posted
My son has a rash on his body - he was given a throat culture and it came back positive for the Echo Virus.
Now I'm wondering if it could be RMSF instead!?!?
Am I just being paranoid?
A quick google search said that this RMSF appears 1-14 days after the tick bite - is this accurate?
My son was bitten 3 months ago.
Thanks in advance!!!
Posts: 65 | From Beacon Falls, CT | Registered: May 2007
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CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
The ECHO virus can do SO much to the body- I would be content with that, frankly.
No, I wouldn't worry re RMSF.
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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My pedi said that it just has to run it's course and will be cleared up within a week!!!
Posts: 65 | From Beacon Falls, CT | Registered: May 2007
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Please check the following link for echo virus.
A rash is associated with this virus and there is a picture of it there.
Hang in there. You seem to be a very concerned parent.
I would still follow up with a LLMD for Lyme though.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Darn....the link didn't work.
Sorry about that.
Google echo virus. There is tons of info on it out there.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
Hi Jaimee,
1. My 2 year old was bitten by a tick last summer (2006). I did not see a rash, but she began to act differently...in subtle ways.
She frequently felt warmer than usual, was more clingy and more whiny. This happened within a couple of weeks of the bite.
Within a few months she began to complain of pain in her knees and legs, then by Christmas complained of pain in her neck and shoulders.
Her physician gave her a couple weeks of Amoxicillin, but it didn't seem to change anything. Her symtoms seemed to resolve on their own. Every now & then she'd have some symptom that could have been due to Lyme. I made an appointment with a LLMD around Christmas.
I about went crazy. Every medical professional I took her to wanted to trivialize her symptoms since "We don't have Lyme in _____." Insert the name of your state.
2. I was bitten by a tick a week or two before she was...I developed a rash that expanded from a 3 inch circle to a 7 by 4 inch oval.
I took photos of this rash & was in a LLMD's office within a two weeks. I was diagnosed clinically with Lyme disease...based on my clinical signs. I lost my gag reflex & can rub the back of my throat. I have always had a very strong gag reflex. I developed restless legs, occasional stiff neck, and very strong pain in my hips...which made me shuffle like an old woman until the soreness works out.
I knew we had infected ticks on our property. I knew my daughter may have contracted this disease. I saw a change in her behavior and the development of the low grade fevers. She had a dry cough and had very smelly breath, like something had died in her mouth. Her brother had this too, so I tried to ignore this symptom. She'd start crying for no reason and grab her legs because the pain was so severe.
This was not normal for her. Neither was the bone & joint pain she developed.
She was diagnosed clinically in March...9 months after getting bit by that tick.
She's handling her antibiotics very well. She takes her probiotic willingly too.
I have six children. Five have been diagnosed with Lyme. They all had different symptoms, although there are some similarities. My husband and I have Lyme too.
3. In the past 18 months my 5 year old son had an imbedded tick. The body came off while removing the tick and we could not get the head out. That increases the chance of infection. He was also diagnosed with Lyme in March...again, based on clinical symptoms.
He complained of headaches every few weeks and it progressed to complaints of bone & joint pain. Sometimes he'd start crying for no reason and grab his legs.
My other children had various clinical symptoms. No two are alike.
3. One child developed a rash all over her body...a very fine speckled rash, followed by bone & joint pain within a month, and some cognitive problems. She also would start crying for no reason and hold her legs because the pain was so severe. Other times the pain was less severe and she'd merely stop playing until the pain subsided. She was diagnosed in October...only a month after her rash. We don't remember a specific tick bite or a rash, but her other symptoms coupled with our family history were significant.
5. Another child got a high fever, a bump that looked like a mosquito bite popped up the next morning. He had some vomiting...appeared it was a 48 hour virus, but within a month developed significant bone & joint problems. He progressed to circulatory problems and episodes of a pounding heart. It'd not a panic attack, but a response to light exercise. I think this is Lyme carditis.
6. Another child had a rash & early joint symptoms, but didn't tell me. She didn't realize the symptoms were important. She dismissed the symptoms and attributed them to other causes. The first symptoms I saw were a sudden onset of a seizure-like disorder...she had some weird whole body spasm when she got up and began walking. This would happen up to 5 or six times a day. She looked like a person mocking someone with cerebral palsy. She developed cognitive symptoms, gut shutdown leading to 6 weeks of constipation & outpatient hospitalization, fibromyalgia, and severe, unrelenting pain that no medication can touch. She missed this entire year of school due to undiagnosed/ wrongly diagnosed symptoms due to Lyme disease.
7. My "healthy" child has chronic intermittant sinusitis...it may be related to Lyme or to coinfection, but his immune system seems to be handling it pretty well. He had intermittant bouts of the "flu", but no one in the house ever contracts his illness. So, I realize it's not true flu. It may be Lyme. He also has a mild form of the movement disorder, which may be a hereditary problem.
8. My husband had muscle & joint problems, ringing ears, back pain, odd mole-like bumps that appear to have a pimple-like center,
I wrote this to show some of the different symptoms and possible complications of untreated or undertreated disease. No wonder it's hard to diagnose.
Do your research. There are many opposing opinions about this disease. There are also many facts that you need to support your position if you decide to pursue testing or seek additional treatment.
You're the mother; trust your instincts. Your child's health depends on your advocacy.
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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You're taking your child to Dr. J, who is the godfather of all TBD's for kids, so let him make the ultimate decision on whether you should be worrying about RMSF or not. It would be irresponsible not to ask about the possibility of RMSF to Dr J considering that one tick bite can carry 5+ co-infections! Lyme and the diseases that it likes to pal around with steal a significant amount of time from the person's life that it inhabits if it is not caught immediately and that is a devastating reality to children who are infected. Believe me, I know. (I am 17 years old and have been sick since I was 13. I saw Dr. J. Unfortunately, he couldn't cure me but told me that I was the most difficult case that he had ever seen. I have Lyme, two strains of Babesia, Bartonella,and Erhlichia. My Lyme, Babesia Microti, and Bartonella were discovered after 9 months of being sick, but I have only just found out a few months ago that all this time I have also had Babesia Ducani, and Erhlichia. They were just hiding.)
Good Luck to you
Posts: 227 | From CA | Registered: Apr 2004
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
K-Lyme.. is that really you?
If so.. nice to see your smiling face!!!
`````````````````````````````````````````````
J...
You said.. "My son has an appt with Dr. J in 2 weeks. I feel very good about this appointment."
You will have the best of the best at your service when you go there. NONE better. Your son will like him.... and so will you!
If you will... please do me a favor?
When you see Dr. J.. PLEASE tell him Tincup said she loves him!
And when you do... be sure to watch for his sweet smile. He likes to hear some good things mixed in amongst all the bad things he must deal with every day.
posted
TINNY!! Why thank you for noticing that I'm back! (Took a little hiatus). You have no idea just how much you have made my day after I read your post! It is always good to see your smiling face on Lymenet as well. You have a very optimistic and fun demeanor in your posts that just makes them a pleasure to read.
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