bullseye rash
Bulls-eye not the only skin rash in Lyme diagnosis
// Filed in: Lyme Disease Diagnosis|Lyme Disease Symptoms
Lyme disease is found in patients whose skin rashes do not look like the bull’s-eye, or so-called “typical” Lyme rash. Skin rashes related to Lyme disease may differ conspicuously from the bull’s-eye type. Lesions may resemble numerous other skin conditions, such as those associated with contact dermatitis, lupus, and spider bites.
“Researchers note that multiple textbooks and websites prominently feature the bull's-eye image as a visual representation of Lyme disease.” They write, “This emphasis on target-like lesions may have inadvertently contributed to an underappreciation for atypical skin lesions caused by Lyme disease.” -- Some Visible Signs of Lyme Disease Are Easily Missed or Mistaken, Science Daily, Apr 22, 2013
Disregard for skin lesions that are unlike the bull’s-eye rash can be a mistake. Early detection and diagnosis is crucial in getting proper treatment, and early treatment is the best prevention for trouble down the road. Steven E, Schutzer, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School,
Clinical diagnosis must consider any skin rash, regardless of its resemblance to the bull’s-eye. Other symptoms may include fever, flu-like malaise, and headache, as well as sensitivity to bright or fluorescent light. Doctors must also consider context, and whether the patient has been in an area where Lyme disease is endemic.
Misdiagnosis is problematic. Get a second, third, or fourth opinion if your doctor does not listen to your concerns, or if he or she disregards unusual skin lesions, or any of your symptoms.
This development in the evolution of Lyme diagnosis is exciting, because it can help medical experts to dispel one of the common myths regarding symptoms that indicate the presence of the Lyme bacteria. Our gratitude goes out to the medical research team who made this discovery, guided by Steven E, Schutzer, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School.
Personal experience taught me what took medical science years to prove. Having had Lyme before these studies were conducted, I am one of the many who did not benefit from the latest research. Instead, doctors and dermatologists insisted that my severe skin lesions were a bad case of eczema and not an indication of Lyme. I was told to “take it easy,” and “get a handle on my stress levels,” and my skin condition would go away.
Nothing like a life-threatening skin rash to make you a little stressed.
Even after being admitted to the ER with a staff infection due to the increasingly spreading rash, doctors believed that only the bull’s-eye rash would signify Lyme. As a result, proper diagnosis and treatment were significantly delayed. Do not let that happen to you or your loved ones.
“Researchers note that multiple textbooks and websites prominently feature the bull's-eye image as a visual representation of Lyme disease.” They write, “This emphasis on target-like lesions may have inadvertently contributed to an underappreciation for atypical skin lesions caused by Lyme disease.” -- Some Visible Signs of Lyme Disease Are Easily Missed or Mistaken, Science Daily, Apr 22, 2013
Disregard for skin lesions that are unlike the bull’s-eye rash can be a mistake. Early detection and diagnosis is crucial in getting proper treatment, and early treatment is the best prevention for trouble down the road. Steven E, Schutzer, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School,
Clinical diagnosis must consider any skin rash, regardless of its resemblance to the bull’s-eye. Other symptoms may include fever, flu-like malaise, and headache, as well as sensitivity to bright or fluorescent light. Doctors must also consider context, and whether the patient has been in an area where Lyme disease is endemic.
Misdiagnosis is problematic. Get a second, third, or fourth opinion if your doctor does not listen to your concerns, or if he or she disregards unusual skin lesions, or any of your symptoms.
This development in the evolution of Lyme diagnosis is exciting, because it can help medical experts to dispel one of the common myths regarding symptoms that indicate the presence of the Lyme bacteria. Our gratitude goes out to the medical research team who made this discovery, guided by Steven E, Schutzer, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School.
Personal experience taught me what took medical science years to prove. Having had Lyme before these studies were conducted, I am one of the many who did not benefit from the latest research. Instead, doctors and dermatologists insisted that my severe skin lesions were a bad case of eczema and not an indication of Lyme. I was told to “take it easy,” and “get a handle on my stress levels,” and my skin condition would go away.
