posted
Hi all, my 14 month old gets big, long lasting welts from mosquito bites. One got so swollen by her eye a week ago she needed a steroid.
Last night she got a mosquito bite (I killed it when I noticed it) above her eyebrow. This morning it started getting bigger. After daycare and bath time, I noticed the bite now looks like a bulls eye rash (2 actually, next to each other). Other bites havent done this (if I can figure out how to attach a pic you can see healing mosquito bites on face).
I am now freaking out about it being Lyme. I want to call the Dr. tomorrow and ask for a prophylactic abx but I know he will laugh at me, not to my face, but certainly won't do what I want. Also, she is too young for doxy because it stains teeth, how silly.
Any thoughts on what I can do? Or advice about anything?
Hi everyone, I have a short update. The outer red circles are now gone and all that remains is the inner red original mosquito bite. Would a Lyme EM go away that quickly and not spread out?
Someone mentioned stopping the steroid, it was just a one time thing at the urgent care to reduce swelling by the eye. It was 9 days ago that she got that so may still be lingering a little bit. Dr. said it would last 6 days.
The file that someone linked to says to give amox. She is allergic to it . I called the LLMD near me and am waiting for a call back with advise. The receptionist hasn't heard of Lyme being transmitted by mosquitoes.
Also, it seems she (and my husband and other kid) all have hand, foot, and mouth disease right now. So she has some small sores around her mouth from that. Poor baby.
UPDATE Aug 30
Thanks everyone for the info. We saw an LLMD today.
She wasn't concerned about the mosquito bite that I asked about. She WAS concerned about a bite from a month ago that I thought was spider.
I'm not convinced the other bite was a tick.
I don't know why so many are harping on the steroid. It was a one pill one time thing for an unrelated mosquito bite.
Here is the bite from July 28 that the LLMD is concerned about.
She prescribed 28 days amox. Im very concerned about long term effects of antibiotics in a 14month old. My family has a history of digestive autoimmune problems. Antibiotics killing gut flora worries me.
I don't remember the baby having any flu-like symptoms.
posted
Besides going to the doctor for the bulls eye rash, the homeopathic remedy Staphysagria 6c (you can buy at any health food store in the homeopathic section for about $8) is a specific for just that type of over-reaction (where your doc prescribed steroid cream) to a bite/sting.
http://www.sssstingstop.com/ Ssssting Stop is another option for right after bite/sting, then it does not go into the welt/lumps.
Posts: 764 | From Northwest | Registered: Sep 2014
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Eek!
A double bull-eyes rash in Wisconsin. Not good! We know people are getting Lyme disease from mosquitoes and there is science documenting mosquitoes carry Lyme so it would be of concern to me as a mother.
Glad you came looking for answers.
If you go to www.TreatTheBite.com there is a one-page CHILDREN's treatment document (from medical guidelines) you can print out on what to do if your child has a tick bite, or in your case, a bulls-eye rash.
It is recommended treatment be started ASAP.
As for Doxy, most doctors will not prescribe Doxy for children that young, although many have started prescribing for children a bit older than your little one when they wouldn't in years past.
You will see alternatives to Doxy on the Treat The Bite site. They are on the one page handout.
If your doctor won't do what you want, and be sure you emphasis you have a document stating such, dump the dude and find someone else.
Also, don't ask for the standard preventative treatment, which is usually only one dose of an antibiotic. Get the full treatment recommended in the guidelines. A bulls-eye rash IS Lyme disease, so you need a more curative dose.
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Here is the most recent study (2016) indicating multiple strains (3) of Lyme can be found in mosquitoes (4 kinds). This study is from Germany, but there are over 40 other studies stating the same situation is happening from other areas.
It states...
"Targeting two specific borrelial genes, flaB and ospA encoding for the subunit B of flagellin and the outer surface protein A, the results show that DNA of Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia bavariensis and Borrelia garinii could be detected in ten Culicidae species comprising four distinct genera (Aedes, Culiseta, Culex, and Ochlerotatus)."
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
One more thing.. less than 10% of children get any rash at all when they have Lyme disease, so this could be considered to be "lucky" in some ways?
And what a cute little darling you have! Here are some rash pictures if you are interested.
Brussels
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13480
posted
OMG, poor kid, so many bites...
And it does look like a very classic EM rash.
Get off steroids, it's not good (specially if it's lyme)
I love the idea of the cream Look up suggested!
It has killing and soothing properties too.
I would put the child into Buhner and other alternative remedies (not on antibiotics), but that's me (I had a baby with lyme, and I speak from experience).
I did try antibiotics with her, to no avail...
Your child reacts with allergy to bites, no doubt.
Destroying the baby's flora with antibiotics may have long lasting consequences for such children, who probably have already gut problems (due to allergies, that is why).
