Any Doctors &/or people that have had either Lyme Disease? Posting here for traffic.

[ShakingAndShocked]

About 9-10 days ago I saw what I believed to be a bog standard but unfortunate insect bite on my inner huge right thigh. I do always have quite strong reactions to bites and mine always end up worse than anyone elses (IE if on hols and each of get bitten, theirs stay pretty contained but mine just huge reaction) so thought nothing of it.

However... a friend has just seen it and asked if Doc seen it to which I replied no (in a 'no, it's just a bite FFS!' kinda way) Friend replied she thought it was a 'bullseye' rash poss indicative of a tick bite and thus in urgent need of antibiotics. Ergo if you are a doctor or if you have experience of Lyme can you please please offer your advice/view?

Bite - at point I first saw it (weirdly it was not itchy like other bites not painful, hence only realising bitten when SAW it!) - was very very red and quite 'hot'; could see the bite at centre but broadly bite and surrounding spherical 'spread' were all same colour (v red/pinky/hot). Over past week it's 'refined' to leave just the dot (bite) in the middle and the outer 'circle'. Will post pics but can only do that from mobile so will be in next post.

Be really grateful for advice from anyone who knows what they are talking about

So, so grateful to you guys - seriously, you have no clue how much I'm appreciating every single post.

My stomach was absolutely fine on doxycyclin but I had bizarre skin sensitivity. Not so much with being photo sensitive but if the wind blew it felt like someone was pouring ice over me. I would definitely take them again though. No lasting side effects.

The risk of not taking them far far outweighs the risk of taking them so please do! I have taken doxycycline long term previously as malaria prevention treatment - don't take on an empty stomach ever, I forgot a few times and felt sick but if I ate first I was absolutely fine.

I would guess that it probably isn't Lyme, given the the look of the bite mark (none bullseye) and the fact that the tick needs to be attached for at least 24 hours to spread Lyme disease. After feeding, tick would be quite large and fairly obvious on your thigh. Some people do not notice a tick, although perhaps their bite is in a hidden area, etc.

However, living in a high tick area makes things more likely, especially if you have been walking in grass etc.

I completely understand your predicament with the antibiotics as I hate taking them myself. However, on this instance it really isn't worth the risk. Take them as soon as possible so that you can stop humming and harring about it, get some good probiotics (I recommend the pharma nord ones), stock up on natural yogurt, actimel, bottles of kombucha, bottles of kefir and big tubs of sauerkraut.

My 16 year old niece has Lyme which was misdiagnosed for years. She is effectively housebound and hasn't been to school for a year. Can't even have tutors because she can't concentrate long enough to study. It's heartbreaking. I would also say take the ABs.

That is a classic bulls eye rash. They do not all look like the one posted just upthread. Take the antibiotics. Nothing else will work and untreated Lymes can have serious consequences for your health.
I am a Practice Nurse, used to work with a Lymes disease expert in the New Forest and have also seen the consequences of untreated Lyme in Hospitals

I totally understand your hesitation and im sorry for what ypure going through but I think you should take them.

Lymes is just awful .

Ooo you've got a proper expert in takemetomars. Listen to her.

Okay - I just read "The Clever Guts Diet" by Dr Michael Mosley. In it he says it can be a good idea if taking anti-biotics to at the same time to take a course of probiotics (and fermented foods like yoghurt and keffir - ideally home made).
This can help stop the total devastation of the good bacteria by the antibiotics - whilst the antibiotics kill of the Lymes.

It used to be thought that ticks had to be attached for 24 hours to transmit lyme disease, but that's now in dispute with new research. It's thought even very short attachment times may be able to transmit it - so don't count on that as a preventative.

5 minutes is long enough they've found now.

Take the antibiotics.

You are already immunocompromised and suffering, do not take any chances.

Take probiotics for the next 6 months or so, lots of fruit and veg and protein, make sure you are getting nutrients.

You do not need to add Lyme disease to your plate!

I second getting Michael Mosley's Clever Guts book. I had lymes last year and didn't have a classic bullseye for weeks. When I finally recognised it as such I got the ABs - two courses actually. Anyway I'm now drinking kefir like mad as it seems to have miraculous gut bacteria properties.

