Could It Be Lyme Disease? Symptoms and Diagnosis

[Evo]

Something bit the back of my leg near the knee the other day. Tonight I felt a lump and looked in the mirror and saw a pink spot where the lump is surrounded by a ring, I killed a couple of deer ticks within the last week.

The picture is blurry because I'm trying to take a picture behind my knee, I have a fever and feeling pretty bad all day. I'm going back to sleep.

What do you guys think?

 

[Cyrus]

wow...how do you hurt yourself this much?

Evos new pic.

 

[gravenewworld]

Something bit the back of my leg near the knee the other day. Tonight I felt a lump and looked in the mirror and saw a pink spot where the lump is surrounded by a ring, I killed a couple of deer ticks within the last week.

The picture is blurry because I'm trying to take a picture behind my knee, I have a fever and feeling pretty bad all day. I'm going back to sleep.

What do you guys think?

Yes. Seek IMMEDIATE medical attention. A bullseye surrounding where the tick bit you is a major sign of lyme disease.

 

[rootX]

Something bit the back of my leg near the knee the other day. Tonight I felt a lump and looked in the mirror and saw a pink spot where the lump is surrounded by a ring, I killed a couple of deer ticks within the last week.

The picture is blurry because I'm trying to take a picture behind my knee, I have a fever and feeling pretty bad all day. I'm going back to sleep.

What do you guys think?

I get small ones all the time ... They are usually less than 0.5 cm in diameter.
I always feel better when I ignore them and pretty bad when I don't.

your looks scary! I never got rings

 

[B. Elliott]

Yes. Seek IMMEDIATE medical attention. A bullseye surrounding where the tick bit you is a major sign of lyme disease.

Definitely! Go see a doc immediately Evo!...

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=lyme disease&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

 

[Astronuc]

That doesn't look good.

http://www.riversideonline.com/health_reference/Infectious-Disease/DS00116.cfm

Signs and Symptoms:

• Rash. A small, red bump may appear within a few days to a month at the site of the tick bite — often in your groin, belt area or behind your knee. It may be warm to the touch and mildly tender. Over the next few days, the redness expands, forming a rash that may be as small as a dime or as large as 12 inches across. It often resembles a bull's-eye, with a red ring surrounding a clear area and a red center. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, affecting about 80 percent of infected people. If you're allergic to tick saliva, redness may develop at the site of a tick bite. The redness usually fades within a week. This is not the same as erythema migrans, which tends to expand and get redder over time.
• Flu-like symptoms. A fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
• Migratory joint pain. If the infection remains untreated, you may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling several weeks to months after you're infected. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
• Neurological problems. In some cases, inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and poor muscle movement may occur weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection. Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood or sleep habits also can be symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease.
• Less common signs and symptoms. Some people may experience heart problems — such as an irregular heartbeat — several weeks after infection, but this rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks. Eye inflammation, hepatitis and severe fatigue are possible as well.
• Skin problems. In Europe, people with advanced Lyme disease may develop skin nodules and patches of thinning skin on their hands, elbows or knees.

Rash - http://www.riversideonline.com/source/images/image_popup/thumbs/r7_lymerashthu.jpg


Get on antibiotics (Doxycycline) ASAP.

Oral antibiotics — usually doxycycline for adults and children older than 8, or amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil for adults and younger children — are the standard treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. These drugs often clear the infection and prevent complications. A 14- to 21-day course of antibiotics is usually recommended, but some studies suggest that courses lasting 10 to 14 days are equally effective. In some cases, longer treatment has been linked to serious complications.

If the disease has progressed, your doctor may recommend treatment with an intravenous antibiotic for 14 to 28 days. This is usually effective, although it may take some time to recover. Intravenous antibiotics can cause various side effects, including a lower white blood cell count, gallstones and mild to severe diarrhea.

If I had a rash like that, I'd see my doctor ASAP for a test. Lyme disease is rather common in our area, and I periodically find ticks in the brush, and occasionally on the dog. I've had to remove ticks from myself, but I've never had a rash like that.

 

[scorpa]

Get to a doctor asap, lyme disease isn't something to mess with.