Some people (such as myself in the past) think it may be worth to try antibiotics against acute lyme from a fresh bite (because it can turn into a horrible disease if not caught early), even for such young children.
Now that I have long experience with this disease, I would never do that, if I could rewind the time.
But in the past, that is what I did. It did not work in my daughter's case. I think she had too many coinfections, and that could have been one reason why it failed.
I think today, there are better alternatives than amoxy-only, like in the past, for small children.
Posts: 6200 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
Hi everyone, I have a short update. The outer red circles are now gone and all that remains is the inner red original mosquito bite. Would a Lyme EM go away that quickly and not spread out?
Someone mentioned stopping the steroid, it was just a one time thing at the urgent care to reduce swelling by the eye. It was 9 days ago that she got that so may still be lingering a little bit. Dr. said it would last 6 days.
Also, it seems she (and my husband and other kid) all have hand, foot, and mouth disease right now. So she has some small sores around her mouth from that. Poor baby.
Posts: 4 | From Wisconsin | Registered: Aug 2017
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Bartenderbonnie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 49177
posted
Hi Mom.
The fact that you found your way to lymenet tells me that your gut instinct is telling you this might be serious.
Follow your gut instinct !
You have to think what's in the best interest of your child now and in the long run. Lyme disease is very serious. Why take a chance ?
The steroid reduced the swelling and probably the rash but the steroid did not kill the bacteria.
Also, with the hand, foot, and mouth disease, it suggests you need a LLMD, sooner than later.
Print out Tincup's Childs treat the bite link. Start a new topic under Seeking a Doctor on lymenet. Someone will reply with a doctor s name to go to.
Make a decision. Make it today. You ll be doing the right thing. Sorry this happened to your child and family. Good luck to you.
Posts: 3217 | From Florida | Registered: Nov 2016
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My son contracted Lyme disease from mosquito bites years ago. Please get your daughter to a Lyme-literate doctor (LLMD) a.s.a.p.!!!
You little girl needs to be evaluated and treated by a LLMD. Non LLMDs have no clue about this horrible disease or its complex treatment!
A LLMD is one who has treated Lyme disease and the co-infections which come with it for many years and has gotten patients well. A good one will follow Dr. B's Guidelines, the "gold standard" for Lyme treatment.
Unfortunately, LLMDs are far and few between. She needs to go where they are.
Also, most LLMDs do not accept insurance due to the politics surrounding this horrible disease. Read poster TF's explanation, "Why Lyme Doctors Don't Take Insurance":
Read the books written by the top LLMD, Dr. H, titled, "Why Can't I Get Better?" and his new one, "How Can I Get Better?". They are an excellent source of information.
Also read "Cure Unknown" by Pamela Weintraub. Check the local library or buy it used on Amazon.
Btw - I know you are new to Lymenet, but please break up your posts into 2-3 sentence paragraphs, as there are people on Lymenet who cannot read large blocks of text due to neurological problems from Lyme.
To do this click the pencil/paper icon, make your changes, then click "Edit Post". Thanks.
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
You said... "Would a Lyme EM go away that quickly and not spread out?"
Yes. I just researched this topic the other day for someone else and thankfully put the info together on a website in case the question came up again.
posted
Yes Lyme rashes can come and go very quickly well known fact. Sad;ly the steroid lowers the immune system to fight the infection.
I believe this child needs to see an LLMD quickly or you may read Stephens Buhners herbal books.
Omnicef/Zithromax and Bactrim are all combos to use as far as antibiotics. When taking antibiotics the child MUST take probiotics away from the meds so the stomach flora stays. So if meds are given at breakfast and dinner then probiotics should be at lunch and bedtime.
The immune system nneds good food- Bcomplex, Zinc and Vit C and must of all try and keep the child off of sugar and yeast- it feeds the spirochete... (breaking up the paragraph for easier reading for many here)
[ 08-27-2017, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
Topic: what do STEROIDS actually do to those with lyme? Risks, long term damage discussed. Links. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Thanks everyone for the info. We saw an LLMD today.
She wasn't concerned about the mosquito bite that I asked about. She WAS concerned about a bite from a month ago that I thought was spider.
I'm not convinced the other bite was a tick. It appeared overnight and I never saw a tick.
I don't know why so many are harping on the steroid. It was a one pill one time thing for an unrelated mosquito bite.
Posts: 4 | From Wisconsin | Registered: Aug 2017
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posted
Here is the bite from July 28 that the LLMD is concerned about.
She prescribed 28 days amox. Im very concerned about long term effects of antibiotics in a 14month old. My family has a history of digestive autoimmune problems. Antibiotics killing gut flora worries me.
I don't remember the baby having any flu-like symptoms.
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. I called the LLMD near me and am waiting for a call back with advise. The receptionist hasn't heard of Lyme being transmitted by mosquitoes.
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