posted
Hi,I am new here and glad I found this board.I will try to be brief.Earlier this summer,my husband had a deer tick on him.Took it to Public Health who confirmed it was a deer tick, they sent him to walk in clinic for prophylactic antibiotics.Clinic was reluctant to prescribe,said he was over reacting...finally they did an internet search and said yes,that was the protocol.A few weeks ago,I found what I thought was a tiny mole on my thigh..but two days later it was gone,so I knew it was not a mole.It came off in my bed,I did do a complete bed change.I thought it might have been a tick,but my husband had just had surgery and I put it out of my mind.About a week ago ,I had a small red spot on my forearm,right below my elbow.Saturday I noticed it was bigger,Sunday morning it was obviously a bull's eye.Called my doctor Monday who could not get me in, sent me to walk in clinic.I was seen by a nurse practitioner,who glanced at it,said it was poison ivy,that a tick bite rash is never raised,always flat to the skin.(I wish now I had asked her how many actual tick bites she had seen)I told her I had had no exposure to poison ivy.She then said"it is shingles"I have had shingles,this is not shingles...She did not offer to do a blood test,she gave me a script for cortisone cream and told me to tell my doctor..who I see tomorrow.I do not have a fever,but I have been very fatigued the last few days,have a head ache and random body pain.I do not feel like I have the flu,more like you feel a couple of days before you get the flu.I am a breast cancer survivor and I do not want to take a chance of having Lyme disease after beating cancer.The doctor I see tomorrow will be more open to putting my mind at ease.Please tell me what I should ask him.Thanking you in advance.
Posts: 3 | From Central New York | Registered: Oct 2011
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posted
You need to search for a LLMD in the seeking a doctor thread. Most regular doctors don't know what they need to about Lyme disease. Since you caught this early you need to get the proper treatment right away to prevent it from becoming worse...good luck.
Posts: 222 | From NH | Registered: Mar 2011
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Hi,I am new here and glad I found this board.I will try to be brief.Earlier this summer,my husband had a deer tick on him.
Took it to Public Health who confirmed it was a deer tick, they sent him to walk in clinic for prophylactic antibiotics.Clinic was reluctant to prescribe,said he was over reacting...finally they did an internet search and said yes,that was the protocol.
A few weeks ago,I found what I thought was a tiny mole on my thigh..but two days later it was gone,so I knew it was not a mole.
It came off in my bed,I did do a complete bed change.I thought it might have been a tick,but my husband had just had surgery and I put it out of my mind.
About a week ago ,I had a small red spot on my forearm,right below my elbow.Saturday I noticed it was bigger,Sunday morning it was obviously a bull's eye.Called my doctor Monday who could not get me in, sent me to walk in clinic.
I was seen by a nurse practitioner,who glanced at it,said it was poison ivy,that a tick bite rash is never raised,always flat to the skin.(I wish now I had asked her how many actual tick bites she had seen)I told her I had had no exposure to poison ivy.
She then said"it is shingles"I have had shingles,this is not shingles...She did not offer to do a blood test,she gave me a script for cortisone cream and told me to tell my doctor..who I see tomorrow.
I do not have a fever,but I have been very fatigued the last few days,have a head ache and random body pain.I do not feel like I have the flu,more like you feel a couple of days before you get the flu.
I am a breast cancer survivor and I do not want to take a chance of having Lyme disease after beating cancer.The doctor I see tomorrow will be more open to putting my mind at ease.
Please tell me what I should ask him.Thanking you in advance.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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sutherngrl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16270
posted
Did you take a picture of the rash? A bullseye is all you need for a positive for Lyme Disease. Other than the rash, Lyme Disease is a clinical diagnosis, based on your symptoms and your history. A lyme test is used to back up the clinical diagnosis.
You need to find a lyme literate medical doctor(LLMD), ASAP. And while you are waiting for that appt, you need to see if you can get a doctor to prescribe you some antibiotics.
A regular doctor will not know how to read a lyme test or how to diagnose lyme disease clinically, or how to properly treat it. That is why a LLMD is so important.
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
Thanks for responding.The doctor I saw today said my rash was not a typical bulls eye rash.He thinks it is a recurrence of my shingles.It has lost the bulls eye appearance and now does look like shingles,even to me.He did a blood test for Lyme and said if it is negative, we will do another in a month or so.I have to have blood work on a regular basis,so he will monitor the Lyme now too.He is reluctant to prescribe the antibiotics for a few reasons..one is I do not tolerate them well,another is because my immune system was compromised by the chemo and I was just on antibiotics for another reason a few months ago.He does not want my body building a resistance to the common antibiotics,as when I had to be on the heavy duty antibiotics,they really made me sick.I understand his points,he weighed the pros and cons of the antibiotic,he did not just dismiss my concerns.I do trust him, as he knows my history.I know he will keep a close eye on this and will refer me to another doctor if need be.Guess for now it will be wait and see.
Posts: 3 | From Central New York | Registered: Oct 2011
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