Anyone have any experience with having Lyme Disease?

[lmarieaa]

I went hiking last Sunday, and when I got home, I immediately noticed a bite on my chest. It itched and burned like crazy. I did not really think anything of it, and just assumed it would go away. Well today it worse. It resembles the classic 'bullseye' rash that is associated with Lyme Disease. I was very achy and tired yesterday too. Since I was just hiking in the woods, I very well may have been bitten by a deer tick. Does having this bullseye rash around the bite always mean you have Lyme disease? I am in between health insurances right now, so I need to be absolutely sure that I need medical attention before going to a doctor as I do not have coverage for anything right now.

 

[jenniwat001]

Get to a doctor.

A bullseye rash from a tick is unlikely to be anything but Lymes. Treated early one set of relatively inexpensive antibiotics should do it. Leave it and it is much harder to treat and a serious illness (which your insurance would cover because it is pre existing).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

[lmarieaa]

I have decided to go see a doctor. I can get a discount at a medical center because I am a student, and I can be seen for $60.

 

[jenniwat001]

Good, I'm glad. Let us know how you get on.

 

[Paula]

I agree that you definitely need medical attention. Waiting will only make it worse and treatment more expensive.

I went to high school with someone who left Lyme's untreated for a while and she was in a lot of pain and a lot of things were affected for her because of it, so I would totally get it checked out sooner rather than later.

 

[guineapigluver1]

I also agree that you need medical treatment. It can spread and cause a lot of problems if it is left untreated.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[lmarieaa]

I saw a doctor at an Urgent Care Clinic, coincidentally, he is a specialist in treating Lyme disease. He said that what I have is not Lyme disease. The tick would has to be attached and feeding for at least 24 hours for the disease to transfer,and the bullseye rash would not have developed until a week after the bite. He said what I have is a bad allergic reaction from some other kind of insect bite. So I am on preventative antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory.
I am so glad its not Lyme disease!

 

[Paula]

That is good news indeed! I'm glad you got it checked out right away.

 

[lmarieaa]

Ugh, okay, it just keeps getting worse....and I am starting to think that maybe this "expert" was not correct. The rash just keeps getting bigger, and is SO itchy. The doctor told me to take Benadryl every 4 hours for a few days along with a med called Prednisone. And its really tough...I am tired all the time because of all the Benadryl and it doesn't even seem to be helping. I can't wait for this to be over, :sorry:.

Does anyone know of any other insects that would cause a bullseye rash?

 

[Seonta]

maybe you can try this link: Bug Bites Pictures Slideshow: Identifying Bugs and Bug Bites - WebMD

Mosquitoes can carry Lyme if you look it up.

 

[guineapigluver1]

I don't know if he was entirely correct. Symptoms can occur within three days, it doesn't have to be a week.
Typically it has to be attached for 24 hours or longer but you can still get it if it has been attached for less than 24 hours, though the chances are smaller.

 

[pigsmakemesmile]

It's good you went to the urgent care center and are on an antibiotic, however, not every tick bite will present with a bulls-eye rash. I work in a family practice office as an LPN / medical secretary / assistant. We've had pt's develop lyme's without presenting with the classic bulls eye rash. We've also pulled huge ticks off from patients who never developed lyme's.
I suggest, you contact your PCP on Monday and go in for a follow-up to your urgent care visit and ask if you can go for a lymes titer...a screening just as a precaution.

 

[babybunny]

I'm sorry to not have read this sooner as I was out of town. When my family and I were in New England one year, ticks of all sorts were everywhere. My mom worked in the ER and saw her fair share of bulls eye rashes. Usually antibiotics will nip it in the bud if caught early. My whole family went on them when we left just to be sure since we found ticks in the house we stayed in. Hopefully you start feeling better soon.