Lyme Disease and What it Looks Like
If you have a bulls-eye rash and possibly a fever, headache, or muscle pain, you may have Lyme Disease. Believe it or not, it’s said to be caused by a mouse, but not like you would think.
The mouse has Borrelia burgdorferi (boar-ELL-ee-uh burg-dorf-ERR-eye) and is bitten by a tick that then bites you. These ticks are very small and very hard to see.
Lyme disease on leg showing red rings from a tick.
Lyme disease after a tick found on forearm with two red circles.
Bad reaction to tick showing lyme disease and blister inside red circle.
Lyme disease on the back of womans arm showing red ring.
Lyme disease on right leg showing red ring caused by a tick.
A tick caused this red circle which is marked for lyme disease.
Lyme disease on a person’s back from a tick showing red circle.
Lyme disease on the back of an arm showing red ring.
What is Lyme disease?
The Bull’s eye rash that appears around 7 to 14 days doesn’t always happen, and some people can still have the flu like symptoms that can come with Lyme disease.
It is important to get medical attention. Without it, the bacteria can make its way into the entire body, which could cause rashes that appear in areas never bitten by the tic. If not treated, pain, swelling, and mood changes can occur months after being bitten!
Preventing Lyme Disease
- Avoid entering areas home to ticks in the spring and summer months.
- If you’re in a tick infested area, wear clothing that is lightly colored, which will help you spot ticks. Also, ensure your entire body is clothed, and your skin is not exposed.
- Bug spray that contains DEET (n,n-diethyl-m-toluamide) can be applied to clothes and exposed skin.
- You can use Permethrin on clothes which kills tics dead (and fast) but make sure not to come in contact with skin.
How to Remove the Tick
If you discover a tick embedded into your skin, use teasers and pull it straight out. Be sure not to twist as you pull; part of the tick’s body could end up inside your skin and cause an infection. After you’ve removed the tick, clean the area with antiseptic.
Ticks love foliage such as leaf piles (I know, children love to play in them, but so do ticks!). They can also be found in wood piles, such as those we use for fire.
If you discover a tick embedded in your skin, watch that area and be aware of flu-like symptoms. If you believe you may have Lyme disease, let your doctor know, and they’ll be able to tell you for sure.
Everyone on here! Please read this…I had Lyme a couple years ago and had to navigate my way through the health system to get to the right doctor who was up on the latest Lyme information – helps when his daughter has chronic lyme – there is an incentive to know everything!
Had 4 months of rotating antiobiotics minimum to kill the ever changing spirochete as I went into stage 3 of lyme symptoms-bulls eye rash/wicked flu/major joint pain/stiff neck/eye spots/light sound sensitive/severe fatigue/forgetting words and things I did/loss of balance. Some get one of 75 symptoms some get multiple and some don’t get any until years later. Thankfully I had no co-infections with it which may have different symptoms.
Please find a lyme literate doctor (LLMD). They are few. If you don’t catch lyme in time and treat it with right rotating cocktail herbal or antibiotic it will continue and attack your body to keep it as a host. Go gluten/dairy free, exercise and take a probiotic to keep your body strong and anti inflamed in order to fight infection.
To Judy P – many of your symptoms (and your sister’s MS), can be caused by Lyme, and can also (the MS included) be cured when you treat the Lyme. The standard Lyme test has a 60% inaccuracy rate, and even the ‘better’ Lyme tests are not completely accurate, which is why chronic Lyme is a ‘clinical diagnosis’.
You need to find a Lyme Literate MD for this, and not an ‘infectious disease doctor’. Good luck!
I had a tick in my spine. (pulled it off of my back – right in center before knowing it was a tick) Didn’t think nothing of it. Within the same year – camping pulled a tick out of my temple area (hairline) so I didn’t notice a bullseye mark then either. (that one had been there awhile because the tick was swelled with my blood) this was when i was approx. 16 yrs of age.
Approx 20 yrs old – had started pain in legs climbing stairs and seeing doctors. I’m 44 yrs old now and have been tested several times for Lyme. (neg each time) until this last time it was positive. Now that i have a positive reading band tests are given and nothing shows. (Lyme is thrown out) I have a sister with ms…ms is suspected and tests are done. nope not Lyme either.
lupus is tested for..nope i have small spots on brain – pain all over – cysts on my kidney, hip and bone island on shoulder – bulging disk in back, anemic, and hashimotos (thyroid) and they call it fibromyalgia… go figure.
