What on earth is this on my knee!!!?

[Mumma2Ro]

I just noticed it when I was shaving my legs.
it’s not painful or anything

Lyme has only recently become an issue in the UK due to a burgeoning deer population. Your attitude would have been valid even only a few years ago. Not today.

People aren't being catastrophic, they're being honest.

On this occasion the doctor was wrong not to provide antibiotics.

I've never seen the rash before , I've never had a tick bite before though have taken a few off dogs . I'll know what to look out for now though I do wear wellies when I walk the dog .

I had the private consultation. She’s given me a prescription for 3 week course of antibiotics!!
I can’t drink alcohol on them and I’m going on a hen to do Croatia on Thursday 😭 but never mind this is more important.
shame the NHS failed me and this has cost be about £60 but it’s okay
i just wanted to say thank you to all of you that commented and pushed me to go and get another opinion! You may have saved my life.

Thank goodness. I would email a letter of complaint to the GP surgery outlining your lack of care. Someone without the funds to go privately would be in trouble!

@Mumma2Ro Glad you got it all sorted out , shame about the bill you got there . Such a shame ,maybe I would complain about your treatment and try to get them to stump up .

Really pleased you got ABs.

Please write to PALS and your MP. This situation is only going to get worse over the summer. There needs to be more public health education.
Nobody should have to be paying a lot of money for basic care that should be available via NHS.

I had the private consultation. She’s given me a prescription for 3 week course of antibiotics!!

That's good - no more worry as you just have to take the anti-biotics - and unfortunately pay the bill.

I find it very hit and miss with Dr's and antibiotics. Where I live we have a lot of ticks and the only place that will remove them is A&E, only had the bullseye once and that was the time antibiotics were refused!

Read the patient leaflet carefully and ask a friend to read it carefully too in case you have any side effects while you are away.
Ring your travel insurers and update them on exactly what has happened - ask to go through the medical questionnaire. You might have to pay a supplement, but you must tell them or your travel insurance will be completely invalidated and you will have no cover at all.

Wellies will help. I always tuck my trousers into my socks before putting my walking boots on (it doesn't look as bad as it sounds 😂

I second this.

Lyme disease is a parasitic infection. If this is lyme disease from an infected tick you might not know until months down the line when you develop cardiac symptoms or ME/cfs type symptoms and all those parasites are living in your blood.

Of course, you might not have been bitten by an infected tick but you might have been and antibiotics probably should have been prescribed - a long course too.

lyme disease not caught early is fucking awful, especially as it often ends up causing auto immune issues which the Drs are often ignorant of.

Why!? Don’t scare me now about taking the antibiotics for goodness sake 😆

Spider bites can also produce a bullseye rash, but with the prevalence of ticks and Lyme disease, the NHS dropped the ball by prescribing ABX as it is showing symptoms they should treat.

By NOT prescribing…

Did they give u metronidazole?. There's so many antibiotics u can drink alcohol with. You can always speak to gp on Monday to see about getting them changed instead of ruining hen do

Why? Because if you trip up and break or ankle, for example, the first thing your insurers will do will be to check your records and what meds you are taking. Anything that they find that you havent told them invalidates your policy.
Why re side effects? Because doxycycline can, very rarely, have side effects that need hospital treatment and it is sensible to tell your travelling companions.

Okay I’ve just red the side effects of the antibiotics and now I’m scared to take them!! 😭 Doxycycline

You have to take them, and you have to finish the course. Lyme disease is no joke.

I had doxycycline just before Christmas, I had no side effects at all.

Absolutely take them and absolutely finish the course OP. It's super important - Lyme disease is not something to muck about with!

Is there a reason to think you will get side effects ?