I've got a question. When I was in high school and during beginning college years I used to get "excema rashes" quite often. They are very itchy. I was given a cream for them and that usually seemed to help.
But my question is: Has anyone else had a lyme rash but been told it's excema?
I'm also wondering why I used to get "excema" quite often in high school and college and don't get it anymore (I'm only 23). I didn't think excema just up and left like that?
And if it were a lyme rash, would cream help it or probably not?
Any ideas?
Thanks a bunch! ~Ashley
Posted by meg (Member # 22) on :
up
Posted by cjnelson (Member # 12928) on :
up - i would like an answer on this too!
Posted by lymemommy (Member # 12495) on :
Excema..
My 2 year old son has excema, my sister had it bad for her whole life, dry skin is the one of the banes of my whole family's existence.
Yes, it is hard to tell the difference, but, as far as I know, Lyme rashes don't typically itch like the dickens, where you keep scratching until you bleed. They also do not typically become somewhat raised, or develop into staph infections after they have been scratched too much. Theses are also Excema things.
Yes, you can outgrow excema, most kids do in their teen years. My sister did not, I suspect that her excema was caused/exacerbated by undiagnosed allergies (milk, wheat are common culprits.).
Your climate can tell you something too. Excema improves dramatically in dry heat climates, such as Arizona or southern Cal. Lyme does not care about the climate.
Last but not least, Excema rashes do not clear in the middle to form a bullseye.
But I will be honest, I eye up each and every excema outbreak on my son religiously, and always worry, what if this is one of the lyme rashes that doesn't clear out into the bullseye?
Paranoia about ticks is a part of our lives, once you or someone in your family has been bitten.
I guess those who have excema, (or their kids have it) have to be extra aware of the other symptoms of initial onset of lyme, since the rash thing is not quite so easy to distinguish when you have a skin condition.
good luck to you. KP
Posted by lymemommy (Member # 12495) on :
I forgot one thing. Forced hot air heating is really really irratating to dry skin/excema. Perhaps your high school/college had that type of heating system, which caused your skin to dry out?
It's happened to me, and with my little one, no matter how much lotion I put on him, he still scratches until he's bloody.