I found a round, red mark behind/under one ear. it isn't itchy, just really dry.

I have been on some strong anti-fungal meds for 4 months - diflucan. this is b/c of the abx of course.

could this possibly be ringworm, even with those meds?

I have two cats who do not at all appear to have ringworm. very healthy. my cats never go outdoors, although one month ago one went to the vets for a teeth cleaning. they sleep in bed with me and sometimes walk on my pillow - they're cats, you can't prevent them from doing anything. I do wash my sheets regularly though.

it's perfectly oval - and the oval part itself is raised - I can even trace it with my finger without even looking at it.

my hairdresser said it looked like a curling iron burn, but it wasn't very noticeable - she saw it first - I think around 2 wks ago.

has anyone dealt with this before? It may well be really dry skin but the oval shape is throwing me.

Sounds like a Lyme rash to me. With a possible coinfection involved perhaps.. maybe Bartonella (cat scratch fever).

Just a guess.

Have your cats been tested/treated for Bartonella?

If they go outdoors.. and then sleep with you... YOU are exposed to all sorts of things.. and it is as if you were wandering around outdoors where you normally wouldn't go due to the ticks... and not having done it at all.

Many folks here were told they had ringworm.. when it was actually the Lyme rash and coinfections.. including me.

NOT good.

I would suggest getting pictures ASAP and getting to a doctor even faster.

You may have to clean up the house to be sure more ticks aren't hanging around. One adult female can hatch out 2,000 babies which can barely be seen with the naked eye... and which can live without a blood meal for months at a time.

Sorry to give you that news. Please get proper help to determine if it is a Lyme rash... and get treated ASAP.

------------------
If you get the choice to sit it out or dance...

the cats are NEVER allowed outside - never. they even know that if I am getting the newspaper and left the door open behind me not to come near the door.

(Any of you more seasoned lymies jump in to to help if I am wrong.) The rash can have many differing appearances on different people. (It's not a yeast thing.)

The rash involves a circular pattern that can sometimes look like that of ringworm.

I thought perhaps you were already infected with lyme disease and knew about the EM rash. I didn't know about them all that long ago either. You can look at some rashes online:
http://www.lyme.org/gallery/rashes.html
http://healthlinks.washington.edu/nwcphp/lyme/figure7.html
http://images.google.com/images?q=erythema+migrans&btnG=Google+Search

Sorry that I jumped to that conclusion.

I always learn from someone elses questions, too. Thanks for your entry, because of it I now know to suspect cat scratch fever in my daughter as a co-infection.

You wanna know something real funny (ironically speaking). This will make you feel better, Flygirl.

When talking to docs all this time, I didn't know that cat scratch fever was really a disease and I would refer to that (cat scratch feva, you now the old rock tune) as the angry reaction my daughter's lyme brought on.

Ei: Jokingly telling the ducks, "It was cat scratch fever getting her outta the car today." Get it?

These really trying moments push us into laugh or cry without ceasing mode, don't ya think?

Flygirl, in short, I agree with Tincup, please have yourself tested by a lyme literate doctor for lyme disease and its lovely companions known as coinfections.

It's good to hear that your cats stay indoors. Maybe there is little chance that it is lyme/coinfections at all!

I actually hsve babs, and have been on tons of abx and all for it. they didn't positively find Lyme yet but my doc is sure I have it so we are treating for that too - 6 months now! sigh.

I hope this is "only" a rash. ringworm sounds so icky!

usually with ringworm you wont get just one circle , but many spots in the same area
it will go away with topical antifungals iif it is ringworm and will fade in a matter of a few days though continue using antifungal cream several days after the ring disappears. If topical antifungals such as lotrimin dont make the rash fade then it isnt ringworm

Oh and if you do gardening ,the ringworm can hide and live in soil where animals who have it have been , particularly if they have defecated in the area.

Cat "scratch" Fever?

doc saw me, pronounced it contact dermatitis, or maybe eczema. I'll live. hydrocortisone cream.

sigh. I am a freak.

"Cat scratch feva, nuh, nuh, nuh"

Remember, it is a rock tune. Oh, it's not just a song?