 

[LowlyPion]

Ditto. See a doctor immediately. It's not something to fool around with. The complications can be long lasting and profound.

The sooner treatment is initiated the better.

 

[WarPhalange]

Oh God, I'm so sorry Evo. :(

Hope everything turns out okay...

 

[LowlyPion]

And yes hopefully it is not Lyme disease.

Diagnosis via blurry jpg is not exact. And we can surely hope that there is a more benign explanation. But if deer ticks are common in your area and you killed any on you recently, then you must eliminate it as a possibility as quickly as practical.

Best of luck and good wishes

 

[mgb_phys]

In the same way that Railway locamotives are named for famous people/places - do you think that the local paramedics could just name one of their ambulances after Evo? And ideally have it standing by at her house!

Get well soon Evo. If it is Lyme's disease the antibiotics are usually effective, but don't wait around.

 

[iBop]

This thread should be in Medical science forum,
I hope everyone knows about this medical care

 

[lisab]

Go ASAP, Evo!

Maybe you should date a doctor...? Just out of convenience, you know?

 

[russ_watters]

Evo, it's you - do you really need to ask if it's Lyme disease? Of course it is.

 

[Andre]

Sure looks like it. Evo, please, hurry to the docter, time is crucial.

 

[Redbelly98]

I get small ones all the time ... They are usually less than 0.5 cm in diameter.
I always feel better when I ignore them and pretty bad when I don't.

your looks scary! I never got rings

Those rings make all the difference in the world! The "bullseye rash" is a classic symptom of a lyme-disease bite!

Lyme disease can be cured if treated early. It can also cause permanent brain/nervous system damage if not treated early.

Evo, see a doctor today!

 

[Chi Meson]

I live in Groton, Connecticut, which is two towns over from Lyme, Connecticut. I've caught the b*****d tick disease twice. Everyone above is correct. Last time I went in with the rash, the RNP said no blood test was necessary because the rash itself was "pathological."

BTW, there are 3 difference bacterial diseases carried by those deer ticks.

The deer ticks are primarily carried around by mice, so the danger zones are mouse-friendly areas. And cats who eat the mice will often bring the ticks indoors with them, then sleep on your bed and leave the little b*****ds on your pillow!

 

[~christina~]

hmm..what can the doctor do about a rash like this?
Do they give you antibiotics?

I have tick antibodies..but I don't remember being bitten by one. From what everyone else mentioned, I see that you don't always get a bull eye rash.

Why would some people get a rash whilst, others would not?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I'm not going to do a Bill Frist on you but ...
Don't panic. Do see a doctor. The image you sent is not what lyme disease looks like. I had a rash that looked like yours myself and went to the doctor with it (as, I repeat, you should do). It turned out to be harmless as yours likely is. But see a doctor anyway, or I'll lose my license to practice quackery over the internet.

Here are a couple of pictures of the bull's eye pattern of lyme disease.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease"

 

[Cvan]

Why would some people get a rash whilst, others would not?

Not all ticks carry lyme disease.

 

[mgb_phys]

And it takes about 24hours for the Lyme disease to be transmitted, if you are careful to check for and remove ticks after a hike you are safer.

 

[~christina~]

Not all ticks carry lyme disease.

Um I now remember having a rash that was worse looking than the one Evo has.
I survived though.
I thought it was a tick bite but..I've never seen ticks, where I live. I ignored it and it went away.

Oh noes, I read that it affects the knees if not treated. I have serious problems with my knees, they hurt and etc. O.O

Ah, Go to the doctor Evo, before it looks like this => http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/images/rheumpix/Erythema_migrans_2.jpg (my bite looked like the first one)

 

[NeoDevin]

Isn't it against guidelines to ask for diagnoses on this forum?

 

[mgb_phys]

Isn't it against guidelines to ask for diagnoses on this forum?

Evo is a special case!

 

[Evo]

Isn't it against guidelines to ask for diagnoses on this forum?

No, we discourage people looking for a diagnosis and warn that any ideas are not a diagnosis.

I managed to get a better look at whatever it is and it appears to be a bug bite inside a ringed bruise.

Searching on ring-shaped bruise the first link is to a report of what the person believes to be an alien abduction.