Between July 5th – 9th I had 2-3 little bites on my left calf that looked like mosquito bites. They were pretty itchy and I used Caladryl to help, however, over the next week the area became encircled with a bright raised red ring. By the 17th it itched like the dickens and actually hurt. The center became reddish but faded and became hard to where it didn’t even feel like my skin. At first I thought maybe it was poison ivy, but it wasn’t in a line and it was never weepy. Then I though, maybe a spider? Or a tick! I had been out on several occasions in the woods hiking at at a friends backyard, so it was a possibility.
Finally when I was starting to feel poorly and had an episode of nearly fainting (for no reason: I was hydrated, had eaten and had plenty of sleep) I thought maybe this was somehow related to the thing on my leg. My doctor immediately put me on Doxycycline but only for 10 days . I felt very dizzy and had flu like symptoms. I was tested for Lyme and the Western Blot test and both came back negative. However, the doctor wanted me to finish the antibiotics which I did. It cleared up my facial acne and I asked him if I could continue taking it. He said yes, but cut back to once a day, which I have been doing ( when I remember). I take it with a probiotic and or plain yogurt. Its easier on my stomach and has not caused any unpleasant yeast infections.
I’ve been fighting Candida Albicans too and I’m sure this is not helping that, but I think the long term affects of potential Lyme outweigh the later.I think I should get retested based on everything I’ve been reading. I’ve had some really strange headaches lately, strange because I’m used to Migraines and these are not migraines – I’ve never really had ‘regular’ headaches so its different. I’ve had to take Advil gels to relieve my aches and pains almost nightly. I figured it could be me working 2 jobs that is making me tired but I’m not sure yet. I should be able to handle that. The thing on my leg has faded somewhat but has left a nasty mark. Oh, I was treated also for ringworm with an antifungal creme which actually burns and makes it more red and then an hydrcortisone creme during the day which seems to help more. It still hurts – my leg that is.
I get charlie horses in that leg way too often for normality. My knees make me feel like I am 80. I am only almost 40. And my memory sucks right now. Not sure it was ever that great, but I can’t seem to remember things from one moment to the next. It becoming worrisome. I think I need to get retested, but what if its still negative and I still feel this way!!!
I was bitten by a spider last September. At first it just hurt and burned and itched for about an hour. Two weeks later that leg goes numb along with the foot in an instant. A year later and the big toe is still not right. I went through the normal routine of testing for lymes, and all co-infections. All neg. even though the symptoms were all there: shortness of breath, facial tingling/numbness, electrical shock like pain that comes and goes, unbelievable fatigue, flu symptoms for months, memory loss, extreme emotional up and down, weakness in legs, heart palpitations, knee pain that now is every day. I have been on IV Rocephin for 5 months and recently felt good enough to quit the IV and do some oral as a step down. Bad idea. Within 2 days feeling miserable. Fatigue, joint pain, night chills, emotional wreck again, knee pain constantly.
Anyone out there with these things after spider bite? I assumed it was lymes but am now considering retesting with spinal tap and blood work to see what appears. Feeling very depressed and let down. Wish I could have my life back. someone please help me.
Most of the people here do describe what seems to be lyme. The reason I am actually posting is because I came across this post…
“Hi, please I need help!
I have a bulls eye in my arm and i have skin rashes like stretch marks on my legs and arms, and i have been will all the symptoms. Is it a serious disease? Is it contagious? I don’t know what to do I’m really frustrated!”
This would most likely be Bartonella.
Bartonellosis is often mild but in serious cases it can affect the whole body. Early signs are fever, fatigue, headache, poor appetite, and an unusual, streaked rash. Swollen glands are typical, especially around the head, neck and arms. Burrascano suspects bartonellosis when neurologic symptoms are out of proportion to the other systemic symptoms of chronic Lyme. He also notes gastritis, lower abdominal pain, sore soles, and tender subcutaneous nodules along the extremities. Lymph nodes may be enlarged and the throat can be sore.
Ticks transmit way more than just Lyme Disease and most non-LLMD doctors will not even test you for them and claim that you don’t have any of them based on where you live. Google Images of Bartonella and you can see if what you have looks like what you see. If you ask your doctor and they ignore your concerns, search on the web for an LLMD in your area. They are the LYME EXPERTS. Please, all of you may continue to have weird symptoms/Medical problems that no doctor will relate to Lyme. IT IS LYME. Do not bother with an infectious disease doctor, they have not updated themselves on this disease.
