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Yesterday when I was dressing at the gym I noticed an itchy spot on the side of my kneee and saw what looked like a bug bite with a purple bruise around it. I made a mental note to keep an eye on it.

This morning I looked at it and it had taken on the aspect of a circular purple ring about an inch in diameter, the classic "bull's eye." Figured I'd better get in and see the doc about this right away.

Anyone else have experience with Lyme Disease?

Ten, start here:
http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-...e&x=94&y=6

Quote:Symptoms may include

A skin rash, often resembling a bulls-eye
Fever
Headache
Muscle pain
Stiff neck
Swelling of knees and other large joints

If you're not sure, find a walk-in clinic if possible and have that spot checked out or call your physician or head to the ER.
We at the office are in the woods. We constantly have the signs and symptoms of Lyme posted because just walking thru the parking lot could expose us to deer ticks. It's nothing to mess with! but if diagnosed early in the game Lyme is overly treatable without lasting complictions. If you wait, Lyme is one SoB that will stay with you for positive ages.

(05-11-2010 06:49 AM)deterp2 Wrote: [ -> ]Ten, start here:
http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-...e&x=94&y=6

Quote:Symptoms may include

A skin rash, often resembling a bulls-eye
Fever
Headache
Muscle pain
Stiff neck
Swelling of knees and other large joints

If you're not sure, find a walk-in clinic if possible and have that spot checked out or call your physician or head to the ER.
We at the office are in the woods. We constantly have the signs and symptoms of Lyme posted because just walking thru the parking lot could expose us to deer ticks. It's nothing to mess with! but if diagnosed early in the game Lyme is overly treatable without lasting complictions. If you wait, Lyme is one SoB that will stay with you for positive ages.

deterp, we live IN the woods and are surrounded by deer. I work outside in absolutelty perfect tick environments and have already pulled two deer ticks off this year. Got them early but apparently I missed this one.

I am just about dead certain this is Lyme. I'll go to my doctor today and if they can't see me I will go to someone who can.

I would guess that the infection must have happened a couple days ago. A blood test would likely not show signs just yet. The immune system has to have a chance to build up the antibodies which can take a week or two. Meanwhile the infection is progressing. It's my understanding that antibiotics are usually started after examining the lesion. In this case it should be a pretty simple diagnosis: it's an absolutely classic "target" ring.

(05-11-2010 07:45 AM)Tenmile Wrote: [ -> ]

(05-11-2010 06:49 AM)deterp2 Wrote: [ -> ]Ten, start here:
http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-...e&x=94&y=6

Quote:Symptoms may include

A skin rash, often resembling a bulls-eye
Fever
Headache
Muscle pain
Stiff neck
Swelling of knees and other large joints

If you're not sure, find a walk-in clinic if possible and have that spot checked out or call your physician or head to the ER.
We at the office are in the woods. We constantly have the signs and symptoms of Lyme posted because just walking thru the parking lot could expose us to deer ticks. It's nothing to mess with! but if diagnosed early in the game Lyme is overly treatable without lasting complictions. If you wait, Lyme is one SoB that will stay with you for positive ages.

deterp, we live IN the woods and are surrounded by deer. I work outside in absolutelty perfect tick environments and have already pulled two deer ticks off this year. Got them early but apparently I missed this one.

I am just about dead certain this is Lyme. I'll go to my doctor today and if they can't see me I will go to someone who can.

I would guess that the infection must have happened a couple days ago. A blood test would likely not show signs just yet. The immune system has to have a chance to build up the antibodies which can take a week or two. Meanwhile the infection is progressing. It's my understanding that antibiotics are usually started after examining the lesion. In this case it should be a pretty simple diagnosis: it's an absolutely classic "target" ring.

Does it itch like crazy? Could be a chigger. Or a spider bite. Or (as you suspect) a tick...sounds like you are being prudent by checking it out.

TM, my Pop was bitten by 4 ticks about 6-7 years ago. He had symptoms (before he saw the bulls eyes) of fever, chills, etc. He was misdiagnosed at the hospital and sent home with the supposed "flu." 2 weeks later he was a resident of the infectious disease ward at Montgomery General because he was in such bad shape. Antibiotic IV non stop for 5 days. Then he came out with a shunt and served himself an IV cocktail for over a month. He was on antibiotics for about 3 months. His residuals were intense neck and shoulder pain. His headaches were epic.

He's fine now with very little affects however, the moral of this story is that you caught it early and need to get treatment now. Don't settle for less from your own doctor - hit the clinic if you have to.

Remember that many lime tests come back as false negatives. It often depends on the stage of the infection. Are you sure you haven't had any symptoms? They may come and go - check Dee's list. A belly ache? Slight fever? A point when you were feeling wonky? Look really closely at how you were feeling over the last few weeks.

The bullseye doesn't appear for everyone and usually appears a few weeks to a month into the infection. By the time my Dad got his, he was way far gone.

Please keep us posted. I know too many people who've been affected by this - some with permanent damage. And pets as well. The deer around here are beautiful but I wish mightily for more controlled kills. It makes me nervous to have 8 deer sleeping next to my front porch every night.

Take care.
-Sharon

I was presuming that the bite was recent as in the last couple days because the center of the bite looks sorta active. It could be the tick is simply embedded there. I was feeling sorta "fluish" about a month ago but I'm pretty sure this bite is more recent than that.

I too have known several people who have developed advanced Lyme and it is clearly something I want to avoid.