Nothing like a life-threatening skin rash to make you a little stressed.
Even after being admitted to the ER with a staff infection due to the increasingly spreading rash, doctors believed that only the bull’s-eye rash would signify Lyme. As a result, proper diagnosis and treatment were significantly delayed. Do not let that happen to you or your loved ones.
Babesiosis
Ticks! How do I hate them? Let me count the ways.
Babesiosis is known as a co-infection frequently accompanying Lyme. But it is no mere side-kick. The latest threat from ticks is not a new disease, but cases seem to be on the rise especially in the northeastern US. Babesiosis is described as a malaria-like illness which can be life-threatening in some people. It is caused by the parasite babesea microti, which invades and destroys the body's red blood cells.
Unlike Lyme disease, Babesiosis will not present with a bullseye rash. Symptoms from the outset are fever, sweats, fatigue, bad headaches and malaise, or a general feeling of un-wellness.
People who are at greatest risk of fatality from Babesiosis:
• are on immuno-suppresant drugs
• lack a spleen
• on chemotherapy
• infants & elderly
Take precautions to prevent exposure to ticks, which can hang out for days on the tips of grasses, and hitch a ride on chipmunks and other rodents if there are no deer around.
In the summertime, ticks are in the nymph stage, at their tiniest. Just to up the ante of the risk, many of us spend more time outdoors enjoying the warm weather and longer days. This means that when you come inside, tick-check time is even more important than ever. Get the kids in the act. Place a full-length mirror in the foyer and establish a habit of helping each other search for uninvited critters.
Be well, for goodness sake!
Babesiosis is known as a co-infection frequently accompanying Lyme. But it is no mere side-kick. The latest threat from ticks is not a new disease, but cases seem to be on the rise especially in the northeastern US. Babesiosis is described as a malaria-like illness which can be life-threatening in some people. It is caused by the parasite babesea microti, which invades and destroys the body's red blood cells.
Unlike Lyme disease, Babesiosis will not present with a bullseye rash. Symptoms from the outset are fever, sweats, fatigue, bad headaches and malaise, or a general feeling of un-wellness.
People who are at greatest risk of fatality from Babesiosis:
• are on immuno-suppresant drugs
• lack a spleen
• on chemotherapy
• infants & elderly
Take precautions to prevent exposure to ticks, which can hang out for days on the tips of grasses, and hitch a ride on chipmunks and other rodents if there are no deer around.
In the summertime, ticks are in the nymph stage, at their tiniest. Just to up the ante of the risk, many of us spend more time outdoors enjoying the warm weather and longer days. This means that when you come inside, tick-check time is even more important than ever. Get the kids in the act. Place a full-length mirror in the foyer and establish a habit of helping each other search for uninvited critters.
Be well, for goodness sake!
How to recognize Lyme symptoms in your child
Probably the most frightening thing, aside from contracting a Lyme infection yourself, is discovering that your child has Lyme. Parents number one role is to protect, after all. We are the first line of defense between our kids and the big, bad world. We’re hardwired to keep broken glass, vampires and werewolves at bay, to say nothing of the lions, tigers and bears. But some adversaries come in small sizes. Sometimes they’re even invisible to the naked eye.
Lyme shares a long list of symptoms with a number of other illnesses. So what sort of treatment do you give if you don’t know the difference between one disease and another? How can you tell whether your kid has the flu or he’s suffering with Lyme? You find your mind racing to find answers, to fill in the blanks. But, you may reason, you never saw a tick so therefore it can’t be Lyme.
One thing we have to bear in mind is that it’s possible to get a tick bite that nobody notices. You may not have seen any ticks on your child, but if he or she was playing in an area where ticks are prone to live, it is possible that your child was exposed.
I’ve heard some medical doctors say that Lyme disease cannot be transmitted from a tick who hasn’t been attached to a person’s skin for less than 24 hours. I’ve heard them say 36 and 48 hours as well. But according to noted researcher and former Yale post doctoral-operative fellow in therapeutic radiology, Dr. Eva Sapi, there is no evidence to suggest that Lyme can’t be contracted in less time than that. She and her research students in Lyme treatment regularly go on tick-gathering forays in the forest near their New Haven, CT research lab. She has seen people contract Lyme disease when a known-to-be infectious tick has only been attached to their skin for an hour or two, no longer.