I know this information from personal experience. I tested positive and treatment from an infectious disease specialist failed…I continued to get sick. Since 7+ months of treatment, I have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as well as Scleroderma. Please find an LLMD ASAP. I went only 4 months without treatment before diagnosis and I’m afraid I may never get my life back. I know deep down inside that what I have is Lyme EVEN THOUGH most of the medical world will tell you its not. There is a world of VALID info on the web but be careful as to what you read. This is a serious disease that will infect your brain if not treated promptly. Just google the truth about Lyme disease.
Hope Jaimi sees this post and gets the treatment she needs.
It’s been about 9 years since I was bitten by a spider. I know it was a spider because I squashed it on the bite site. It was a pretty good sized one also, about the size of pencil eraser when squashed. Within about 15 minutes the site was burning & bulls eyed so that the hard center was about the size of a quarter, the red ring around it about the size of a pop can top & then it started turning black & blue outside of that. By the next morning the black & blue spot wrapped most of the way around my thigh and the red ring was about the size of a softball. I was really sick with flu like symptoms & dizziness, but I’d been bitten by spiders a couple of times before, growing up in the country & gotten sick for a day or two, so I didn’t think anything of it.
The tightness in my joints, lumps under my skin (like a small cyst) hairloss & muscle pain & nerve sensitivity started about 6 months later, gradually worse on & off to this day. I went into the GP who referred me to a rhumatologist because the Lymes test came back negative. From there I had another Lymes test at the Rhumatologist, among a variety of other test, even though I told both of them about the bite but they ignored that because it wasn’t a tick. So far, tests for everything from Lupus to MS to Lukemia & rhumatoid arthritis. X-rays & MRI’s to determine that I had arthritis & where – ok, I was in my early 30’s at the time. It was degenerative arthritis so He said, still would not prescribe antibotics because the test for Lymes came back negative. I proceeded to blow through pain & NSAID prescriptions for about a year going back every 3 months for more Lyme’s & other bloodwork, still nothing.
Here’s the kicker, my husband thought He had been bitten by a tick about 5 years into this. The same doctor that I had gone to initially saw Him. Wrote out the script for doxy on the spot before the test even came back positive. Hmmmmm……double standard here…….I think so. My husband couldn’t take the prescription because he couldn’t tolerate it. By this time I was desperate for some relief. I thought it really couldn’t hurt to try His perscription. I did & 3 days later all my symptoms were gone. After taking the meds for 2 weeks I went back into the Dr that I’d been seeing & demanded another Lyme’s test after telling Him what had happened. He still gaffed me off by saying it was just because the doxy was reducing the joint swelling. Well guess what…the Lyme’s test came back positive this time. He explained that it was probably because my body had stopped fighting the Lyme’s so the test that was used to identify antibodies couldn’t see them because they weren’t there to detect.
When I started taking the antibiotic it gave my body a boost so that it started producing antibodies again. It took almost a year on antibiotics to have the test start to come back negative again. It’s been 3 years since treatment ended & while I feel a lot better there are what seem to be permanent damage to some joints & while I know that some say that it can be cured, I don’t believe so. I think it actually goes into sort of a “remission” of sorts because every so often I end up with the same, although not usually as severe, symptoms that I’ve had since 6 months after the bite. I am looking at both knee and ankle replacement because the joints are toast. Most of the issues are on the side that the bit occurred except for arthritis like symptoms & swelling in both hands. Even the gray hair that I am getting is more pronounced on that side. I tell this story for three reasons. 1) Don’t take no for an answer & put up with a double standard if you are a woman. Stand up for yourself right away. 2) Which goes along with #1 is that inist on the $27 antibotic that can save you from permanent damage right away! 3) It can come from a spider. (within 6 months of my Lyme’s test coming back positive I knew of 4 more people with spider bites that end up positive for Lyme’s.) Now several doctors around here finally believe that for some reason there are a number of spiders that carry it. We are in a area where ticks carrying Lyme’s are very common.
So now what! I’m in my early 40’s will end up having to deal with this forever. It makes me wonder if it’s shortened my life. It pops up almost every summer when it starts to get hot. It’s uncomfortable to say the least. When I tell the Dr that it interferes with my job, he says well you could just work less or find a different job. Wonder if he’s hiring (snark). I did change how I do my job so that I am not on my feet as much, but why don’t Dr.s think & apply practical solutions like the $27 month long prescription instead of solutions that obviously come from their ivory tower perspective? They need to get real.
I live in SA – eastern cape and ticks are a usual occurrence. If you find a tick on you and believe me check the private parts too because you get some that are the size of a pin prick(no jokes) always apply some Vaseline or some kind of a sealing lotion like Vaseline or petroleum jelly so you smother the ticks head and it has no option but to fall out. This we use often on our pets and ourselves always, trust me you don’t want that head traveling around your skin.
