was bitten by a tick.  It had a white dot on it's back.  About three days later she developed a sore throat.  I kept looking in her throat - no redness but just swollen glands.  She still has the sore throat.  Last night she had a rash all over her torso that had big welts/hives. The rash went up her neck and seemed to really itch her ears.  She didn't really have them on her arms but had clusters of rash on her wrists and elbows.  Took her to Patient First for the rash/hives.  I didn't think to tell the doctor about the bite and the sore throat thinking they weren't related.  This morning I was thinking that maybe they were related and made an appointment at her regular doctor's office.  The doctor tested her for strep - which was negative and said she just has a virus.  The crazy part was the doctor said, "Since the tick bite happened a week ago, I don't think they're related."  So bizarre.  Anyway, I tried to call Patient First to tell them about the bite and the sore throat to see if they still thought we were given the right medication.  The nurse said that Lyme disease doesn't cause hives like that all over.  I am looking for some advice.  Do problems with tick bites not cause hives?  Are they related?  And if so, what should I do since no one wants to consider it a possibility?  I've posted a picture of her back last night.  

[Valkyrie568]

This is definitely NOT the doctor who thinks I have MS. IF I ever see this doctor again it is likely to be in a court room. I am not normally litigious, but this guy seems to me to be dangerously incompetent. If it hadn't have been the middle of the night and I hadn't already driven 100 miles to go to a doctor, and if I hadn't been too miserable to be thinking straight, I would have walked out! I SHOULD have walked out!

[JackieCalifornia]

Is this the doc who thinks you have MS?  I'd see the Lyme doc first before plowing ahead otherwise.  You're right, steroids are the exact opposite of what someone with Lyme should be taking.

[Valkyrie568]

I had a similar experience last fall at an Urgent Care facility. I developed hives over most of my body that lasted for 2 months w/i and hour after being bitten on my back by something I never saw but the bite was visible for 10 weeks. The brilliant Dr. told me he didn't think the two things were related!? The steroid shot and two courses of oral Prednisone preceded some sort of neurological melt down that I am still trying to get to the bottom of. I really hope they didn't give her steroids for the hives!

[mojogal]

It was very hard for me to do so but it is important if you can watch the documentary under our skin which you can find online, there is a section on kids with Lyme and I cried during the whole thing but it opens your eyes as to what can happen and how important finding an LLMD is.

[youvegottobekidding]

Just in case I didn't rub it in enough - the infections I listed can take weeks to develop full symptoms, but they still need to be treated as a matter of urgency.
The spots on her wrists are quite strongly indicative of Rocky mountain spotted fever.

[youvegottobekidding]

I don't know where you live, but your daughter may have something tick borne like Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Mediterranean Spotted fever tularemia, or some other infection that is extremely dangerous and needs urgent treatment.
NB. THESE INFECTIONS ARE NOT RESTRICTED TO THE AREAS THEY ARE NAMED AFTER. TICKS LIVE ON BIRDS, WHICH IMGRATE ALL OVER THE WORLD.

The doc who said ticks cannot cause rashes like that has clearly never seen a case of these illnesses. Where I live, even though they know nothing about Lyme disease,  they would have admitted your daughter to hospital - these illnesses can be life threatening.

Look at the images here

https://www.google.it/search?q=rocky+mountain+spotted+fever&hl=it&pwst=1&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=NBaRT-rYEpHE4gSAw9XrAw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=842&sei=YxaRT6TQMqXk4QSvmpW3BA

https://www.google.it/search?q=rocky+mountain+spotted+fever&hl=it&pwst=1&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=NBaRT-rYEpHE4gSAw9XrAw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=842&sei=YxaRT6TQMqXk4QSvmpW3BA#hl=it&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=mnediterranean+spotted+fever&oq=mnediterranean+spotted+fever&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_nf=1&gs_l=img.3...134300.137684.0.138077.17.17.0.0.0.3.166.1605.6j11.17.0.2a6wJwGHBP0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=7fe8676d320944f3&biw=1280&bih=842


and read up on symptoms (though bear in mind that the symptoms of all tick borne infections are extemely variable from person to person and the description may not sound at all like your daughter. The spots are more important in my opinion).

This is an intro to the main infections, you can Google to find fuller lists of tick borne diseases.

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tickborne/Pages/Default.aspx

[Ricobord]

A tick with a whIte spot on its back is most likely a Lonestar tick.  They are known to carry Lyme, but unfortunately, many doctors were taught years ago that these ticks do not carry Lyme.  They even made up a new name for the mystery "Lyme like" disease caused by these ticks - STARI (Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness).  Doctors who know Lyme well say this is in fact, Lyme Disease.

After suffering horribly with this illness myself for over 6 years, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to get your daughter on amoxicillin as soon as possible.  The standard 3 weeks has a failure rate of between 10-25%.  If this were my daughter, I would ask for 3 months!  

[JackieCalifornia]

ditto what mojogal said.

your daughter clearly got something, and I would keep on the pressure to get to a doc with a broader view of things.

Do It Soon.  The longer you wait, the harder it can be to cure.  Press ahead.

Go to contact [at] ilads.org for a referral.

Also there is a doc in Germantown MD who blogs as LymeMD and you might call there ... I don't know his real name, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

Don't wait.

[mojogal]

Yes, tick bites can cause rash and hives, I am one who is still having them after years of the disease. The good thing is that you caught it early, the bad thing is that many mainstream doctors do not believe in Lyme. It is important to have your daughter get on antibiotics right away. People who are first bitten complain of flu like symptoms and that can be the throat problem. My throat still hurts on and off and I have swollen glands all over my body after yers and we don't want it to go that far with your daughter. The best thing would be to find an LLMD (Lyme literate doctor) in your area. You can check the website ilads dot org which has a database of LLMD's in your area. Also, many blood tests will give you a false negative so getting to an LLMD is really important. Good luck and let us know how she is doing.