Glad to hear you're taking the ABs, by far the most sensible decision. Make sure you take the whole course. And probiotics might be an idea.

I'm a scientist (originally) and work with people who research new AB and are fighting antimicrobial resistance across the world, so I get very annoyed by people who misuse them. You are not misusing them.

"the fact that the tick needs to be attached for at least 24 hours to spread Lyme disease"

Total rubbish.

The Lyme rash grows.. it's called erythema migrans. Migrans means spreading

Please go to the Lyme disease forum link I posted earlier, they will give advice

Take the antibiotics, I would, no hesitation.

I'm leaning towards taking them; thank you for posts, they're all invaluable.

Probiotics arrive tomm so could start them on Sat.

I have Lyme disease , missed the rash ; missed the flu symptoms got neuralgia supymptoms which could not be cured. It was only then I got tested and got the antibiotics. However I think if you do have Lyme you need 4 weeks not 2 .
It is true about the test it can give a false positive which is why if it is. Positive they do asecond more expensive test - or. Should do.

Lymebis not to be messed with. Eventually to cure mind I had major brain surgery which us with me for life.
Take the drugs or the test or both, don't ignore it.

By the way had no problem taking docycline for 4 weeks and if I hadn't had that would be in an even worse state now. . Where were you when you got the bite OP?

I would advise you strongly to take them.
I have seen Lyme look like that, I have also seen it take a more distinctive pattern.
It isn't worth the risk, I promise you that.

Don't wait till Saturday , start them whenever you get them. My second stage symptoms started 2 weeks after getting bitten. You are almost at that stage.

zipzapzop
Are you a disease expert? The .gov website still claims a tick usually has to be attached for 36-48 hours to transmit Lyme. Some other reputable sources (mainly hospitals and research centres) say 24 hours. A mouse study was conducted and the minimum time was 6 hours, although you have to take into account that the animal was not human.
So, the official guildlines are still 24+ hours so spouting off that's its 'total rubbish' is, in fact, total rubbish. Is it worth taking the chance and affecting op's health with awful consequences? No, she should take the antibiotics. However creating mass hysteria when transmission of Lyme is rare when it's been attached for a short amount of time is rather unhelpful and would lead to most people taking a course of antibiotics whenever they found a possible insect bite.

No one in their right mind would step back from taking anti biotics for possible Lyme just because of some risk of anti biotics to the gut. I dopn't take pills, may be once in 20 y ears, not even contraceptive pill but even I swould not hesitate to take them for Lyme disease even if there were just a 5% chance of it being Lyme. Why destroy your life with Lyme when you can easily get your gut bacteria back to normal after a course of anti biotics.

I literally have no clue when was even bitten, let alone where. Ironically home seems the most likely as I have bi-fold doors as my back 'wall' IYKWIM and the part of my garden nearest the house is essentially healthland so I'm guessing one got in (or came in on my cat? Is that even a possibility?

It's the fact that I saw NO tick there ever and whilst I get mossies etc bite you and you don't realise until the bite comes up, I can't help but think that if there was a tick attached to me for 24hrs in that location then surely I would have seen it? Had I seen a tick for even briefest time I wouldn't be in a quandry about taking them as I would have some of kind of proof that it likely was therefore Lymes but there is a total absence of that proof.

That said, the Lyme page that someone kindly wrote of upthread has 2 pictures with 'early Lyme', the first is an absolute classic red/white/red perfect bullseye (along with research - Smith, 2002 - saying that is actually only present in c.10% of cases) but the second pic below it seems almost identical to mine. Mine has faded slightly tho not diminished (or increased) in size in any way - now it looks more like a pigmentation 'stain' or a non-inflammed flat 'bruise'.

I feel shit physically but it's hard to pick out what could be new given I was in a period of pants health anyway plus clearly my head is in overdrive analysing every little thing more (IE I'm cold and shivering a bit right now but that could just be as it's a bit cold as some cheeky fucker turned my heating down yesterday in the house right now.)