A day after I pulled a tick out of my skull, I got flu like symptoms. Three days later the doctor gave me 200mg antibiotics. Three days past since I took the antibiotics and I still feel sick. Does it mean that my sickness isn’t caused by Lyme disease. Thus the tick, which was attached to me didn’t carry the bacteria for that disease?
June 2010 I broke out in all over body rash, 103 fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, swollen joints – doctor thought it was Parvo Virus – tested negative for that as well as Lyme. Ended up in ER after 5 days of fever spiking 103 – tested for EVERYTHING including Lyme again – all came back negative. Prescribed Prednisone taper and antibiotics. Stupidly decided to not finish the antibiotics….joint pain became severe and debilating. Was referred to Rheumatologist who diagnosed vasculitis, and tested for EVERYTHING from lupus to cancer. Nothing. Prescribed high dose of prednisone, which took a couple of months to taper off from. Joint pain and swelling continued entire time…prescribed NSAIDS for a couple more months – lost about 5o percent of my hair about 3 months after first symptoms. Rheumatologist thought it might be RA, was about to prescribe Methotrexate – asked her to try antibiotics just in case. Retested for Lyme and about 20 other things – all negative. After 2 months of antibiotics (8 months total treatment) almost all joint pain and swelling are diminished. Residual pain and stiffness in knees and elbows – hair is growing back nicely! ;o) My dr explained that reading the Lyme test results is a NIGHTMARE – very subjective and unclear, and she feels that is a big part of the reason so many people get false negative results.
I was just diagnosed with lyme disease. I went to the doctor 2 years ago complaining about severe joint pain and i was tested for lyme along with arthritis and all tests came back neg. I recently went to the doc because i could walk the pain in my ankles were so bad so i was tested again for lyme and got a pos. result. I was on doxy for 10 days but it caused me severe stomach problems so i had to switch to amoxicillin which ill be on for 10 days. I never thought i would have to deal with something so serious so young. It hurts just to lay down. And its so hard to get out of bed in the mourning for work and school because im so tired. This disease has nearly ruined my life and the medicine isnt seeming to do anything. I hope everyone who suspects any sign of lyme disease will go to there doc asap and get it checked out because this disease is way more serious then it sounds.
I have heard that it CAN take a long time to get the joint pain. They say it only shows up if untreated. I’m starting to wonder something myself… I had knee pain when I was 15, they tested me for Lyme and it came back negative. The next year still trying to figure out my knees they tested again and it came back positive. Meds for I don’t remember how long but less than 6 months, probably 2 months. Another test in the next year negative. Knee pain never went away, 15 yrs later thinking it’s torn cartilage behind the kneecap or a joint problem since they pop out of place easy (not the cap but the knee itself). But now they swell (puffy not hard) and get hot sometimes.
I have patches of skin that seem to have nerve damage – numb like pressing on a callous (on my back and face), when a fingernail is rested there it starts itching horribly and feels like needles, and touching certain spots makes spots 10 inches away itch. From stuff I’ve read in the last 10 yrs (Dang ADD keeps making me forget about it before I get to the doctor) and being reminded by this page, I’m starting to wonder if it was fully treated. Hopefully when I go to the doctor next week I’ll remember. Physician assistants are better than doctors about getting you the tests you need and since that’s who staffs the clinic here I should be able to get him to test for lyme. If I remember this post I’ll come post an update after I see the doctor.
(Oh yeah, 1 tick bite that is lymes can actually cause multiple bullseye rashes elsewhere on the body, although sometimes you get no rash)
(Colorado) well me and my family went camping the other weekend well after we got back home my little girl(1/12 ) woke up and i saw what seemed to be a few mosquito bits, so i left them alone, days latter they began to get redder and redder. And 7 days latter it was horrible looking- looked just like a bullseyes, and come to see that their were numerous ones by this time, 3 on her elbow 1 on her lower shoulder and 3 on her upper shoulder closer to her neck, oh and one REALLY big one(but not bullseye mark) on her side. I took her in and the doctor wasn’t to think its Lyme, but they think it is a possibility-so we got her blood tested.
well i guess if you do it too soon like sooner then 14 days then their gonna come back negative and once you start taking antibiotics it may never show up positive!!! Hers are kinda itchy and she doesn’t seem to have other symptoms, then again she cant really talk yet either but from what i can tell she is doing okay FOR NOW other then the markings. ! day after taking the antibiotics and calidril lotion the marks are starting to dry our which is lighting up the red. I have noticed that it seems to be traveling up to the side of her hair line like right behind her ear – its getting red. I am determined to get antibiotics for her i just cant seem to find correlation with anything else!!!
i am very concernd for my babys health. we all had bug sprey on and pants i just dont get it:( even though i cought it within a week and have gotten her on antibiotice is this gonna haunt her for the rest of her life or will the antibiotices most likly clear it up since we cought it soo soon… thank you, my email is jana123456 [at] live.com and we can swap pictures — just in the subject write Lyme thank you!