Why are you talking to me, toots? Go to the Doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm watching a bump on Jackie's hip that has me concerned. She has a Doc visit next week. It's been there two days and I'm not entirely sure it's a tick bite. It's right on the hip where the seams of her pants can rub. I don't want to be a panic monkey but her preschool is on a horse farm that backs to the Rock Creek Park watershed.

I'll probably freak out by tomorrow and take her.

(05-11-2010 11:36 AM)Goldfish Wrote: [ -> ]Why are you talking to me, toots? Go to the Doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm watching a bump on Jackie's hip that has me concerned. She has a Doc visit next week. It's been there two days and I'm not entirely sure it's a tick bite. It's right on the hip where the seams of her pants can rub. I don't want to be a panic monkey but her preschool is on a horse farm that backs to the Rock Creek Park watershed.

I'll probably freak out by tomorrow and take her.

Dang it Goldie, my appointment isn't until 2PM!

I expect they'll prolly get me on antibiotics unless the doc sees something in this bite that I'm unaware of.

El Duke-- usually I get 'em off before they get that big. (That was life-size, wasn't it?)

YUCK!!!!!!!!

I pulled a tenacious one out of Jackie's head last week. The little bugger didn't want to let go

Goldie--try a sorta unscrewing action.

It was in between gagging that I finally got it out with tweezers. Apparently if you rotate them, they'll back out.

Way high in the yuck department

What did the doc say?

Goldie, the doc took one look at the "bull's eye" and wrote a prescription for doxycycline. He said we were catching this at the earliest stage of infection so it should all be good.

Now aren't you glad you listened to Goldie and me and went to the doctor?

I'm glad this is being taken care of, Ten! Get it now, save problems down the road. Good luck!

Yep, deterp, you ladies have taken good care of me.

Just in time, too. I got me a bunch more yard work and prolly gonna get covered with ticks again.

glad to hear that everything is good to go, 10m.

(05-12-2010 04:29 PM)Tenmile Wrote: [ -> ]Goldie, the doc took one look at the "bull's eye" and wrote a prescription for doxycycline. He said we were catching this at the earliest stage of infection so it should all be good.

Good.

I had it back in June 2005. Don't know when I was bitten, but bullseye rash and fever showed up together. CDC said (in 2005) rash and fever happen anywhere from a few to 28 days after bite, iirc, so was bitten in May 2005 probably.

Was prescribed 2 or 3 weeks of doxycycline and that was that. You will have no lingering effects at all.

Nasty fever - I really felt lousy for a few days.

Unfortunately, some people never develop the early symptoms (rash, fever) or misinterpret them. The spirochetes then have a chance to really spread and start messing up your nervous system, leading to permanent damage and very long courses of antibiotics to clear.

No fever but not feeling 100% either. Could be the doxycyline.

Really glad to hear they caught this, Ten. No joke, this.

Tm, here's a recommendation. Get yourself some fresh blueberries, sprinkle a little Equal on them, and have that for a snack every day. Doxy is strong and it may upset the bacteria balances in your bladder and intestines.

Drink alot of water as well.

I'll second what Ghostie said - I am so glad you were proactive with your health. Did they ever do the blood test to see if you had it?

Didn't do a blood test but in the early stage a blood test would be unreliable. I'm thinking I'll ask for one.

(05-11-2010 07:45 AM)Tenmile Wrote: [ -> ]

(05-11-2010 06:49 AM)deterp2 Wrote: [ -> ]Ten, start here:
http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-...e&x=94&y=6

Quote:Symptoms may include

A skin rash, often resembling a bulls-eye
Fever
Headache
Muscle pain
Stiff neck
Swelling of knees and other large joints

If you're not sure, find a walk-in clinic if possible and have that spot checked out or call your physician or head to the ER.
We at the office are in the woods. We constantly have the signs and symptoms of Lyme posted because just walking thru the parking lot could expose us to deer ticks. It's nothing to mess with! but if diagnosed early in the game Lyme is overly treatable without lasting complictions. If you wait, Lyme is one SoB that will stay with you for positive ages.

deterp, we live IN the woods and are surrounded by deer. I work outside in absolutelty perfect tick environments and have already pulled two deer ticks off this year. Got them early but apparently I missed this one.

I am just about dead certain this is Lyme. I'll go to my doctor today and if they can't see me I will go to someone who can.

I would guess that the infection must have happened a couple days ago. A blood test would likely not show signs just yet. The immune system has to have a chance to build up the antibodies which can take a week or two. Meanwhile the infection is progressing. It's my understanding that antibiotics are usually started after examining the lesion. In this case it should be a pretty simple diagnosis: it's an absolutely classic "target" ring.

Ten, the doc will most likely put you on a antibiotic. They used to Tetracycline, but may well be using something more specific to the organism implicated in Lymes, which got it name from Lyme, Conn the town wherein one of the first diagnoses were made. Caught this early there is near zero chance of issues later.

Good luck!

I'm beginning to think that this infection happened earlier than I'd thought. Apparently the rash can happen a month or more after the bite--and I had a strange bout of the "flu" about a month ago--and have been feeling a bit lethargic and achy since. I'd just attributed it to age but now after a week on the doxycyline I am suddenly feeling a lot more energy. Coincidence?

Nope - that's what happened to Dad. Except he made 2 visits to the hospital and was diagnosed with the flu twice in the space of 4 weeks. And sent home.

Lyme's really whacks you. Everyone I've known who had it was well into the stages when the bullseye appeared - easily a month into it. Dad had 4 bullseyes on his stomach when he was admitted to the hospital. He was WAY gone and in very bad shape.

You're really lucky, TM. Just rest, ok? Don't push yard work or any heavy work for the next week or so. Give the doxy time to work and your body time to get back up to par.