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friend has bulls-eye spot on arm-what advice should I give?

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Posted 7/19/2017 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
My friend went to the doctor today because over the weekend she found a quarter sized reddish bulls-eye spot on her arm. She said she pulled something out of her arm that she thought was a tick. (She showed the thing to me and it didn't exactly look like a tick, but I'm no bug expert so I don't know what it was.)

To me her bulls-eye spot does look sort of lyme-like. Again, I'm no expert. But whatever is on her arm is definitely suspicious looking.

The doctor today said her bulls-eye spot was too small to be "lymes" disease. He also said lots of bugs can bite [no, really?!] and maybe this wasn't even from a tick. He didn't seem overly concerned [surprise surprise] and he wouldn't give her any antibiotics.

I'm not sure what to do. I love my friend and I don't want her to go through the hell I've gone through with lyme disease. Back in May she told me that she pulled what was definitely a tick off her leg; it had bitten her, but there was no rash. I begged her to go to the doctor then but she wouldn't. She experienced some odd physical symptoms in late June, but said they went away after a few days and attributed them to stress.

I don't know if she has lyme disease or not, and maybe I'm just being paranoid because of what I've gone through. She knows a lot about lyme from hearing me talk about it, but I'm not sure what advice to give her now. I did tell her she needs to have a western blot test done. What else should I recommend that she do?! I don't think she's going to be willing to go to a LLMD.
Posted 7/19/2017 5:46 PM (GMT -5)
If she was bit and has a bulls eye rash - she should treat until sign/symptom free for four weeks

Maybe describe to her what can happen if she doesn't treat - does she know what you've gone through? Tell her again what you've had to endure.
Explain that if it turns chronic it is more difficult to treat.

Can she go to another Dr? A walk in clinic?
Posted 7/19/2017 5:48 PM (GMT -5)
She doesn't need a WB - she has a bite with a bullseye .

A WB may be too soon for her body to produce the antibodies for a positive result on a WB.
Posted 7/19/2017 6:30 PM (GMT -5)
I agree with Girlie. I have had 2 close friends get a bit and a bull's eye rash. Unless it is ring worm, there is nothing but lyme that makes a bull's eye rash.

Both went to the clinic and got doxy and it was just the minimum, but they started the doxy the day of the bite. Neither have gotten sick with lyme symptoms. I just keep my fingers crossed because

1) I wonder if lyme is still in them? Could it appear after a stressful event?

2) I know that the minimum was probably not enough?

I feel like I want to make an herbal kit for new tick bite victims.
Posted 7/19/2017 6:49 PM (GMT -5)
Please encourage her to get proper treatment for the recommended time 😊
Posted 7/19/2017 7:10 PM (GMT -5)

PeteZa said...
I agree with Girlie. I have had 2 close friends get a bit and a bull's eye rash. Unless it is ring worm, there is nothing but lyme that makes a bull's eye rash.

Both went to the clinic and got doxy and it was just the minimum, but they started the doxy the day of the bite. Neither have gotten sick with lyme symptoms. I just keep my fingers crossed because

1) I wonder if lyme is still in them? Could it appear after a stressful event?

2) I know that the minimum was probably not enough?

I feel like I want to make an herbal kit for new tick bite victims.

When you say minimum - do you mean 200 mg daily?
Posted 7/20/2017 4:13 AM (GMT -5)

PeteZa said...
I agree with Girlie. I have had 2 close friends get a bit and a bull's eye rash. Unless it is ring worm, there is nothing but lyme that makes a bull's eye rash.

Both went to the clinic and got doxy and it was just the minimum, but they started the doxy the day of the bite. Neither have gotten sick with lyme symptoms. I just keep my fingers crossed because

1) I wonder if lyme is still in them? Could it appear after a stressful event?

2) I know that the minimum was probably not enough?

I feel like I want to make an herbal kit for new tick bite victims.

yep i would put oil of oregano on it and get on clinical doses of andrographis , houttynia and artminsin just to make sure she does not become one of us ....
Posted 7/20/2017 11:29 AM (GMT -5)

bluelyme said...


yep i would put oil of oregano on it and get on clinical doses of andrographis , houttynia and artminsin just to make sure she does not become one of us ....

Nope - she doesn't want a membership for our club
Posted 7/20/2017 11:58 AM (GMT -5)
Thanks, everyone, for your responses. I'm going to talk to her later today, hopefully she will understand the seriousness of the situation. And even though I have met some amazing people in the club, including everyone here on healing well, I do not want her to become a member!
Posted 7/20/2017 2:52 PM (GMT -5)
Agree w/ the others

According to the IDSA's guidelines (the STRICTEST), the appearance of the bulls-eye (erythema migrans or EM rash) is all that is required for prohylactic doses of abx.

However, MDs sometimes argue (because of the way the guidelines are written) that this includes a very short period of doses.

So it's a good argument for the PRESENCE of the microbe in the absence of testing or positive tests or an MD who knows what he/she is doing...

Also, the rash topic is pretty confusing. Many rashes look the same and not all are EM. And some EMs look very different than bulls-eye. They can be different shades of red, they can be very small or gigantic. They can come and go (I didn't develop the until after I started abx). It can confuse the best. But with all the information available right now, no other infection can cause a bulls eye (that's probably not entirely true, either but that is the conventional thinking and that can work in our interests, usually).

Sorry if this was already mentioned - please have her take GOOD images of the bite and rash, and mark the perimeter of the rash (with just a few dots so that it's not real obvious) and document w/ photography any growth or changes in the rash. This isn't useful except with MDs who don't really know what they're doing and need more info so the rash info does help.

-p

Post Edited (Pirouette) : 7/20/2017 1:56:41 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/20/2017 3:15 PM (GMT -5)
Also - the EM Rash IS Lyme disease. It's a sign/symptom of LD.

So, you don't wait for it to progress to more symptoms...that alone is indication you need to treat.
I wouldn't even call it prophylactic....

Prophylactic would be treating a tick bite that hasn't developed into an EM (yet)
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