Can anybody tell me if this could take up to 2 years for symptoms of nerve pain and joint pain. I have a grandson that has every test possible and no negative results. They have done a blood test or lime disease however we have not gotten it back yet. Does anybody have any answers to this..
Thank you
Hi, please I need help!
I have a bulls eye in my arm and i have skin rashes like stretch marks on my legs and arms, and i have been will all the symptoms. Is it a serious disease? Is it contagious? I don’t know what to do I’m really frustrated!
This is to all who may experience anything like this. I was out in the exercise room for quite a while and awoke the next morning with a random blister on my leg, i thought if i popped it it would for the most part go away. days later it was the size of half my palm. the doctor said it may be Lyme disease, but all that did was frighten me. don’t be worried, if it is white with a red ring around it, it is indeed ringworm, which is nothing serious at all. just wash your hands frequently and do not itch the infected area, as you may spread it with ease. i hope this gets to someone out there.
I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease in July 2005. Medical Doctors in Ohio believe that lyme disease is not in this state. Even the renowned Cleveland Clinic has no specialist for it. I used the treatment described on the website. Salt tablets and Vitamin C. and cured my lyme disease.
Within 5 month I was feeling like a normal person. I stay on a maintenance dose to this day. I don’t remember being bit by a tick but my symptoms started in 1986 and steadily got worse. My symptoms were joint and muscle pain, multiple auto-immune disorders, neurological disorders, Organ involvement. Flare-ups will happen in the spring and fall. Another excellent reading source is the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients (jan 2005 issue) everything you could every want to know about lyme disease.
My son is 13 and has been diagnose with Lyme disease. His test elisa has come back positive twice and I need to know what doctor can see him around the lancaster PA that would take unison. I feel I need more answers.
i too came back from camping one day and had a round marking on my leg with a red center encircled by a red/purpleish ring that stayed the size of a quarter for about a week and slowly faded. I am wondering if this is lyme disease i dont remember being bit by a tick but we slept out side with out a tent near sonora california. What doyou think? I havent been sick or anything.
Last night, I found a very small red bulls-eye bite on my arm. It wasn’t itchy or painful and I didn’t have a tick on me, but had been in wooden areas where they live. By morning, the bulls-eye had faded on it’s own, and looked like a regular mosquito bite. It was slightly red and itchy, and hard underneath, but not swollen. When I touch it, it gets itchier, but doesn’t really bother me otherwise. I haven’t had any flu-like symptoms yet, but could this be Lyme Disease? Are there other bug bites that can be a bulls-eye mark?
Thanks for helping!
I was out at a lake Sunday evening picking berries and taking photos. The next day I noticed what looked and felt like mosquito bites. There was one on the back of my thigh, that was really irritating, It was red swollen, and itchy. I thought nothing of it. Then on Friday, where what I thought were just mosquito bites, had turned into something like a bulls eye. Its light colored in the middle and dark red, almost bruising like around. I went to the hospital today (Saturday) they are treating it like Lyme disease. I admit im afraid. I was hoping i was just bit by spiders. I have 3 total bulls eyes and two complete red/bruising like circles. What should I do? Im from Scranton Pa. Anyone know any good doctors that specialize in Lyme disease? They said they wouldn’t do the blood work at the hospital, because the likely hood is that the test will come back negative, even if I do have it. I’ll try sending some pictures, once I take them.
I must have been bitten 8 days ago, a Sunday. On Thursday I noticed what I thought was a large mosquito bite; on Saturday I realized it had to be a Lyme rash. I went to the emergency room and got antibiotics. I’ve still got the rash (I know it’s not been very long) and I’ve still got fatigue and chills. When can I expect some improvement?
