posted
I was bitten by 2 deer ticks and one ended up in a small about half an inch bullet rash. It took eight days for it to appear.
I went to the doctor who put me on 100 mg of doxycycline for 7 days. He did blood work for lyme and it came back the next day as negative, but what I've read is that it takes like 6 weeks for it to show up.
I have also read that a "bullet" rash is always lyme. My doc thinks since the blood came back negative I dont have it but everything I read is against that.what do I do????
Breaking up the text for easier reading for many here -
[ 05-28-2014, 08:12 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posts: 10 | From ga | Registered: May 2014
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GretaM
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 40917
posted
Hi.
Welcome.
Your bullseye rash is indicative of infection with the lyme bacteria.
Sadly, your doctor is not up to date on lyme disease and effective treatments.
Also, lyme is now diagnosed clinically, NOT by sero status. (blood test results).
The best thing you can do for yourself and your future is to find a Lyme Literate physician in your area.
If you leave it, you will become chronic, like most of us on this board.
If you find an LLMD or LLND and begin treating as soon as possible, you will prevent it from going chronic and being a lifelong struggle.
I had the bullseye rash in 2001.
Was misdiagnosed. Spent the next 11 years on a downward spiral.
Finally got diagnosed with lyme and have been treating for a year.
I hate to dwell on anything in the past, but if I could change anyone thing in my life, I would have got a second opinion about the rash. And then would have sought adequate treatment.
An LLMD or LLND is your shortcut. Take it Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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Knowing what i know now, I if just got bit and/or got a rash, i would take 600mg of doxy for at least 30 days maybe even 60. 100mg is not going to do anything and especially for only 7 days.
If i were you i would go online and buy the doxy myself from a online pharmacy, and in the meantime i would ask for your current prescription to be re-filled, as it will take a few weeks to get your online order.
I usually use this site, but there are many other ones as well.
Unfortunately, most "dr" have no idea what they are talking about on a lot of issues, especially when it comes to Lyme.
Like what was posted above, you are very very early in all of this and can potentially stop it from going chronic. When it goes chronic then all hell breaks loose.
Regardless of getting on that much doxy or not, i would still seek out a LLMD and also get an IGENEX test done. The test that you had done doesn't mean anything one way or the other.
You do not want to trust your "dr" on this one, trust me.
Posts: 83 | From East coast | Registered: Jan 2014
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posted
I have read alot of places that 100 mg for 14 days will take care of it this early is that true?
Posts: 10 | From ga | Registered: May 2014
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posted
Sorry not to much better I wrote it wrong it is 100 mg pills twice daily so I'm taking 200 a day. A again sorry I read 200 mg a day for 14 days could take care of it. I am looking for some here in ga that'd test ticks because I have the two the bit me
Posts: 10 | From ga | Registered: May 2014
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posted
Everybody seems to have difference in how much of doxy to take and how long. I just don't want this crap to advance, like I said looking for a company to test the tick
Posts: 10 | From ga | Registered: May 2014
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Then error on the safe side and take it longer???????????
Obviously do what you feel is right, but personally having chronic lyme due to retarded Drs i would NEVER chance going through what i have gone through "hoping" that i took enough. You really have no idea how bad this can get.
To be perfectly honest if i was you i would take 600mg doxy and 6,000mg Amoxy for 60 days.
Do what you want and feel is right though.
I will regress, as it feels like i am giving medical advice. Again, i am not a Dr, and who the hell knows maybe if you took that much it might hurt you....... i have no idea.
Thats just what i would do if it were me.
Again it is very early, so you will probably be fine i would just error on the side of " i am sure i took enough", instead of on the side " i hope i took enough".
Posts: 83 | From East coast | Registered: Jan 2014
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Judie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 38323
posted
The fact that the doctor didn't wait 6-8 weeks to test you for Lyme proves that he doesn't know about it. No one tests positive right after a tick bite.
Your doctor is misinformed. If you want guidelines, here it is. This is from a Lyme specialist:
"I read 200 mg a day for 14 days could take care of it." Nope, that's outdated info.
Igenex can test ticks. However, I've read that even if the tick tests negative, you could still be infected with co-infections or bit by a tick you didn't find and have gotten infected.
Posts: 2839 | From California | Registered: Jul 2012
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posted
Thank you but what I have found out there is no llmd in my state so I would have no Idea how to get more medicine
Posts: 10 | From ga | Registered: May 2014
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Here are some quotes for you from the Burrascano Lyme Treatment Guidelines. This doctor was THE lyme disease pioneer and #1 lyme doctor in the world until he retired. They came from every country to see him.
