Bullseye rash mysteries - Lyme Disease Message Board

JustDave4now · 04-05-2008, 06:27 PM

A few years I was bitten by a tick and recieved a bullseye rash. After six months of sever sickness before anyone would listen to me yelling before they would put me on doxy By the time they did this, it had worked its way into my nerves and spine and I was twitching and having advanced symptoms.

So in comes the doxy and I feel better a month later. All is well.

About a year later I start getting sick again, twitching again, speach issues, tremmors, fevers.

So I go into Boston, and have almost every test known to man. MRI, MRI with contrast, MRI + Arteriy, Spinal you name it.

Nothing...

I did find out that I have sleep apnea and an iron loading disorder. When this was treated I started to feel better.

All is well..... At least I think.

Then despite keeping up with the CPAP machine and keeping my iron low it starts to crawl back in again

I think every doc thinks i am a quak.

So to the bullseye.

The other night my wife say, Look at your leg

I do and notice it is covered with not one but three distint bullseye rashes, two on the calf and one on the thigh. This isn't unusal, ever since the bite they just pop up out of nowhere.

I showed them to many doctors, they told me not to worry, its just a skin irratation. You have to see these things, it couldn't be more of a red ring if you pressed a soupcan to my leg with a white center.

So since i didn't get bit by three ticks, why would I have random bullseye rashes from something i treated two years back. Is that a normal for this to happen.

I have had them test me for Lyme, to make sure I didn't have it four seperate times, they roll thier eyes every time I mention it. If it wasn't for the rashes I wouldn't be so persistant, is there anything else you can think of that causes bullseye rashes.

I can't imagine 4 lyme tests are wrong, what are the odds against that.

jojo · 04-05-2008, 09:27 PM

Hi Dave, sorry your going through this. Might I suggest if you haven't already and take a picture of the rashes. And if you haven't already instead of wasting time and money I would get to a LLMD. Get on the right treatment protocol.

I had MANY lyme test. Even by Igenex. Mine NEVER came out positive. but I did show bands. but to most doctors that is not a positive. From what I understand Lyme bacteria does not like oxygen. so in turn they imbedded in muscle and bone, organs and such. And try to stay out of the blood stream. If you have the symptoms which it sure sounds like lyme ,beings you have the bulls eye. Please run to the nearest lyme specalist.

Wish you luck!

Tom1900 · 04-10-2008, 10:11 PM

have your wife take a good clear photo of the rashes, man, if they haven't faded away. Keep that as a record to show doctors.

recurrent erythma migrans is known to occur and multiple rashes can occur regardless of whether you were only bitten once-- there are many cases where this has happened-- the rash occurs due to the way the bacteria spreads through the skin.

I think if you have the rash currently they can do a biopsy of the rash to test for DNA of the lyme bacteria itself, as opposed to antibodies to the disease, which is what almost all the regular tests look for. "PCR" is the name of the test I believe.

what lab are you being tested through for the lyme disease and are you in a part of the country where they see a lot of lyme disease (connecticut/New York) so your doctors would be able to identify the rash when they see it?

You can be symptomatic for lyme disease and and still test negative. A lot of people will tell you to get tested through IGENEX labs-- a western blot.
You will need to find an lyme literate medical doctor (LLMD) in your area willing to send your blood to this lab.

the other red ring on skin diseases I can think of would be discoid lupus (although I think the ring is raised and somewhat scaly) and ringworm (not actually a worm, it's a fungal infection I believe). I'm not in the medical profession, obviously, so this is just what comes to mind.

Good luck.

datgrlstef · 04-11-2008, 11:57 AM

I've had rashes pop up in the same spot, 10 years apart. Same size, shape, etc... I was pregnant the last time I had it, and the OB/GYN thought it was ringworm (even gave me some cream). It was NOT ringworm- I know what ringworm is because I've seen it up close. BLECK!. And the cream didn't treat it, of course.

I think seeing another dr would be a good idea.. a dermatologist, if nothing else. Or try getting Lyme testing done through Igenex, just to see what the results are there.

ticker · 04-11-2008, 08:19 PM

Hi JustDave4Now. I agree that it is important to take photos of your rashes. Place something near them, like a coin or ruler, before photographing to give them size definition.

A bulls-eye rash is a definite sign of Lyme. It sounds like you may not have been treated long enough and/or aggressively enough initially. How long were you treated? Do you remember what dose of Doxy you took? Were you ever tested for the co-infections? It is also possible you have been re-infected. Many people are bitten by ticks without knowing it.

No test for Lyme is completely reliable, and results can vary by lab. It is my understanding that the ELISA or titer is the least reliable test and the one most doctors run first. Is this the test you have had done four times?

I recommend seeing a knowledgeable doctor. If you need a recommendation, let us know.