My husband awoke today with profound dark circles under his eyes, which he has never had before. Even our 12 year old commented on it, and asked him what was wrong.
He has not fallen or had any trauma, and he has never had these dark circles before. They came on suddenly and are quite noticeable.
He has Lyme. Babs, and Bart, and is currently taking Mepron and Zithromax. He does seem to be herxing these last couple of days with lots of sleeping and extreme fatigue.
He was too exhausted to watch the Patriots game yesterday he had been so looking forward to.
Any ideas as to why these would come on so suddenly?
Posted by luvs2ride (Member # 8090) on :
When I was first diagnosed chronic lyme, I had had these dark circles for months.
Homeopathic treatment completely eliminated them. I can't remember specifically why they occurred, but I think it had to do with allergies.
A big part of the homeopathic treatment targeted drainage.
Luvs
Posted by jamescase20 (Member # 14124) on :
I think its BART
Posted by Lymeblue (Member # 6897) on :
herxed...it happens, specially with babs
Posted by lymeladyinNY (Member # 10235) on :
I have dark circles and I always assumed it was because of toxins. When I feel especially bad the dark circles get worse.
Is his skin gray? His eyes bloodshot? These are two other symptoms I get when I am feeling toxic.
The circles go away on days I feel good (as far as Lyme will let me feel good, that is!).
- Lymelady
Posted by D Bergy (Member # 9984) on :
In a person without Lyme, this is an indication of an allergy of some kind. My daughter hwo has Celiac disease had these dark cicles her whole life, until she eliminated Gluton from her diet. Then the circles disappeared.
This may be different being Lyme Disease is involved.
D Bergy
Posted by Sojourner (Member # 9424) on :
Oh yes!
My husband gets these too. It seems to be herx related (lyme or coinfection I don't know which). Months ago it was more profound, now it is very occassional and light.
Posted by yanivnaced (Member # 13212) on :
dark circles under eyes is usually an indication of a toxic liver. Was his liver chemistry checked?
Posted by onthemend (Member # 13454) on :
I understand the very dark circles are a common calling card of babs.
otm
Posted by Tracy9 (Member # 7521) on :
The toxic liver part frightens me; he is on Mepron and has never had his liver checked yet. I had to go off Mepron because of increased liver functions.
He does have Bart and Babs, and has been herxing. He can't find his blood slip for his blood work.
Posted by webmeg (Member # 13647) on :
Interesting...I hope it goes away soon.
I've been wondering because I've had mild dark circles under my eyes the last 3 months which I have NEVER had before.
They come and go - some days I can really see them, other days very light.
~webmeg
Posted by map1131 (Member # 2022) on :
Tracy, I also have had these off and on since becoming ill. I don't know what it is. I just know sometimes in the morning just looking in the mirror, I can tell that today is not going to be a good day.
I remember when I read my Social Security judge's notes on me....he said this young looking 45 year old woman looks worn out, she has dark circles around her eyes.
Well crap, I thought. I did try to attend to myself that morning with some blush and eye make-up. I shouldn't of wasted my time. Even the judge saw thru the make-up.
I think it might be a indication of poor sleep and restlessness that many with lyme & company suffer with.
Pam
Posted by Clarissa (Member # 4715) on :
Herxing from something...surely it will go away when treatment is successful.
Just another TBD weird symptom, I think. I have plenty of them and they are total bummers.
Like the physical and mental anguish isn't enough...
Hope it clears sooner than later.
Clarissa
Posted by heiwalove (Member # 6467) on :
i've had dark circles most of my life. not sure what it is.. hope it goes away eventually, for both of us. <3
Posted by jamescase20 (Member # 14124) on :
I think bart hides down in there eyes...I was on lyme abx for 1.5 mo and got these cicles, switched to bart abx (cirpos) and theye went away.
Posted by Clarissa (Member # 4715) on :
I agree with you, James, I think Bart hides in the eyes, too.
I've been having weird/morphing eye symptoms off and on for over 10 years. They did NOT get worse when treated for Lyme but now that I'm being treated for Bart, I can see the area around my eyes "herxing/morphing".
Others have mentioned this happening, and thankfully, going away with treatment. That will be such an added bonus to recovery!
Posted by valymemom (Member # 7076) on :
Dr. Jones has said that dark circles are common in so many of his children with lyme.
Posted by Ellie K (Member # 12056) on :
Funny, last week I got dark circles with itchy red flakey skin under my eyes. I was herxing babs at the time.
People were looking at me funny at the pharmacy! Like I was walking death. Posted by DakotasMom01 (Member # 14141) on :
Black or dark circles under or around the eyes can be caused by many different factors. The following are the most common causes of those unattractive dark circles. I also added other possible factors such as cold or sinus infection, bone structure and glasses which are not so commonly known.
Heredity
Like varicose veins, dark circles under the eyes are usually an inherited trait. If you have dark circles, there is a good chance that others in your family also have them. The skin under the eye is very thin. When blood passes through the large veins close to the surface of the skin it can produce a bluish tint. The more transparent your skin, also an inherited trait, the darker the circles appear.
Allergies, Asthma and Eczema
Any condition that you have that causes your eyes to itch can contribute to darker circles under the eyes because rubbing or scratching the skin can darken the skin. Hay fever sufferers particularly will notice under-eye ``smudges'' during the height of the allergy season. Some food allergies can also cause the area under the eyes to appear darker.
Medications
Any medications that you are taking that causes blood vessels to dilate, can cause circles under the eyes to darken. Because the skin under the eyes is very delicate, any increase blood flow shows through the skin.
Nutrition
The lack of nutrients ( e.g. iron, Vit K)in the diet, or the lack of a balance diet, can contribute to the discoloration of the area under the eyes.
Fatigue, Lack of Sleep
A lack of sleep or excessive tiredness can cause paleness of the skin, which again allows the blood underneath the skin to become more visible and appear more blue or darker.
Pregnancy and Menstruation
The skin can also become more pale during pregnancy and menstruation, which again allows the underlying veins under the eyes to become more visible.
Age
If you have a propensity to have dark circles under you eyes, as you grow older, they are likely to become more noticeable and permanent. Excess folds of skin under the eyes will also make dark circles more pronounced.
Blood Circulation
Another cause may be bad blood circulation. Cardio exercise increases blood circulation and may help the dark circles to disappear.
Kidney or Liver problems
The area directly located under the eyes are close related to kidneys and liver, so the appearance of dark circles may indicate problems or weakness in the kidney or liver activity.
Exposure To The Sun
Even in darker skinned people, exposure to sunlight, especially during the summer months, can cause a higher-than-normal level of skin pigmentation (melanin) under the eyes. People get sun tans because exposure to the sun increases the natural pigmentation of the skin and draws that pigmentation to the surface. The same principle applies to the skin under the eyes.
Cold or Sinus Infection
Superficial blood vessels in the skin can lead to dark circles under the eyes. A cold or sinus infection increases pressure on these blood vessels, which makes it even more likely that dark circles will appear.
Dehydration
Dark eye circles could be a sign of excessive loss of water from the body.
Bone structure
If you have deep-set eyes, shadowing contributes to the dark color under the eyes.
Glasses
The weight of the glasses may cause bad blood circulation around the eyes.
Posted by tailz (Member # 10014) on :
Allergies to foods and electricity give me that punched-in-the-eyes look.
Posted by Ellie K (Member # 12056) on :
I put an avocado cream on all over my undereyes and in the morning I looke better. It was a free-sample from Kiel's. Not sure if it was hypoallergenic.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)