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Possible Lyme Disease?
I've had 3 large, itchy, red spots on my neck for the last 4 weeks. Initially I thought they were spider bites and then ringworm later on. I went to the doctor a week ago, and she seemed to think they were bacterial and gave me a prescription for Augmentin and Bactroban ointment. They have slowly started to look better, but today I noticed they had a bulleyes appearance. Do you think this could be Lyme disease?
Sometimes it takes a while to feel lousy. Take a photo of your rashes and keep taking photos as long as there are changes. Keep all the photos -- cell phones photos are fine as long as they are clear enough to see. If the scale/size of the rash isn't obvious from the photo, then I'd hold a ruler next to the rash so the ruler shows in the photo how big the rash is. MDs get really interested when there is show AND tell. Look online for Lyme rash photos and see what you think.
And .... I would NOT wait and would get myself to a friendly doc who would possibly treat you with a quick course of antibiotics, if your current doc would not even consider Lyme when you say him/her. The doc said your rash looks bacterial? Lyme is caused by bacteria; I don't know that augmentin treats Lyme, however. The time to nail Lyme is early on.
Not everyone gets really bad Lyme symptoms early on, which is one of the odd things about Lyme that makes diagnosis difficult. Lyme rashes usually aren't itchy, to my knowledge, but one of the dirty tricks about Lyme is that everyone is different in the symptoms. I got a tick bite that gave me bloodshot eyes and all over itching, and it turned out to be Ehrlichiosis/Rickettsia, possibly with a Lyme reinfection. The itching was significant, but I was so sick and dullwitted that I didn't realize how ill I was.
If your doc did not even consider Lyme as a diagnosis, then that would make me want to see a Lyme specialist just to be on the safe side, and the sooner the better.
Best wishes and let us know what and how you do, okay?
And .... I would NOT wait and would get myself to a friendly doc who would possibly treat you with a quick course of antibiotics, if your current doc would not even consider Lyme when you say him/her. The doc said your rash looks bacterial? Lyme is caused by bacteria; I don't know that augmentin treats Lyme, however. The time to nail Lyme is early on.
Not everyone gets really bad Lyme symptoms early on, which is one of the odd things about Lyme that makes diagnosis difficult. Lyme rashes usually aren't itchy, to my knowledge, but one of the dirty tricks about Lyme is that everyone is different in the symptoms. I got a tick bite that gave me bloodshot eyes and all over itching, and it turned out to be Ehrlichiosis/Rickettsia, possibly with a Lyme reinfection. The itching was significant, but I was so sick and dullwitted that I didn't realize how ill I was.
If your doc did not even consider Lyme as a diagnosis, then that would make me want to see a Lyme specialist just to be on the safe side, and the sooner the better.
Best wishes and let us know what and how you do, okay?
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