BackinStOlaf
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23725
posted
I don't know but holy crap!!!
-------------------- First Symptom 9/09 Multiple docs, negative Labcorp test LLMD: 1/10 Positive Igenex/CDC test Treatment 2/10 2/10-8/10 Amox, ceftin, zith, flagyl Currently: Bicillin, Minocycline, still dealing with severe breathing issues
Posts: 1121 | From New York, New York | Registered: Dec 2009
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-------------------- Dxd ALS 3/2010 Dxd cllinical Lyme 4/2010 Positive for Protomyxzoa but absolutely nothing else in Igenex Posts: 417 | From central ct | Registered: Apr 2010
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onbam
Unregistered
posted
I'd got to the ER ASAP--that's an unholy looking rash. That said...
If it was a tick and she now has that, it means that without a doubt she has Lyme, and everything depends on her getting proper treatment (doxy at 400 mg/day for 3 months past all symptoms resolve, possibly with an intracellular and a cyst buster).
While the jury's still out on Samento (a Swiss researcher named Martin Sievers said it made Lyme worse--I've posted on this), Sapi's one of the best we've got.
posted
She has had the rash for a few weeks now and was on 2 different antibiotics, she just couldn't tell me which ones. She took one for 9 days and the other for 10 days.
She has seen 3 different drs and they all had the same reaction "OMG! What the heck is that?"
She isn't really having any acute symptoms but does have joint pain but had that before the bite.
Posts: 114 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: May 2009
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
No biopsy??? What is wrong with these doctors these days? Looks like ringworm, but tularemia also comes to mind.
She needs a real doctor...If she has Lyme also it can alter the usual rashes to look somewhat different than normal.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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She knows that something definitely bit her because she felt it and in her words "swatted it off" her arm. Now, if it was a tick, it would have been attached right?
Posts: 114 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: May 2009
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She knows that something definitely bit her because she felt it and in her words "swatted it off" her arm. Now, if it was a tick, it would have been attached right?
Posts: 114 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: May 2009
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posted
Just sent you a PM...
Posts: 238 | From Jackson, TN | Registered: Mar 2010
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
Tn I'd like to see that too...Thanks.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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i saw an episode of "monsters inside me" and this looks like Leishmaniasis which is from a sand fly bite. here's a short clip from the show. there is an advertisement that plays first but when the clip starts, that first pic looks a lot like the pics you posted.
did she do any traveling? even if she didn't, it doesn't mean that it's not spreading like ticks and lyme. i read an article that says that it's becoming more common in US because of our troops coming back to US from areas that have sand flies.
Posts: 95 | From IL | Registered: Jun 2010
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IckyTicky
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 21466
posted
That does NOT look anything like ringworm. It makes me think more of a parasite or sandfly type of thing! Reprehensible that no biopsy has been done after seeing three different doctors!
-------------------- IGM: 18+, 23+, 30+, 31+++, 34+, 39IND, 41++, 58+++, 66+, 83-93IND IGG: 31+, 39IND, 41+ Also positive for Mycoplasma Pneumoniae and RMSF. Whole family of 5 dx with Lyme. Posts: 1014 | From Texas | Registered: Jul 2009
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posted
bncrump... were you able to contact anyone?
Pinelady... I sent bn the name of the doc at Loma Linda Univ med center that was the doc on VenomER which was on Animal Planet. They had an email address...
That "monsters" sandfly video almost looks like her pictures...
catdog- yea for us sickies that watch a lot of tv!!!!
My fella's rash was the classic Lyme bullseye and the dermatologist thought it was ringworm...hahahahah... sooo sad for all of us out here!
Posts: 238 | From Jackson, TN | Registered: Mar 2010
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posted
i never thought i would actually remember and share the info i learned from watching TV. guess i have to stop getting on the kids cases for watching too much! LOL
bn, i'm not sure what type of doctor your friend would need to see. she hasn't had luck with a dermatologist in the past but maybe a different one?
whatever dr. she sees, she should definitely do some research and bring it with to her appointment. more than likely she will be told that it's not in the US or that it's very rare in the US. sound familiar? these little buggers go wherever they can and wanna go!
i hope that you and your friend finally get some answers. good luck to both of you and let us know what it ends up being! Posts: 95 | From IL | Registered: Jun 2010
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I shared this link with her so she can check out all the info. I have a feeling that she will be heading to another dr very soon. What type, I don't know.
I think the link for the Dr from VenonER would be her best right now. Maybe he can point her in the right direction!
Thanks again. We will keep you posted!
Posts: 114 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: May 2009
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posted
Update: I talked to my friend and she DID have a biopsy done. I just didn't know it.
They said that whatever it was, wasn't viral. Whatever that means!