Silly me, I have a pink lump encircled by a ring and think "bug bite" when the obvious first thought should have been ALIEN ABDUCTION!

http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/016/S16009.html

 

[LowlyPion]

Silly me, I have a pink lump encircled by a ring and think "bug bite" when the obvious first thought should have been ALIEN ABDUCTION!

It may be an alien invasion however.

So what does the doctor say?

Or haven't you gone yet?

 

[Evo]

It may be an alien invasion however.

So what does the doctor say?

Or haven't you gone yet?

Haven't gone since it's bruising, not a rash, I finally managed to get my leg up to the bathroom mirror where there was more light. The ring is supposed to be a rash, not bruising. The little pink bump inside I'd say is definitely a bite (or alien injection site), which might have caused a pre-existing bruise to clear out around it, causing the appearance of a ring.

 

[Moonbear]

Evo, still get it checked by a doctor, especially if you're getting feverish symptoms. It doesn't have to be Lyme disease, but it still could be a bacterial infection from the bite...or complications from your broken arm mending, or your stomach surgery healing, or, well, with you, anything. You need to find yourself a nice ER doc to marry to save yourself so many trips to the ER.

 

[LowlyPion]

Haven't gone since it's bruising, not a rash, I finally managed to get my leg up to the bathroom mirror where there was more light. The ring is supposed to be a rash, not bruising. The little pink bump inside I'd say is definitely a bite (or alien injection site), which might have caused a pre-existing bruise to clear out around it, causing the appearance of a ring.

I'm wondering why that sounds so much like a rationalization not to have a professional look at it?

Let's see. Safe / Sorry ... hmmmm. Which to choose?

 

[turbo]

Go see a doctor, Evo! You can't expect that everybody will have the same symptoms/physical reaction, and the potential long-term effects of untreated Lyme are nasty. My 2nd cousin and her husband lived not far from Lyme and he was an avid outdoorsman. He was diagnosed only long after the disease had gotten him, and he went from strong, quick-witted and fit to being crippled with pain, constantly tired, and unable to carry on coherent conversations. It was really sad. He started getting sick around 1970 and 4-5 years later, he was a wreck.

 

[Moonbear]

Go see a doctor, Evo! You can't expect that everybody will have the same symptoms/physical reaction, and the potential long-term effects of untreated Lyme are nasty. My 2nd cousin and her husband lived not far from Lyme and he was an avid outdoorsman. He was diagnosed only long after the disease had gotten him, and he went from strong, quick-witted and fit to being crippled with pain, constantly tired, and unable to carry on coherent conversations. It was really sad. He started getting sick around 1970 and 4-5 years later, he was a wreck.

Precisely. Not everyone who gets Lyme disease develops the characteristic rash. If you've been bitten by a tick and are developing feverish symptoms, you NEED to see a doctor. If Lyme disease goes undetected, as turbo said, it can be quite debilitating. If treated early, a full recovery can be expected. You're out in a part of the country where other tick-borne diseases are prevalent too, so even if it's not Lyme disease, it could be something else serious. Or, you could be experiencing some other complications of your other recent surgeries and injuries unrelated to the bug bite and are blaming the bug.

(Hey, I was stuck inside a lot the other day with thunderstorms hitting the area and watched WAY too much Discovery Health channel and all those Mystery Diagnosis type shows...there was a guy who thought he just had a spider bite, and it turns out it was a MRSA infection that he ended up dying from because it spread all over before he finally decided he was sick enough to call 911. The doctor on the show commented that too often spiders get blamed for everything, when nobody claiming to get a spider bite has actually seen the spider. I think that might apply to other bug bites too...afterall, how many high school kids do you know who seemed to mysteriously get bitten on the neck by a mosquito in the middle of winter? )

 

[Evo]

and he went from strong, quick-witted and fit to being crippled with pain, constantly tired, and unable to carry on coherent conversations.

I'm already at that stage.

 

[JasonRox]

I'm already at that stage.

I'm sorry but I can't see past this joke because the seriousness of this issue and how you're basically ignoring it.

