Now my daughter was bit in 1999 - I didn't know about lyme rashes and didn't get her's checked when it showed up. It dissappeared and her tests were later negative even tho she had symptoms. Long story made short she got to late stage- we did the Dr. merry-go-round and eventually saw Dr. J - treated for 8 months. Relapsed twice, she's behind 2 years in school but lyme is gone.

I remembered just today that when her symptoms first showed up in 1999, her strep test was also weakly positive. But she had lyme. So now I am worried that the rash is lyme since our symptoms match exactly. I have an appt. for punch biopsy on Thursday - the rash doesn't look like it's going anywhere so it will probably still be there. How accurate is punch biopsy? I don't trust any of the lyme tests after what my daughter went through. I figure this is my chance to diagnose and treat now if I can. I hope it will show positive if it really is lyme.
 

Can you take a photo of your rash? Do you have a way of putting it on someone's (a friend/fellow lymenetmember?) webpage so it can be posted here?

Also, to keep for your records.

The punch biopsy is a very interesting question! I wonder if you called IGeneX labs if they would have an answer as to how accurte it might be for detecting Bb?

Glad your daughter is doing better

------------------
Tabby

Myself and my 2 children all had strange rashes associated with lyme.

My children go to Dr. J also.

none of our rash's were "typical"/
pc
 

- JB

 

In my opinion, the punch biopsy is only as good as the lab and the technician running the test.

Some years ago, I had a punch biopsy.
It was not done by one of the labs that specializes in Tick-borne Diseases.

The dr even wrote "suspected Lyme disease."
The result came back saying it "was consistent with the bite of an arachnid."
That includes spiders, scorpions, mites & ticks. I was sorry I even bothered with it.

For several years, my rash would come & go. Looked kinda like poison ivy.
Would stay in one place for a month or two.
Clear up & then some time later would reappear in a new location.
Never was in two different areas at the same time & never on my face.

Always on the same area on both sides of my body - forearms, shins, both sides of the base of my neck, both sides of my waist, etc. Prescription creams didn't help at all.
I found that inexpensive hand lotion with aloe vera or with Vitamin E & lanolin helped more than the expensive prescriptions.

After a couple years, was diagnosed & treated for Bartonella. A few months later, I realized the rash had not come back. That was in 2002. I assume my rash was caused by Bartonella, but that's just my case.
I'm not diagnosing for anyone else.

Be sure to take pictures of the rash with a coin or ruler to show the size. Keep in your medical info forever!

Please check with pattiecake about her LLMD.
It sounds like a possibility of Lyme & maybe co-infections getting started.

Look at the facts.
1. symptoms match your daughter's Lyme symptoms.
2. Lyme rash can be atypical.
3. swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, fatigue can be Lyme or Bartonella

You're wise to try to get a correct diagnosis & start treatment as early as possible,

If you miss the chance to treat early, the opportunity won't come around again.
 

------------------
Tabby

Be sure to read the "symptoms" list (the heading in red, right under the "Dr. B's Treatment Guidelines" heading.

Always and always, LD/TBDs are a clinical diagnosis; biopsies and bloodwork are helpful in supporting dx, but are in no way conclusive. The labs and the tests are just not good enough yet.

I haven't kept up with the lyme situation in a few years (since my daughter got well) but it sounds like not much has changed. When oh when will someone develop an accurate test? I would think that with that new "lyme like" disease down south there would be more interest and research in tick diseases. You hear more about west nile in the media than lyme, but so far in PA I think there was only 2 west nile cases this year. Compare that with the # of lyme cases. I don't get it.
 

Also, be sure to get copies of results of all tests that are done.
 

The Dr. saw the rash and said "you burned yourself". He told me to go home and look for things that are "eyeball" shaped that match my "burn".

I told him when the rash showed up I also had a slightly sore throat, fatigue and swollen glands. He said "geometric shapes like you have are from a burn".

I said well, I was working on a project from home and sitting at my computer for over 1 hour when the rash showed up. It felt warm but never hurt like a burn.

How could I get burned just sitting at my computer? He said "Well, it's a burn but you just don't remember burning yourself". ???

Then said "If you can't find anything you got burned on then assume ALIENS did it!!".

I didn't push for a biopsy due to the obnoxious comments. There was no way he would.

He did remove a spot of basal cell cancer that was removed 2 years ago and came back so it wasn't a total waste.

Looks like I might be making an appt. with the LLMD sometime soon to get tested.