"Erythema migrans (EM) [meaning red rash] is diagnostic of Bb infection, but is present in fewer than half. Even if present, it may go unnoticed by the patient. It is an erythematous, centrifugally expanding lesion that is raised and may be warm.. . .
After a tick bite, serologic tests (ELISA. IFA, western blots, etc.) are not expected to become positive until several weeks have passed. Therefore, if EM is present, treatment must begin immediately, and one should not wait for results of Borrelia tests. You should not miss the chance to treat early disease, for this is when the success rate is the highest. Indeed, many knowledgeable clinicians will not even order a Borrelia test in this circumstance." (page 7)
"GENERAL INFORMATION
After a tick bite, Bb undergoes rapid hematogenous dissemination, and for example, can be found within the central nervous system as soon as twelve hours after entering the bloodstream. This is why even early infections require full dose antibiotic therapy with an agent able to penetrate all tissues in concentrations known to be bactericidal to the organism." (page 12)
"*Doxycycline- Adults: 200 mg bid [twice per day] with food; doses of up to 600 mg daily are often needed, as doxycycline is only effective at high blood levels" (page 18)
"TICK BITES - Embedded Deer Tick With No Signs or Symptoms of Lyme (see appendix): Decide to treat based on the type of tick, whether it came from an endemic area, how it was removed, and length of attachment (anecdotally, as little as four hours of attachment can transmit pathogens). The risk of transmission is greater if the tick is engorged, or of it was removed improperly allowing the tick's contents to spill into the bite wound. High-risk bites are treated as follows (remember the possibility of co-infection!):
1) Adults: Oral therapy for 28 days.
2) Pregnancy: Amoxicillin 1000 mg q6h for 6 weeks. Test for Babesia, Bartonella and Ehrlichia. Alternative: Cefuroxime axetil 1000 mg q12h for 6 weeks. 3) Young Children: Oral therapy for 28 days.
EARLY LOCALIZED - Single erythema migrans with no constitutional symptoms: 1) Adults: oral therapy- must continue until symptom and sign free for at least one month, with a 6 week minimum." (page 19)
[YOU are in the EARLY LOCALIZED category since you have a single bulls eye (red) rash]
Putting all of these quotes together, you get the doxy dosage and the length of time you are to treat a bite.
Go to various walk-in clinics and show them your bite. Each will likely give you 2 weeks of doxy at low dose. Take double doses and you will have the correct dosage to kill the lyme.
Also, you can come to the Washington, D.C. area and be seen by a lyme doctor within a week if you want to. I can give you the name.
This is a rare opportunity since most lyme doctors have 2-3 month waits.
You likely will need one month to 6 weeks of meds to stop this disease. Don't want to scare you, but if you can do it, do it. Lyme is a horrendous disease if not caught early.
Make one trip up here and then complete treatment by phone. People with lyme do it all the time. MANY parts of the country have no lyme doctors.
You can also see "Support Groups" on the left side of the page. Contact all in your state and nearby states. Ask if they know any "lyme friendly" doctors who will give the correct dosage for 6 weeks to a patient with a lyme rash.
If you can get in within a few days to such a doctor, that may be all you need.
Lyme friendly doctors are regular doctors (they do not have a 100% lyme practice--they see all types of patients) who know something about lyme disease and will treat a person for months for lyme if necessary.
They don't know as much as a lyme specialist (one who treats only lyme disease), so they may not treat you enough to cure you.
If you come to D.C., you will definitely get correct treatment. But, it will cost you. Lyme doctors don't take insurance.
If you want the name, cost, etc., send me a private message. Just click on the envelope icon above my post.
I will be happy to give you the information. Start correct treatment within a week and you should do fine.
I got rid of lyme 9 years ago. 6 years ago I got a new bite and rash. I went to my lyme specialist within a week of the bite. He put me on 3 antibiotics at once, at high dosages. He covered every possible disease the tick could have given me.
After 30 days, I was finished with treatment. I never got sick, just the rash. So, this gives you an idea of how seriously a lyme specialist will take this--just like Dr. Burrascano says they should.
Too bad the doctors in our country have been miseducated about lyme disease by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). This is the organization who is making it so hard for you to get correct lyme treatment.
You can try going to an infectious diseases specialist also, but usually that turns out to be a fiasco. Call your state lyme support groups and see if they know of any who will treat a bite correctly. The ID docs nearly always follow the IDSA lyme treatment guidelines, just like your doctor is doing. But, a support group may know someone who will help you correctly.
So, these are all of the things you can do. Do them immediately.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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