I highly suspect that my 29 yr old daughter also has lyme, and she'll be having an Igenex western blot soon.
She has been getting some skin lesions since last summer.
Yesterday she went to the dermatologist who said they are a benign condition called granuloma annulare.
The dermatologist said the cause is unknown...maybe a virus.
However, last night we looked online and found some research studies linking them with Borelia burgdorferi.
These lesions look like a circle of raised bumps.
Does anyone else have these?
When we read those studies online we are now really convinced she also has lyme.
She also has chronic fatigue, migraines, trigeminal neuralgia, irritable bladder, easily gets muscular injuries, insomnia, chronic sinus infections, etc.....all on Dr Burrascano's symptom list.
I am only diagnosed due to my own research and persistence, and I think the same will be true for her.
She sees many Dr's and none of them have seen the big picture....what a surprise!!!
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
Hello Dekrator48,
I can relate...I had three Biopsies for rashes on my body and they all came back (Drug) related. I wasn't taken any drugs at the time of the test so I know it was the Lyme.
I had rashes for five to six months and no one knew why.
Take care, Steve
Posted by aiden424 (Member # 7633) on :
Back in 1986 I had biopsies done on a rash that I had on my feet. I got the rash about 10 days after I got sick. Doctor told me it was granuloma annulare too. I still have them to this day. They move around, mostly on my feet, but they never leave.
Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
Br J Dermatol. 2009 Jan;160(1):119-26. Epub 2008 Aug 20.
New concepts on erythema annulare centrifugum: a clinical reaction pattern that does not represent a specific clinicopathological entity. Ziemer M, Eisendle K, Zelger B.
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany.
BACKGROUND: Erythema annulare centrifugum (EAC) is considered an inflammatory skin disease with unknown aetiology. In most textbooks it is assigned to the incoherent conglomeration of figurate or gyrate erythemas. OBJECTIVES: To re-evaluate a large cohort of patients with EAC and to assess the evidence for infection with Borrelia.
METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 90 cases with the diagnosis of EAC. Haematoxylin and eosin sections were re-examined and diagnoses were specified; these were then confirmed by clinicopathological correlation. Infection with Borrelia was assessed by focus-floating microscopy and by a Borrelia-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
RESULTS: Besides a miscellaneous group of annular disorders at times confused with EAC such as urticaria, leucocytoclastic vasculitis and psoriasis (20 of 90; 22%), EAC appeared to serve as a collective term for three main clinicopathological reaction patterns: (i) (tumid) lupus erythematosus (29 of 90; 32%), (ii) spongiotic dermatitides (25 of 90; 28%) and (iii) pseudolymphoma (16 of 90; 18%). In 13 of 16 (81%) cases with a pseudolymphomatous reaction pattern spirochaetes stained positive but were negative in other reaction patterns of EAC as well as in negative controls. These findings were confirmed by a Borrelia-specific PCR which was positive in two of three (67%) of these pseudolymphomatous EAC cases but was negative in all other variants of EAC (none of five) as well as 20 controls.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that 'EAC' is a clinical reaction pattern that does not represent a specific clinicopathological entity and should lead to consideration of mainly lupus erythematosus, dermatitis and, in some cases, cutaneous Lyme disease.
PMID: 18721189 [PubMed - in process]
Posted by paulieinct (Member # 17514) on :
Yes, I have that. PM your email address and I will send you a picture of my rash. Is it somewhat flaky over the bumps? Itchy?
Mine was misdiagnosed by a walk-in clinic as ringworm. I now know it is a secondary rash of chronic Lyme and/or coinfections. I am breaking out right now, for the third time in last 8 mos. The first time was before my diagnosis and I was not on any abx.
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
It really sounds like she has lyme. I had all of these also
Granuloma annulare is most often confused with ringworm. It also may look like insect bites. One insect bit in particular may resemble granuloma annulare. This is the initial lesion of Lyme disease, which is called erythema migrans.
For this reason, it is important for your dermatologist to inspect these lesions to make the correct diagnosis.
My rash lasted 5/6 months
Posted by aiden424 (Member # 7633) on :
I've had the rash since I got sick almost 23 years a go. It moves around but never leaves. My granuloma annular is not flaky and does not itch. It is patches of raised reddish,purple skin. At times the whole top of my feet are covered. Sometimes it forms a ring.
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
I have that too and mine move! Its on my right arm. Sometimes it disappears for months then comes back and makes all kinds of weird patterns. Dermatologist said granuloma annularae for this too. It's probably some tick thing!
Posted by micul (Member # 6314) on :
It's from Bartonella. Mine went away with proper treatment.
Posted by aiden424 (Member # 7633) on :
That's what I was thinking too. I tested positive this last spring for Bartonella. All the antibiotics I've taken for lyme haven't cleared it up.
Posted by bullrun (Member # 16748) on :
i had a biopsy and had it too... LLMD thinks is lyme related.
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
I forgot to memtion...My rash comes back on my legs and elbows if I touch anything (Leather) -
I know!!!it sounds crazy but this has been happening from the beginning of my symptoms.
I have to always make sure I have long sleeves and pants on - this is NUTSSSS
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Hi,
Thank you so much to each of you...steve1906, aiden424, lou (thanks for posting that study info!), paulieinct, wildcondor, micul (I'll ask my LLMD tomorrow about the Bart, thanks!), and bullrun!!!
I really appreciate everyone's responses. Every little bit of input helps.
I think my daughter has had lyme (and possible coinfections) for at least 14 years. She has always had alot of illnesses for a young person.
I got a fibromyalgia diagnosis 21 years ago which I now know is lyme, so she may have had it longer than 14 years.
Over time her symptoms have expanded and worsened. Sooooo sad that not a single Doc has suggested lyme disease....it was up to me to figure it out.
Thanks again to everyone...you're all great!
Posted by klutzo (Member # 5701) on :
I don't know if you still want any more input, but here's my story....
I am allergic to all the ABX that kill Lyme, so I used herbs. Once I got my Samento dosage high enough to cause major herxing, 3 granuloma annulares in a row appeared, one right after the other.
They appeared in the same spot on the back of my upper thigh, right where they would be if I sat on a log wearing shorts and got bit by a tick..... I used to be total nature girl before this illness.
Each ring rash lasted about a month, started as a solid red raised area about the size of a nickel, then expanded into a lumpy, oval shaped, red ring, with a cleared out center, about 5 times the original size. Pieces of the ring faded away until it was gone, then another new one took it's place.
There was no pain or itching. There was no central bulls-eye like spot, like in most Lyme pics I've seen, and the edges were much more raised and bumpy.
However, my PCP, who is totally Lyme illiterate, said "It's a granuloma annulare, and it looks like it's from an insect bite, maybe from a tick".
I had never seen any rash when I originally got sick, and had never even heard of Lyme back then, but now I know why I did not see it.
I would never have looked on the back top of my thigh if I had not been inspecting an ongoing GYN problem to see how it was doing. I found the rash by accident.
I've not been tested for Bart, but have had the highest possible dose of Cipro for two weeks for a sinus infection with no herxing, so maybe it is not always caused by Bart.
klutzo
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Hi Klutzo,
Thanks very much for adding your story! I think it is very helpful to hear everyone's stories.
It just goes to show how we are all the same, but all different too.