Lyme Rash?

[fightingmom]

Okay...little history...recently tested positive for Band 34 on WB. Also, high titers for mycoplasma and low titers for a few coinfections.

I have been sick with various illnesses for over 15 years: fainting, dizzy spells, aching, rashes, female problems, headaches, gallbladder removed, many surgeries, blurry vision, eye floaters, neck pain, back pain, tremors, muscle spasms, bladder issues, twitches, new allergies, and there is a ton more.

 

I started school again this past fall. At the end of August I found out my I did not have antibodies for all of my childhood vaccines and had to get them all over again to meet the school requirements. I feel as though they greatly screwed with my immune system and I have been on a downward slide ever since. Well, back in September (about 2 weeks after the vaccines) I developed this rash on my leg. I wasn't sure what it was so I started putting cortisone and antifungal creams on it, which made it way worse and I wound up on antibotics (Bactrim -- which made me SO sick and caused me to break out into a blistering rash) because the doctor thought it may be infected. That's not reflected in these pics, it got really bad. I think I was so paranoid about whatever it was and if it was contagious that I irritated it by all the crap I was putting on it.

 

In hindsight, I can't help but wonder if maybe it was the bulls eye rash...perhaps my immune system was bogged down with vaccines, etc. and it awakened something lymey? Who knows...maybe it's not a lyme rash at all, and it's just something creepy to add to my mystery symptoms collection.

 

It started out small about the size of a quarter and grew to over 3 inches in a period of a week or two. The image on the right is what it looked like at first, on the left is how big it grew. It is kind of shiny in the pic on the left because I had slathered it in some sort of cream like an idiot.

 

So...this is my long winded way of asking...Does this look like a lyme rash? And, if so, I am fairly certain this may be the reason for my illnesses over the last 15-20 years - so why would the rash pop up after all this time, doesn't it only show up early on?

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p616/fightingpics/rashes/RashLeg.jpg

Edited April 22, 2012 by fightingmom

[Orion]

 

So...this is my long winded way of asking...Does this look like a lyme rash? And, if so, I am fairly certain this may be the reason for my illnesses over the last 15-20 years - so why would the rash pop up after all this time, doesn't it only show up early on?

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p616/fightingpics/rashes/RashLeg.jpg

 

Take anything I say with a grain of salt, as I am not a Lyme physician, but to my untrained eye, it very well could be a Lyme rash. Compare your rash to this picture.

 

With the original tick bite, a rash is only seen, roughly, 60% of the time. Of these, the stereotypical "Bulls-eye" rash is not the most common presentation- a solid expanding pink rash is. An EM rash can be expressed later on in a disseminated case, in fact, multiple rashes, none of which is where the original tickbite occurred, can occur.

 

All too frequently, some sort of stressor, an accident, surgery, in your case, perhaps the re-vaccinations, 'awaken' a previous Lyme infection.

 

A good LLMD can tell you more.

[fightingmom]

Thanks very much. I had abdominal surgery twice in the 7 months prior to this rash, had been sick over the summer with stubborn sinus infections and had been given steroids, then got 4 or 5 vaccines in one day for school. I think my immune system was probably very bogged down. Additionally, I developed several other blistering rashes and hive like rashes over the next few months and was given steroids for each of them by the ER.

 

I have since learned that steroids are contraindicated in Lyme. I was on them for 22 day between Feb-March and have been so sick for about four weeks since then. Exhausted, aches and pains and just don't even want to move sometimes. Even eating seems to be a chore some days.

Edited April 23, 2012 by fightingmom

[momcap]

I agree, it definitely could be a lyme rash. And it makes sense with your history and current symptoms. I would show an LLMD. Good call on taking pictures! I think I had a lyme rash in Aug 2010 but I didn't take any pictures. I'm kicking myself now. Mine was a solid red circle, perfectly round, and looked like a strange bruise. But it didn't hurt. I guess I'll never know for sure. But I wound up in the ER three times in the next 2 weeks. I was so sick I thought I was dying. It took me from August to December to feel better from the "virus" they kept saying I had. Then I read about lyme in December, demanded a test, and it came back CDC positive. I wish I had known about lyme when it happened so I could have demanded treatment.