Thanks again!
Posts: 114 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: May 2009
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nenet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13174
posted
Um, I am 99% sure (I am not a doctor) that that IS Leishmaniasis - like someone else posted already.
If that's what she has, it is very serious - she needs diagnosis and treatment ASAP - this is a protozoan parasite, and if not treated can be disfiguring, or progress and become fatal.
Do a google images search - many of the photos look exactly like hers, in my opinion:
* Visceral leishmaniasis - the most serious form and potentially fatal if untreated.
* Cutaneous leishmaniasis - the most common form which causes a sore at the bite site, which heal in a few months to a year, leaving an unpleasant looking scar. This form can progress to any of the other three forms.
* Diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis - this form produces widespread skin lesions which resemble leprosy and is particularly difficult to treat.
* Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis - commences with skin ulcers which spread causing tissue damage to (particularly) nose and mouth."
"The symptoms of leishmaniasis are skin sores which erupt weeks to months after the person affected is bitten by sand flies.
Other consequences, which can manifest anywhere from a few months to years after infection, include fever, damage to the spleen and liver, and anaemia.
In clinical medicine, leishmaniasis is considered one of the classic causes of a markedly enlarged (and therefore palpable) spleen; the organ, which is not normally felt during examination of the abdomen, may become larger even than the liver in severe cases."
Tricky Tickey
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 26546
posted
I believe what we're looking at here is a brown recluse spider bite. It's rotting her skin from the inside out. That's what recluse venom does. Gross. She needs to see a dermatologist!
-------------------- Early Disseminated LD- 2010. Currently doing acupuncture and yoga. Negative Igenex (IND & Pos Bands) ISSUES AFTER: Tendonitis, letter reversal, Low immune system. PREVENTION:SaltC,Iodine,Humaworm, Chiropractic. Posts: 1013 | From In a van down by the river. | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
if it is in fact leishmaniasis, nenet's right, it needs to be dealt with ASAP!
i read the links that nenet posted and it did not mention anything about a biopsy. leishmaniasis is diagnosed differently, so the biopsy she had wouldn't be helpful in diagnosing this.
make sure she insists on being tested for it though. we all know how passive and dismissive doctors can be so she should bring some ammunition with her.
i would suggest that she print this wikipedia page (it also has a pic on it which would be helpful) and bring it to the dr's appt/ER or wherever she decides to go.
i'm not a doctor either, i just watch a lot of TV! Posts: 95 | From IL | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
UPDATE: I spoke to my friend this evening and she is going to go to the ER tomorrow at Duke.
Thank you so much for the information. She really appreciates it!
Posts: 114 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: May 2009
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
Not spider I have seen lots of them...Leishman. might be right. If it is suspect she needs treatment whether confirmed or not....
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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Congratulations. That does lood like leishmaniasis and is a very good find.
bncrump
It's Sunday. Did she go to the ER and what happened?
All
We have found that bug borne illness spreads quickly and this looks very bad. The American public and the doctors don't even know this disease is in America.
Who's afraid of sand flies??? Absolutely no one. Protect yourselves, please.
posted
I vote for EM rash with fungal superinfection and would request treatment for fungus eg lotrimin as noted by BRB above and also, doxy as noted above and also testing for Lyme and all co's since the person may have already been immunosuppressed when they got the tick bite, that is they may have had Lyme/Bb before this bite occurred. I am fairly certain that has happened to many of us posting on this site.
-------------------- Ideas not advice. Posts: 448 | From Downeast Maine | Registered: Jul 2009
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posted
I have nothing to offer but second the "holy crap!" sentiments. That is frightening! I sure hope your friend finds the right dx and tx. Add sand flies to the list of buggy-boos that im now scared of!
Posts: 624 | From Oklahoma | Registered: Jun 2010
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Leishmaniasis - I'd bet on it, as a couple others mentioned. I bet that Catdog and Nenet win the detective prize for this one. And IckyTicky may have hit the nail on the head with the sand fly as the suspect.
I appreciated all the links and excerpts. Learned a lot.
Hydrocortisone cream (a steroid) will make any infection worse. Be sure your friend avoids that. Systemic steroids can also make matters much worse - unless life threatening and all the bases are covered regarding antimicrobial treatment.
Please keep us posted. I am just absolutely horrified that your friend has received totally inadequate medical care with this. It's criminal that some doctor did not put her in a comfortable room for monitoring while they called all over the world if they had to in order to figure this out.
If our hospitals would use IV garlic, that would cover a lot of bases - they would still be able to test tissue taken before tx from the rash (but this is far beyond being a rash, really).
And, with the web, they should be able to put the photos into a program and it come back with possibilities.
