LymeNet Flash: rash without lyme

This is topic rash without lyme in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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Posted by mdmdmd (Member # 7800) on :

my 2 year old developed a rash on his leg that looks like the pics on most lyme related sites. we took him to the doctor and he is now on 14 days of antibiotics. he gets a bath every night, and there was no evidence of a tick there for any extended period of time (we have seen ticks on clothes, but never removed one from his leg or anywhere else). is it possible that this rash is from another insect? could he have been bitten by a tick and contracted the bacteria without the infected tick lodging itself on him for 36-48 hours? will the antibiotics completely eradicate the infection (if there is one)? are antibiotics a good idea even though it could have been another insect?

Posted by agszafran979 (Member # 7069) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mdmdmd:
is it possible that this rash is from another insect? could he have been bitten by a tick and contracted the bacteria without the infected tick lodging itself on him for 36-48 hours?

Erythema migrans ("Lyme-type") rashes can appear in an infected person at sites other than the bite site. Perhaps he was bitten in the head and the initial rash isn't visible?

-DS

Posted by mdmdmd (Member # 7800) on :

quote:
Originally posted by agszafran979:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by mdmdmd:
[b]is it possible that this rash is from another insect? could he have been bitten by a tick and contracted the bacteria without the infected tick lodging itself on him for 36-48 hours?

Erythema migrans ("Lyme-type") rashes can appear in an infected person at sites other than the bite site. Perhaps he was bitten in the head and the initial rash isn't visible?

-DS[/B][/QUOTE]

Not likely, he gets a pretty good shampoo from dad every night....

Posted by Lymester (Member # 5848) on :

I would suggest an additional 4 weeks of abx.

You will not see EVERY tick.

A rash? not just a bugbite swelling? If my child developed a rash and you are in an endemic region I would not ask myself. I would get a 2nd opinion from an llmd.

In your own childhood memories of bugbites how many rashes can YOU remember?

Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :

If it looks like an EM rash and it were MY child, I'd have him treated for at least 6 wks. The Lyme disease can be transmitted in a matter of hours....as in 2-3 hours.

Sure, the "official" statement of Duckland [quack, quack] says it has to be on the patient for 24-36 hours.......but how stupid is that?

The spirochetes replicate every 3-5 wks, so that's why I would want my child to be on antibiotics for 6 wks. You don't want "any keets left behind!!"

To not treat, could mean years and years of illness for your child. Which do you choose?

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Do not take anything I say as medical advice. I am not a doctor, but I DID stay at a Holiday Inn Express!
oops!
Lymetutu

Posted by mdmdmd (Member # 7800) on :

okay, thanks for the input....so I'll insist on extending the abx for 6 weeks instead of 2, to be sure the bacteria has been cleared (if there is any).....any other advice?

Posted by Lisianthus (Member # 6631) on :

Hi mdmdmd,

My sister and my nephew both have lyme disease and had an EM rash but NEVER SAW THE TICK! Some ticks are so tiny you can't see them with the naked eye. Some can be as small as the head of a pin.

I would actually push for more than six weeks of abx. To be safe I would put him on for a few months. But I imagine it would be very difficult to get from a duck!

Just watch (in the future) for any symptoms, and herxes. Look for any reaction to the abx. Headache, neck, joint, shin pain, fever, fatigue, flu like symptoms even a cough.

My LLMD just told me that they are researching EM rashes. And what they are finding is that when a person gets a rash, it is a sign that they actually allready have had Lyme previously. That the EM shows up because you have allready been infected before.

Also if the rash is still there take a picture of it, it may help in the future.

Good luck,
Lisi

Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :

While he is on antibiotics, he should be taking probiotics and yogurt at least two hours after every dose of abx, because his good gut flora will be stomped and needs to be replaced. Otherwise he will get diarrhea.

Another thought (sorry) is that ticks can give you more than one kind of germ in a single bite. The same kind of abx do not work on all of them, so you have to know what you are dealing with. Unfortunately the tests for babesia and bartonella are not much better than the lyme tests. And there are two kinds of ehrlichia (which does not respond to amoxicillin, and this is the usual drug chosen for children). Babesia is not even a bacterium, it is protozoal like malaria.

Hope he doesn't have any of these others.

I did not see the tick that gave me both lyme and babesia, nor did I have an EM. If you don't fit the pattern, they miss your case for too long. Best to catch it early.

Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :

Yes, be sure to take a picture of the rash, with a coin or ruler next to it for measurement. You could do another pic with a newspaper so the date will be there. You might need this for proof later on.

Lou is right about other diseases from the tick. keep that in mind. Many here have several diseases. Oh joy.

Hope he does well on the meds....remember that he may herx ... which means he'll feel worse at times. Don't stop the meds unless he seems to be having an allergic reaction to the meds.

I hope you've read some of the links above, so that you will be informed. Good luck, and keep us posted. If you have any questions, fire away!

------------------
Do not take anything I say as medical advice. I am not a doctor, but I DID stay at a Holiday Inn Express!
oops!
Lymetutu