[fightingmom]

I agree, it definitely could be a lyme rash. And it makes sense with your history and current symptoms. I would show an LLMD. Good call on taking pictures! I think I had a lyme rash in Aug 2010 but I didn't take any pictures. I'm kicking myself now. Mine was a solid red circle, perfectly round, and looked like a strange bruise. But it didn't hurt. I guess I'll never know for sure. But I wound up in the ER three times in the next 2 weeks. I was so sick I thought I was dying. It took me from August to December to feel better from the "virus" they kept saying I had. Then I read about lyme in December, demanded a test, and it came back CDC positive. I wish I had known about lyme when it happened so I could have demanded treatment.

 

Boy can I share those sentiments! I spent years on seizure meds I did not need (for my syncope episodes) and have been sick with the most random and various illnesses and symptoms over the years. Not once has a single doctor EVER suggested I get tested for Lyme until I took my son to see Dr. B. in CT. So thankful now, but man it sucks to have suffered so long.

[tpotter]

I agree, it definitely could be a lyme rash. And it makes sense with your history and current symptoms. I would show an LLMD. Good call on taking pictures! I think I had a lyme rash in Aug 2010 but I didn't take any pictures. I'm kicking myself now. Mine was a solid red circle, perfectly round, and looked like a strange bruise. But it didn't hurt. I guess I'll never know for sure. But I wound up in the ER three times in the next 2 weeks. I was so sick I thought I was dying. It took me from August to December to feel better from the "virus" they kept saying I had. Then I read about lyme in December, demanded a test, and it came back CDC positive. I wish I had known about lyme when it happened so I could have demanded treatment.

 

Boy can I share those sentiments! I spent years on seizure meds I did not need (for my syncope episodes) and have been sick with the most random and various illnesses and symptoms over the years. Not once has a single doctor EVER suggested I get tested for Lyme until I took my son to see Dr. B. in CT. So thankful now, but man it sucks to have suffered so long.

 

 

BTW...how's your son?

[fightingmom]

I agree, it definitely could be a lyme rash. And it makes sense with your history and current symptoms. I would show an LLMD. Good call on taking pictures! I think I had a lyme rash in Aug 2010 but I didn't take any pictures. I'm kicking myself now. Mine was a solid red circle, perfectly round, and looked like a strange bruise. But it didn't hurt. I guess I'll never know for sure. But I wound up in the ER three times in the next 2 weeks. I was so sick I thought I was dying. It took me from August to December to feel better from the "virus" they kept saying I had. Then I read about lyme in December, demanded a test, and it came back CDC positive. I wish I had known about lyme when it happened so I could have demanded treatment.

 

Boy can I share those sentiments! I spent years on seizure meds I did not need (for my syncope episodes) and have been sick with the most random and various illnesses and symptoms over the years. Not once has a single doctor EVER suggested I get tested for Lyme until I took my son to see Dr. B. in CT. So thankful now, but man it sucks to have suffered so long.

 

 

BTW...how's your son?

 

Thanks for asking. He absolutely exploded with symptoms about 10 days post steroids - the 10 days prior were WONDERFUL. The week leading up to our follow up appt with Dr. B. was awful and the day before the appt and morning of was an absolute DISASTER. He refused to get up, was whipping chairs across his room, kicked me from his bed. He was AWFUL. Worst he's been in a long time. I somehow managed to get him to come to appt which he wasn't going to do, and they added zithromax to the augmentin since his sinus infection still hasn't gone away. By the next morning he was SO much better. Like how he was right after steroids. We are 2 weeks on Zith and he's doing great (knock on wood x1000). He was a little nasty and not feeling well (went to bed early, came home from hanging with friends because his stomach bothered him, he had headaches and was crabby) on days 3/4 of the zith but is doing better now and we are continuing the zith for now. It seems to be helping a lot, I'm not sure the augmentin is doing anything at this point.

Edited April 25, 2012 by fightingmom