I think my teenage daughter was bitten by a tick. It was attached to her Rt.underarm, not knowing what it was at the time, I grabbed at the bug and pulled it out. The bug is still alive (we saved it in a jar) and it appears that it still has its head. Right now, she has a tiny red mark on her skin and it feels slightly raised. We live in the Wash. DC area. What is my next step? Thank you
hi, Hi, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease over 2 years ago. I was very active hunting with my father sports all types of things. So where I got bitten is not certain. I DID not have the bulls eye mark that you normally get. My symptoms consisted of exhaustion, fever, migraines, hair loss, extremely soar joints. Now that was some bad new I was not ready for I ran track (3 miles 2 times a day) and I was informed by my doctor not to run during a flare up. Now the only thing I will say is if you think you have signs of lymes and your doctor says no. Get a 2 or 3rd opinion. It took me to get to the 4th doctor for him to find out I have 3% of it in my blood it had been 5 months since I started feeling sick. At this point medicine would not help me so for the past 2 ½ years I suffer with the flare ups of lymes. IF you suspect anything please get checked. I do not wish this suffering on anyone and there is nothing I can do to fix it.
Hi- I got a bulls eye about a year and a half ago which was the size of a baseball on my thigh. I went to the doctor and they told me it was Lymes. I never had an symptoms but took the medication and it faded and went away about two weeks later. Now the past week I have felt awful. Tonight the bulls eye returned to the exact same spot only this time it is painful and a bit larger then a quarter. I will go to the doctor Monday. Any suggestions till then?
lately my boyfriend has been feeling very tired, he has a bulls eye on the back of his calf. hes been sent home from work 2 days in a row now because he feels so crappy. he has complained about a headache but has not had a fever or nausea. a coworker and customer took a look at the bite and told him it was from a tick and that he had Lyme disease, but i’m not so sure, everywhere i look on the net it talks bout flu like symptoms and the bite is not pitted in the center like most of the pics i’ve seen
You can also put DMOS and Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide on the bite mark. Do a half and half solution of DMSO and Food Grade HP (that’s 35% HP) and dab it on there. That should help.
After wks of small red itchy spots I treated with benadry and anti-itch lotion I find a 3 in round bruise-like area with a 1/2 inch white area . Please advise.
If a person was treated for Lyme, what are the chances of not having the swollen joints, headaches and such?
I was bit and received the beautiful bulls eye. Was treated but seem to have arthritis in the knee and possibly in other joints I can feel hurt. Please tell.
Minga
I was bitten by something and assumed it was a spider. I did not remove a tick from this area. It was on the upper part of my thigh next to my panty line. I didn’t notice it until it became very itchy. I began itching it and it felt swollen, so I managed to get a look at it. It was a perfect bulls eye and was swollen. It appeared to look much like a tiny version of a nipple only on the side of my thigh. I went to the doctor was given antibiotics and some hydracortizone cream for the itching. It did finally go away but I have been very sick with flu like symptoms, fatigue much of the time, very sore achy joints and now I have a headache that will not go away. I am wondering if I need to get a different antibiotic since I feel so bad? I am sending a picture of the bite.
Jim, from In. trip to Marthas Vinyard l983 contact with tick and Lyme Not ever hearing of the disease and yes I had the bullseye rash, sluffed it off as spider bite in motel room. Meningitis, was the first symptom followed by all of the others. It was the worst time of my life, and I had spent a year in body brace in 78 no comparison to the Lyme. It is a horrible disease and soooo underdiagnosed that it scares me everytime I think of those out there not knowing anymore than I did when I got it. In l989 my gp took it upon himself to do a spinal tap and blood work for Lyme after I contacted some people through computer. All were positive for Lyme, the spinal tap did not at that time recognize it as Borrelia Burgdorpheri but as infectious disorder. My doc treated me after he called East Coast for correct amount of antibiotics, I thank God for him everyday, even after all this time. I had 6 weeks iv drugs plus one year oral.
Need I say this? I was well from Lyme, I am almost ashamed to tell this to those out there who never get cured of the disease. Strange about the same time that Lyme became prevelent, Fibromyagia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome also became known. Could it be they are all the same and at least a doctor can come up with a diagnosis that he doesnt have to argue with the insurance companies or the cdc on why they cant treat all of these nuts that think they have Lyme disease. I think the best thing for those who cannot get treatment if they can afford it is to go out of the country, possibly Canada or Germany not Mexico and get help, or one better . Go to your local veternarian.