And like everyone said, go see a doctor.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Yes, doctor, Now! Evo, I will ban you from PF if you do not go! (half joking)

 

[hypatia]

She better be at the Dr. right now.

 

[binzing]

Evo, still get it checked by a doctor, especially if you're getting feverish symptoms. It doesn't have to be Lyme disease, but it still could be a bacterial infection from the bite...or complications from your broken arm mending, or your stomach surgery healing, or, well, with you, anything. You need to find yourself a nice ER doc to marry to save yourself so many trips to the ER.

Why not MOVE INTO the ER?

 

[russ_watters]

I managed to get a better look at whatever it is and it appears to be a bug bite inside a ringed bruise.

On the back of your knee, it could also be ringworm. Either way, that's something you should go to the doctor for.

 

[Evo]

I'm sorry but I can't see past this joke because the seriousness of this issue and how you're basically ignoring it.

And like everyone said, go see a doctor.

If my arms were two feet longer, I could take a better picture that would show that the ring is indeed a bruise. You can now make out the purple and yellow colors. It is apparently some freak thing that occured. The swollen "lump" is actually a swollen "line" about an inch long.

I am attaching a new picture, this time taken with my phone.

 

[turbo]

Evo, go seek the opinion of a medical doctor. "Bruising" can also be a symptom of a bite. Brown recluse spiders can cause pretty spectacular "bruising" as their venom is a strong anticoagulant. Chance are, you are OK, but if you have an infection (Lyme or not) that goes untreated, the consequences can be serious. Please stop playing around with this.

 

[Andre]

problem is, Evo, that you can't compare anecdotal evidence of similar symtoms of otherwise healthy youngsters in a much more complex situation like yourself are in, with all the other medical things going. Please listen to Turbo.

 

[binzing]

Just go to the damn doctor, you may as well. They'll prolly find something else even if this is harmless...

 

[Astronuc]

Like everyone else says - please go to the doctor. Unless someone gave your knee a hicky, that is high abnormal. It could be a tick bite, or a spider bite, so you need a blood test to rule out Lyme or other tick-borne disease. The consequences are too severe not to do the test.

The brown recluse spider bites also need treatment since skin necrosis may result. A friends mother needed several skin grafts near one of ankles where she was bitten by a brown recluse. It never really healed properly and it cause complications - more than a decade ago.

Anyway, if one has a fever after breaking the arm, the surgery, the bug/tick bite, it really is a good time to see the doctor again.

 

[Evo]

Ok, they worked me in (he's just two blocks away) and he said it looks like I had a bruise and now a bug bit me inside the bruised area.

Or I was experimented on by Aliens, he said it's a tough call.

He's calling in a cream that I'll have to pick up later. Works on bug bites and Alien injections.

So there.

 

[maze]

You have got to be some kind of idiot to get these symptoms and not go to the doctor. Are you too poor/dont have health insurance or something?

EDIT scratch that, posted 1 min too late...

 

[lisab]

WooHoo!

So which came first, the bug bite or the bruise ?

 

[hypatia]

Oh I'm so glad it was just a alien experiment ! I'm glad you went.

 

[Evo]

WooHoo!

So which came first, the bug bite or the bruise ?

He said I'd had the bruise a couple of days from how it was dissipating. He said if I hadn't been bitten I probably never would have noticed it. He's right

Oh I'm so glad it was just a alien experiment ! I'm glad you went.

Just in case, I'm buying some Hot Shot alien strips, guaranteed to stop aliens in their tracks!

 

[mgb_phys]

He said if I hadn't been bitten I probably never would have noticed it. He's right

Against the backgorund level of Evo injuries anything less than losing a limb is probably difficult to detect!

Get well soon (why isn't there a bunch of flowers smiley?)

 

[lisab]

Just in case, I'm buying some Hot Shot alien strips, guaranteed to stop aliens in their tracks!

A simple aluminum foil hat works wonders, I've found.

 

[Evo]

If anyone wants to feel sorry for me, I cut up a jalapeno and even though I thoroughly washed my hands, there was still enough on there that when I stuck my finger up my nose, well, you know...

Oh, and food is still getting stuck in my esophagus and when I try to swallow I end up vomiting up whatever was stuck that didn't make it into my stomach.