posted
I had a bulls eye rash appear for a few minutes today at the exact same spot where i originally had my bulls eye rash a few years ago. That one lasted a few days but this one was only a few minutes. This is the first time im being treated with doxy though and i wonder if it's a good or bad sign or means nothing? any sources or knowledge are welcome!
Posts: 8 | From United States | Registered: Oct 2014
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posted
Well this one was more of a circle without the bulls eye really but its just odd given that its the same spot! Would this possibly be a good sign that it is in fact lyme?
Posts: 8 | From United States | Registered: Oct 2014
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Yes, the fact that you got a bulls eye in the same spot when treated with doxy tells you that you are indeed infected with lyme disease.
Here is a quote from notes I took on a talk by Dr. Alan MacDonald, a lyme pathologist.
"In some patients, the erythema migrans (bulls eye) rash comes back when they have a herxheimer reaction to lyme treatment. Herxing can produce a skin reaction. You can get the bulls eye in another location plus the original location, for example. And, there are many, many different types of rashes that lyme can cause. The bulls eye is NOT the only appearance it takes."
I posted this and more info from Dr. MacDonald's videos at this link:
posted
During treatment with antibiotics I would get the BE rashes not only at the bite site, but in random places across my body
Posts: 118 | From New England | Registered: Apr 2013
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GretaM
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 40917
posted
Same here.
Mine were all over though, during heavy multiple abx therapy.
If you can take a picture of it, you should.
Also, I hope you are not just on doxy.
Are you under the care of a lyme literate doc?
Solo abx therapy, such as doxy, will cause the ketes to go into round bodied forms.
(acute then turns to chronic)
Are you having any other herheimer symptoms?
Also, if you haven't tested positive for lyme, sometimes abx can help to change a seronegative test, to someone being seropositive.
The doxy lessens the bacterial load, the immune system responds, and thereby produces antibodies for the western blot...
Just something to file away
Feel better soon, Greta
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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posted
Just on 1 month of doxy 100mg twice a day. Rheumatologist is not convinced it's lyme and thinks its fibro/cfs but I had the bulls eye!
Would the reappearing rash come for 5 min? the one i had disappeared very fast. The original lasted a few days.
Is it worth to get a lyme blood test western blot and elisa after the month? How soon after discontinuing antibiotics should I do it?
Posts: 8 | From United States | Registered: Oct 2014
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GretaM
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 40917
posted
Hi! Thanks for the other info.
First off..
Even the CDC says a bullseye rash=lyme disease
Your rheumatologist is doing you a major disservice.
200 mg doxy is JUST turning the spirochetes into round bodied. Not killing at that low a dose.
Lyme literate docs will start at 400 mg dox daily PLUS two-three other oral abx to kill the lyme round bodies and also the ketes.
Yes, it is possible that this low dose of doxy will turn your blood work seropositive.
Keep in mind, all the disease centers of the world state lyme disease diagnosis MUST BE CLINICAL.
Serotests are for reporting purposes only. Just for stats.
Because you have had the bullseye, you DO have lyme according to the disease centers.
It would be in your best interest to make an appointment with an LLMD for proper treatment.
Improper treatment will lead to neurological and autoimmune disease down the road.
A good place to start is any of Dr. Alan MacDonalds Youtube videos, Dr. Eva Sapi's research papers, or your local lyme support group.
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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posted
Thanks, my Dr doesnt believe in chronic lyme and said 1 month will destroy anything to avoid late stage lyme.
I am not sure whom or what to believe because it doesn't make sense that Lyme would be targeted and not given fair treatment if longterm antibiotic therapy worked and so many who have been on antibiotics for years dont seem to be doing well.
I wonder if chronic lyme is really chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia initiated by the lyme exposure initially.
Posts: 8 | From United States | Registered: Oct 2014
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
You really need to read the Dr. Burrascano Lyme Treatment Guidelines found here:
When he was practicing, Burrascano was the #1 lyme doctor in the world. They came from all over the planet to be treated by him.
He was also the lyme disease pioneer. He testified before the U.S. Congress in the early 1990s about what was happening in the medical profession regarding lyme disease.
Lyme disease is caught up in a major medical controversy. There are "2 camps" when it comes to lyme. Camp #1 says that lyme is rare and easily cured (like your doctor is saying).
Camp #2 says that lyme is worse than an epidemic and is very difficult to cure, requiring long-term (many months or years) treatment with antibiotics until all symptoms are gone (just like you treat TB or any other illness).
Lyme doctors, including Burrascano, are in camp #2.
Burrascano says that undertreated lyme disease (your case) will inevitably resurface. That is what has happened to you.
I had undiagnosed lyme disease for at least 10 years and went from doctor to doctor looking for a diagnosis. Finally, after 10 LONG years of searching for relief, a very smart endocrinologist thought it sounded like I had lyme disease and tested me for it. He was right.
Once I got to a Burrascano type lyme doctor, I was symptom free in 8 months and finished with treatment in 13 months. This doctor also tested me for coinfections and I had babesiosis and bartonella. So, he also treated me for both of them.
Now it is 9 1/2 years since I completed my lyme treatment and I am still symptom free, enjoying my life. I have the same life I had before lyme disease.
Burrascano says that anyone with lyme at least one year also has coinfections. You can't get rid of the lyme until you get rid of every coinfection also. Each required different meds. So, it is a complex disease to treat and a novice cannot be successful.
My Burrascano type lyme doctor told me that years ago he had fibromyalgia and treated many patients with fibro. Then, one day he decided to test his fibro patients for lyme. Sure enough, 100% of them had lyme. So, he then tested himself and he also had lyme.
Then, he learned how to treat lyme and he got rid of the fibro in his fibro patients and he got rid of his own fibro also.
If you read the Burrascano Guidelines, you will get an education on this complex disease. Then, you will be able to think about lyme with knowledge behind you. Then, you can decide what camp you believe and what you want to do about treating yourself.
In the beginning, I went to my family doctor with my positive lyme test. He gave me 30 days of doxycycline (like camp #1 advises). He didn't care that the meds helped me but all my symptoms came back after the 30 days.
He would not give me any more meds. I was puzzled and hurt. I didn't know about the controversy.
That is where the folks on this board are coming from. We have all experienced camp #1 treatment and had to figure out for ourselves that these doctors are WRONG about everything they believe about lyme disease.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
From page 3 of Burrascano Guidelines:
"GENERAL PRINCIPLES
In general, you can think of LB as having three categories: acute, early disseminated, and chronic. The sooner treatment is begun after the start of the infection, the higher the success rate. However, since it is easiest to cure early disease, this category of LB must be taken VERY seriously. Undertreated infections will inevitably resurface, usually as chronic Lyme, with its tremendous problems of morbidity and difficulty with diagnosis and treatment and high cost in every sense of the word."
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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Judie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 38323
posted
An erythema migrans (bulls-eye) rash is 100% diagnostic for Lyme.
Blood tests are faulty. Lyme is a clinical diagnosis.
Posts: 2839 | From California | Registered: Jul 2012
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