They are much more clued into this disease and know that it is a problem and that you can go crazy with it and also there have been deaths. A pregnant woman must get help if she gets bite because Lyme will pass on to the fetus. The vets possibly more intelligent than the medical docs???? Strange if you go into them tell them your animal is lethargic and sick, they will automatically check for Lyme disease. I have two pictures on my camera of my grandaughters leg that I took last fall after she went horse back riding in Indiana, did I say In??? Yep, oh I forgot we dont have the ticks in In that cause Lyme duhhhh. These are perfect bullseye rash, but being a senior, I am not sure how to get it onto my computer to send to you, if you will tell me I will send to you. I took the pictures and grandaughter to gp, he took one look at them and said this is the most typical Lyme rash I have seen yet. Tested her, but went ahead and treated her with oral antibiotics immediately did not want to wait until tests were back, 2 weeks later done with antibiotics tests came back positive for Lyme Now what are the chances of my grandaughter here in Indiana getting bit and myself in Conneticut l983 also getting bit if this disease is not prevelent??? Dilch I am telling you this disease is thick and it is getting ignored.
All it takes is for the fda or the cdc to say lets treat it now and not wait until meningitis, bells palsey or wheelchair is the next level for individuals. I do not like antibiotics and will do anything to keep from taking them because of the thrush and candiadias they cause plus I have reactions to them, but believe me, I have already pulled off three ticks this spring from working in the yard and trimming trees and leaf raking, if I get down sick again, I will go to the ends of the earth to get help before I end up like I was at my lowest part of Lyme. I realize this is a long letter I am sorry but want to get point across that people need to recognize this disorder when they first get it, I think if I were let go again and the doctor would deny me treatment a lawsuit would be in the works. These doctors are sworn to help those out there who are hurting , not diagnose them as nuts. Remember Al Capone,? He died of syphlis another spirochetal disease just like Lyme and he went crazy and blind before he died. How many out there will have to die from the Lyme before we get a decent test and the cdc agrees to let up on the guidlines so someone can be treated early rather than late when the damage is already done. Thank you if you print this probably long and boring note.. cjl
Last night while I was rubbing my husbands back I noticed something on his skin…I thought it was a zit so I left it be. Tonight while I was rubbing his back I notice the bump was detatched somewhat thinking it was indeed a mole that was breaking off- which can be dangerous. I turned on the light and it was a tick the size of a lemon seed (maybe a bit bigger) on his back. I pulled it out with my best tweezers and my husband was certain that I didn’t get it. He burned a needle and requested I dig out the remainder of the head. I did this. He couldn’t feel a thing and I was rough- squeezing it like a zit and digging out skin that I thought might be the dorsal plate. Anyway, now it is circular and HARD. He still cannot feel it and is pretty freaked out. I called the nurseline and she said there was nothing to worry about other than an infection caused by the needle. She suggested antiseptic and tripple antibiotic (which I had already done) and for him to visit his physician in the AM. He technically had this tick on him for over 24 hours…he thinks longer as he was the day before yesterday and NOT yesterday. UH OH….now what?
Hi,
My name is Perry Fields. I had Chronic Lyme disease and have fully recovered from it. I’m also a professional athlete (in an Olympic sport) who basically lost my career because of Lyme (and a good part of my 20’s) and am now returning to my sport with much success.
I had friend sent me a link to your site. I wanted to know how I can help you and your members and audience.
I’m really here to offer some inspiration for those affected with Lyme because I know it’s so devastating emotionally and physically.
If people suspect they have been bitten, they need to get help ASAP. If they don’t feel sick after camping in the woods or gardening or doing anything outside, the need to get treatment ASAP or it becomes very had to get rid of.
Regards,
Perry Fields
US Track and Field
Last night I noticed a small bullseye mark on my forearm. The middle has a red bump, about the size of a pinhead, then white around it, and then a bluish-ring around that. It doesn’t really look exactly like any of the pictures.There is no itching or pain, and it’s hard to the touch but not a raised bump. I do walk dogs in grassy areas. I live in central Florida and it’s our winter season now. I never felt anything bite me nor saw a tick on my skins. Does this sound like Lyme or some other type of bite?
When does the rash on your body Disappear? Does it stay the same all your life? What about the color of your skin. Its red now, what color will it be in a few months?
when i was 16 i broke out in an itchy red rash all over my body. I went to my pcp and he told me it was hives and to take benadryl. after about a week they subsided and became tolerable but then i started getting the rash around my joints and having swelling and pain in my joints as well. my pcp then tested me for lyme on two separate occasions and they came back negative. he also sent me to a specialist to see if i had rhuematoid arthritis and nothing came of that. both dr.’s seemed perplexed by my symptoms. since then i have been living with these symptoms on and off. I am 26 now and for the past month i have been having moderate jiont pain in my fingers wrists and knees with no rash as well as feeling drained of energy. my question is….can you have lyme disease and have the test come back negative.
my 4 yr old son was fishing with his father and we took the preventable measures to protect our son but it came to be that he did indeed have a tiny tick inbedded in his skin on his stomach. Pulled it out and noticed the head was still in. We took him to his pcp, who basically said it has never been reported that anyone has contracted Lyme Disease with a tick that has been imbedded under 48-72 hours. I do not have faith in the pcp system and now 5 days later my son has developed a high temp of 104 and is complaining of neck pain.