A National Geographic photographer who had contracted Leishmaniasis in S. America was featured in one of their programs. He was very, very ill - IV treatment saved his life but it took a while. -
[ 07-31-2010, 06:47 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- He was infected from a SAND FLY bite (although there may well be other vectors): ------------------
JOEL SARTORE, photography - Frequently Asked Questions
Excerpt:
What's the sickest you've been?
Most times, wolves and anacondas aren't the biggest sources of concern while on assignment. In many parts of the world, photographers face malaria, yellow fever, typhoid and myriad other diseases.
While on assignment in Madidi*, I was bitten on the leg by a female phlebotomous sand fly who was carrying leishmaniasis, a microscopic flesh-eating parasite.
A month or so later when I was back at home, I noticed a hole on my leg that wasn't healing. After consulting with several doctors, we found out that it was leishmaniasis.
The only way to treat it at the time was chemotherapy -- an IV of an antimony solution. Like all chemo, it wears you down and can make you pretty sick. It also throws several of your internal organs out of whack. It was six months before I felt normal again, and I was lucky the doctors figured it out when they did.
. . . .
* [Madidi is a national park in the upper Amazon river basin in Bolivia.]
You can see a a mark for just south of Texas, across the border in Mexico. Well, my guess is that the sandflies don't see borders.
I think doctors rely too much on maps and expectations.
But I think that it can be anywhere, really, that is hot and humid for a certain period of time. They don't just like sand, but trees, too. Tracking maps are no longer all that accurate, thanks to global warming, travel, shipping, etc.
Still, don't be afraid, though. We have far too much fear in the world as it is. Nature is still to be enjoyed. Just be informed or know where to find information when you need it.
It might be good to know who the best TROPICAL DISEASES doctors are in your area, just in case. Some of those doctors are brilliant. That's who I would see if I had a rash that looked like this. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Leishmaniasis is found in some parts of the following areas:
� Mexico, Central America, and South America--from northern Argentina to southern Texas (not in Uruguay, Chile, or Canada)
� Southern Europe (Leishmaniasis is not common in travelers to southern Europe)
� Asia (not Southeast Asia)
� Middle East
� Africa (particularly East and North Africa, with some cases elsewhere)
BUT, i don't put too much stock into geographical areas because of what we've already experienced with ticks.
that doesn't mean we should be afraid to go outdoors, we just need to make bug repellent a routine! like some people don't leave the house without make-up Posts: 95 | From IL | Registered: Jun 2010
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This could be an extremely serious situation and needs to be reported to CDC, regardless of what one thinks of the CDC.
Posts: 924 | From CT | Registered: Apr 2009
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- No Update? Did she not go to the E.R. at Duke days ago? I hope she's not just waiting around on this. I'm with grandmother, this could be very serious, indeed. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Any new info yet? Posts: 238 | From Jackson, TN | Registered: Mar 2010
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17hens
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23747
posted
Two things...
1. I'm going to the beach soon (All about me, right? I know I'm a sad case.) and I'm not too excited now with all this SANDFLY info.
2. A lady my husband works with, got a giant ugly spider bite 4+ weeks ago and has been seriously ill ever since. She felt the bite, actually felt it bite her 3 times. Last week she was tested for lyme and came back CDC extremely positive.
Is there a file somewhere where we keep records of various bites, and the details about them, that have given lyme? Such a file could be helpful.
-------------------- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26
bit 4/09, diagnosed 1/10 Posts: 3043 | From PA | Registered: Dec 2009
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17hens
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23747
posted
Here's another example of how I think such a file would help...
My neighbor was just diagnosed with lyme&co last month. He's been sick for 5ish years but able to deal with it (like my family). But he got a bite this summer that sent him to his knees.
This bite was "not ordinary." He swears it was not a tick. He thinks most likely a mosquito. The "bite" was a small bump that blew up over night into a bump the size of a baseball on his upper arm and was centered in a large black ring (3-4 inches wide) that went around his upper arm.
I just think all these stories would help the "next guy" figure out what might be wrong with him when his duck is telling him he couldn't possibly have lyme because he was not bitten by a tick the size of a typed period.
I don't mean to take up this thread. Sorry. Maybe I should start a new thread and see what kind of stories we get.
-------------------- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26
bit 4/09, diagnosed 1/10 Posts: 3043 | From PA | Registered: Dec 2009
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- No new thread needed. You'll find past threads at the "SEARCH" link above. The Archives will usually find what you want. Most would just have the word "rash" or "photo" in the heading.
The LDA has an extensive file of bite photos for ticke-borne infections of all kinds.
A cross search at Google will also bring up other rash photos.
From the Lyme Disease Association's file: ------------------------
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
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