People often make a mistake in thinking that if the bull’s-eye rash that is so closely associated with Lyme isn’t present, than it just can’t be a Lyme infection. However, that simply doesn’t seem to be the case. Although a Lyme infection can be the most likely suspect if that rash is present, the absence of the rash does not indicated that it isn’t a Lyme infection. So if you haven’t seen a tick, and you don’t detect a skin rash, what do you look for?
Lyme symptoms in your child may include the following:
flu-like body aches that don’t improve with sleep
fever
headache
rash
crushing fatigue that is not relieved with rest
joint pain
sensitivity to florescent lights
night sweats
nausea and vomiting
insomnia
forgetfulness and confusion
If you suspect that your child may have Lyme, please try to find a good Lyme literate doctor. Call ILADS and ask them to give you the name and contact info for the doctor or pediatrician nearest you. Don’t be surprised if a knowledgeable Lyme doctor, who suspects that your child may have a Lyme infection, starts treatment with antibiotics before test results are in. An untreated infection can involve the brain, heart, joints and all the systems of your child’s body. Early treatment for Lyme is so very important, as the disease has three stages. Treatment during stage one is the most reliable way to prevent further progression of the disease.
Lyme shares a long list of symptoms with a number of other illnesses. So what sort of treatment do you give if you don’t know the difference between one disease and another? How can you tell whether your kid has the flu or he’s suffering with Lyme? You find your mind racing to find answers, to fill in the blanks. But, you may reason, you never saw a tick so therefore it can’t be Lyme.
One thing we have to bear in mind is that it’s possible to get a tick bite that nobody notices. You may not have seen any ticks on your child, but if he or she was playing in an area where ticks are prone to live, it is possible that your child was exposed.
I’ve heard some medical doctors say that Lyme disease cannot be transmitted from a tick who hasn’t been attached to a person’s skin for less than 24 hours. I’ve heard them say 36 and 48 hours as well. But according to noted researcher and former Yale post doctoral-operative fellow in therapeutic radiology, Dr. Eva Sapi, there is no evidence to suggest that Lyme can’t be contracted in less time than that. She and her research students in Lyme treatment regularly go on tick-gathering forays in the forest near their New Haven, CT research lab. She has seen people contract Lyme disease when a known-to-be infectious tick has only been attached to their skin for an hour or two, no longer.
People often make a mistake in thinking that if the bull’s-eye rash that is so closely associated with Lyme isn’t present, than it just can’t be a Lyme infection. However, that simply doesn’t seem to be the case. Although a Lyme infection can be the most likely suspect if that rash is present, the absence of the rash does not indicated that it isn’t a Lyme infection. So if you haven’t seen a tick, and you don’t detect a skin rash, what do you look for?
Lyme symptoms in your child may include the following:
flu-like body aches that don’t improve with sleep
fever
headache
rash
crushing fatigue that is not relieved with rest
joint pain
sensitivity to florescent lights
night sweats
nausea and vomiting
insomnia
forgetfulness and confusion
If you suspect that your child may have Lyme, please try to find a good Lyme literate doctor. Call ILADS and ask them to give you the name and contact info for the doctor or pediatrician nearest you. Don’t be surprised if a knowledgeable Lyme doctor, who suspects that your child may have a Lyme infection, starts treatment with antibiotics before test results are in. An untreated infection can involve the brain, heart, joints and all the systems of your child’s body. Early treatment for Lyme is so very important, as the disease has three stages. Treatment during stage one is the most reliable way to prevent further progression of the disease.
Suspecting Lyme disease
// Filed in: Causes of Lyme Disease
Lyme's ability to mimic hundreds of other conditions complicates diagnosis of the disease. When is a skin rash just a skin rash? When it is cause for concern about Lyme disease? What types of rashes are suspect? Clinically diagnosing Lyme can be a complex process requiring intuitive, educated, Lyme literate physicians who won't simply dismiss seemingly unrelated symptoms.