Bullseye rash (Lymes?) how clued up are GPs/will they take it seriously

[BlueSkySunnyDay]

I have been feeling crap for years. Crashing tiredness, breathlessness (despite regular walking),fevers, headaches, lots of stomach issues - bloating, reflux etc, tickling sensation in my neck.

In 2011 I had 3 camping breaks New Forest, Cornwall, North Wales - all with lots of walking, quite often only wearing flip flops (yeah, I know, I wouldn't do it now)

I developed a fever and breathlessness and was prescribed antibiotics after Cornwall - during the Welsh holiday I was feeling particularly feverish and short of breath and one morning woke up to realise I had 4 really odd bullseye type rings on my stomach which I assumed to be a reaction to the antibiotics. Quite shocked to recently have a picture of "my" rash appear on my facebook page as a symptom of Lymes.

I have been to the Doctor a few times with fevers etc since and got the usual "virus" diagnosis - I do often feel AWFUL and am easily dissuaded from bothering with the doctor (I give a headache a day before taking tablets and give any bursts of ill health at least a fortnight - month before even thinking about bothering to go)

Could this be Lymes or is there something else which would cause the rash (I don't generally get bitten by things, they just don't seem to like me and whatever it was would either have had to crawl up there or bitten me when I undressed in the shower block)

I had a bite on my leg Gter which I began to feel fluey. About a week or two later I got a bullseye rash. I had heard of lymes disease so asked doc about it. Doc was sceptical as we don't live in a high risk area (urban no deer) but sent me for the blood test and gave me the antibiotics for it. Felt better after s few days. Am convinced it was lymes

I got a tick stuck in me recently, which was fairly mortifying. Had to go to minor injuries to get it removed. They couldn't have been helpful or aware of the Lymes possibility. In fact, they gave my details to a senior doctor at the city hospital who rung me a week later to check I hadn't had a rash and that I was ok. I was extremely impressed.

I feel a bit of a prat for even asking but I'm feeling particularly bad at the moment.

I had a few days of quite strong (scarey) antibiotics last year for a persistent chest problem and for a few weeks afterwards felt like a new person.

Could you get more than one of the rings though?

I found a tick in the house (which I assumed had fallen off of the dog!)

I would go to your GP tell them
Your symptoms with the suspected tick bites and bulls eye rash. I was told that it's quite hard to detect on the blood test which is my my GP gave me the recommended course of antibiotics anyway (10 days of doxycycline if I recall ).
You might need a much longer /stronger course

Have tried looking online to see if anyone else had more than one but couldn't find anything

I think you should discuss it with your GP. Tics tend to crawl up to find yummy tender spots. I have been bitten a couple of times by tics (we holiday in a deer friendly area) and when I went to the Gp to get doxycycline as a preventative medication the GP had to look it up- so I don't think every GP knows much about Lymes. I have only been aware of tics biting because I have seen them- it is quite possible to be unaware of them as there is no sensation or itch. I have CFS and and got quite an improvement after a course of antibiotics for something else which made me wonder about Lymes - I asked for a test but it came back negative.
there is a skin condition/ illness called something like Pityrosia something which looks a bit similar to a bullseye rash,(to my untrained eye) but after the first herald patch others appear. It's only a mild illness (I got it years ago) and it sorts itself out eventually. It does not make you feel exhausted, but just thought I would mention it. Did you take a picture of the rash to show the GP?

Photos of my rash

I would seek medical advice again asap. You were also in the New Forest camping, was the GP made aware of that fact?.

Print this out and show it to your GP

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Lyme-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx#symptoms

That rash you had looks like erythema nigrans which can be a symptom of tick bites. These can occur within 3-30 days after being bitten.

Some areas of the UK are often referred to as ‘hot spots’ in relation to ticks. These include the New Forest, Exmoor, the South Downs, Thetford Forest, the Lake District, the North Yorkshire Moors, and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. However, there can be localised ‘hot spots’ in many areas.

I get a reaction like that in the photos when bitten by gnats. I am allergic to gnat spit apparently! So, although you need to see the doc about your symptoms, be careful about hanging it all on the "Lyme disease" peg.

It would be extremely unusual to have 4 bullseye markings at the same time from ticks - but very common if from fleas or gnats and you are allergic to them.

I have co-incidentally also had Pityriasis rosea - the herald spot is more defined.

There is no blood test for Lymes particularly nothing that your GP can request. There are a lot of nut jobs on the Internet banging on about chronic Lymes and fatigue. It is just bonkers.