I asked for antibiotics and was told this is not a good choice b/c each time you give a child a abx that they fall risk of resistive bacteria& when the need is really there the abx do not work any longer and you will put him at risk. I asked for the rx incase and am contiplating getting it filled. I feel no one around here really knows how long, when the earliest the symptoms can show and blood tests are useless most of the time. I am a chronic suffer of this illness for 25 years now and I was misdiagnosed initially and do not want the same for my son. I feel torn between what I know and what every article is telling me along with the impression from the doc that there is no chance of infection. I will admit I am super sensitive to the issue.
concerned mother
My sister-In law suffers from Lyme Disease.
Its so horrible to watch her in such pain and theres no cure.
And shes so young shes 30 yrs old with 2 kids.
I think they need to find a cure or give once a yr shot’s to
prevent Lyme Disease.
Hi,
I was camping with my friend Jay and she got bit by these ticks. She has 2 grape fruit sized bites on her thigh, and one on her ankle. First of all, Is is contagious? And Secondly, Is this a serious disease (and pain) that stays with you?
Thanks!
Anyone who suspects Lyme Disease must immediately begin research and get themselves educated about this disease that mimics over 300 diseases. It affects every system in the body and is very difficult to eradicate, in spite of what many MD’s believe. I was bitten thirteen years ago in Alberta Canada where Lyme Disease was said by authorities that it was impossible to get here. FALSE!
Recently after much research and taking it upon myself to resume trying to get a diagnoses ..now I have one and hope to begin antibiotic treatment to stop the damage. I have been unable to work for twelve years because what it does neurologiacally and the pain throughout the body day and night. It is very serious and do get antibiotic treatment when you are bitten,,keep looking for a doctor who is Lyme literat. This is your life.
i had lyme disease last year and i found a rash on the back of my leg that was red but in the sun turned bluish purple. i didnt actually think it was lyme disease until a couple weeks later beaause half of my face became paralyzed due to bells palsy. if you think you have it it really doesnt hurt to go to the doctors because if you DO have it and you leave it untreated it will leave some reallllly damaging results
Mike,
If you haven’t done this yet, you need antibiotics as soon as possible. The doctor should not have made you wait. The blood tests are almost always inaccurate. But if you had a round red target, and those symptoms you describe, that is Lyme disease.
Because it has been two months, you should see a Lyme specialist as soon as possible. Most doctors know nothing about Lyme disease so you really need to see a Lyme specialist (Lyme Literate M.D., or LLMD) for treatment.
You can find one on the Lyme Disease Association Doctor Referral page:
Good luck.
I woke up with a perfect round red target! It lasted for 2 days! I am afraid I was bitten by spider or have lime disease… I have had headaches, and sore back muscles.. My doctor said to wait a month to check for anti bodies… If it is lime disease, is it curable?
I have been moody, tired… Can anybody show me pictures of what this might be?
Hi Madelyn,
You need antibiotics and if you were infected within the last year, perhaps a few weeks or months, but if longer than a year, you may need them for longer. The fact the rash is back and spreading means it’s disseminated (not local infection anymore) Julia.
i have been diagnosed with lyme disease, however over the past week i have been getting a rash starting at the original site and spreading up my legs and my back. it is particularly around my knee caps and elbows. they itch like crazy and they look like small white bumps. can you please tell me how to get rid of this and if the medication i am taking for the lyme disease will make it go away.
I have this dry red patchy area on my leg and it’s about the size of a quarter and it’s kind of raised up. I have had it for over a month. then I noticed another on but smaller on my other leg. What do you think it is?
Hi, I went fishing with my husband a week ago. I got bit by something , But this bite itches and it hurts clean to the nerve it feels like and it looks like a linty purple color in the middle of the bite it was all red around it, the redness is going away but it stIll hurts like crap like its going to the nerve WHAT CAN IT BE?
Not sure how to reply but lots of folks seem to report the bullseye rash associated with Lyme disease. The other person with peeling inside out rash and numbness sounds like a Brown recluse bite – all of you should see a doctor asap!
Peace, and Universal Health Care for ALL,
(I am not a doctor) Univ. Health Care Singer