I'm real sorry to hear that your boyfriend has lyme and this terrrible rash. LymeNet is THE place for people who have lyme to get friendly support and answers from knowledgable & caring people.

I don't know how much help I can be, but my mother used to get something like that on her hands when I was a girl. I think it was called egzema??

She had to keep her hands real dry. Even doing the dishes would mess them up. Had to wear rubber gloves to clean and stuff. When it got bad, the skin on her fingers would actually crack open. It was very ichy at first and then painful as you mentioned.

If I'm not mistaken it was caused by her nerves... like chicken pocks... She's prone to get shingles too, when she's under a lot of stress.

Lyme does work on the nerve endings, so maybe it is related. Like I said, I'm grasping at straws here because I've never heard of such. Besides that, I'm not the most knowledgable person here either.

Hopefully someone else with better info will come along. I know I'd head for a dermotologist if it were me.

Hope he figures out whats going on so he can relief soon.

Sincerely,

Maybe Lyme but I'm actually thinking it may be Candida (yeast) or fungal. Take a look at pictures 2 and 8 at the very bottom of the page on this site:
www.emedicine.com/med/topic264.htm

I don't remember having any white spots on any of my rashes related to my tick bite but that's just me. Others may have had this happen but I think most of the rashes with white spots in them are more in the line of fungal infections. Spots that are red are more likely to be tick related unless there is a central area that looks to be oozing and infected.

Oh, the other thing to consider is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. It primarily causes a rash on the palms and soles. This can quickly be fatal if not treated early.
www.emedicine.com/oph/topic503.htm

A picture is at:
www.activedayton.com/health/healthfd/shared/health/adam/ency/imagepage/1014.000654.html

Take a good look at him all over and see if there are any other rashes. Usually, taking a hot shower first will make the rashes a bit redder so they show up better and are easier to find.

Whatever he has, Lyme, RMSF or Candida he needs medical treatment.

Angie

PS Here are some Lyme rashes. Remember, not all Lyme rashes look like these - they can be very individual but it may give you a better idea of what you are looking at right now.
www.emedicine.com/asp/image_search.asp?query=lyme

Maybe fungal....maybe an allergy.

I get these welts on my hands which are an allergic reaction to artificial sweetners and also to sulpha medication.

There are certain disease that cause rashes on the palms of the hand. For instance, syphilis can cause a rash on the palms of the hands and bottoms of the feet.

I am not implying he has syphilis it is the only one I can think of right now. I know there are others.

Maybe go to the general board at webmd and ask what can cause rashes on the palm.

It seems to me that, when a person previously treated for Lyme Disease develops unexplained symptoms, Lyme should be strongly suspected. That doesn't bring you and your boyfriend any closer to a solution to the immediate problem

Given the array of processes that can cause rashes he probably should try to get this looked into. I doubt there is a solution to this that doesn't involve a doctor.

The possibility or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is pretty alarming and should get him into see someone.

Magnesium deficiency and rashes

Atopic Dermatitis-like Symptoms in Hypomagnesaemic Hairless Rats Are Prevented And Inhibited by Systemic or Topical SDZ ASM 981
Neckermann G, Bavandi A, Meingassner JG
Br J Dermatol. 2000;142:669-679
Magnesium deficiency in hairless rats results in a transient erythematous rash within several days, the pathogenetic mechanisms of which are not yet well defined. However, the extremely pruritic rash closely mimics the acute clinical features of atopic dermatitis.

Owing to the similarity of clinical signs between hypomagnesaemic rats and patients with atopic dermatitis, this rodent skin condition holds promise as a model for the in vivo evaluation of new treatment modalities against pruritic inflammatory skin conditions. The efficacy of the new ascomycin macrolactam derivative SDZ ASM 981 was tested in hypomagnesaemic rats by systemic or topical administration using prophylactic or therapeutic treatment regimens. Oral treatment of diseased rats with SDZ ASM 981 (12.5 mg kg-1 daily) inhibited the erythematous pruritic rash within 1 day after the start of treatment. This was associated with a clear reduction in histaminaemia, leucocytosis, eosinophilia and serum nitric oxide levels. The same daily oral dose of SDZ ASM 981 administered before the onset of the rash proved to be an efficacious prophylactic treatment regimen to prevent signs. Topical treatment of the ears with 0.4% SDZ ASM 981 locally inhibited and prevented inflammatory changes in a therapeutic and prophylactic treatment regimen, respectively. The histo- and immunopathological skin changes, as well as the numbers of degranulated mast cells in the dermis, were reversed towards normal after oral and topical administration. The pharmacological activity of SDZ ASM 981 reported here corresponds well to its anti-inflammatory and antipruritic activity observed in atopic dermatitis patients, confirming the usefulness of this rat model in drug evaluations.

My first thought was - did he get adequate treatment 4 yrs ago when diagnosed with Lyme?
Does he have any record of what he took, how much, and how long?
This would give a pretty good indication of whether the Lyme is still present and could be causing the rash.

Another possibility is Bartonella.
In Dr. Burrascano's "Diag Hints & Treatment Guidelines..." he lists symptoms including
"papular or angiomatous rash."
I had a recurring rash that looked kinda like poison ivy, itched, would disappear and crop up somewhere else a month later.
I was treated for Bartonella and the rash has not come back since then.

but the other posters suggestions of rashes may also be it as well, fungal,RMSF, Bartonella, or a Lyme rash in general or ACA rash.. By the way I do have Bartonella, Lyme and babesiosis.. The other suggested causes are all very possible I just added my two cents in to let you be aware ACA was also in the running here.. I will send that link to you now.

I got to tell you it was the greatest feeling in the world to get rid of a rash I had lived with for 15 years and not one cream the ducks gave me ever helped.

Sandi