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Lyme rash appears again and again.....

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
The first time I was bit I never saw a rash so it was two years before the doctors believed anything was wrong with me.
I was bit again in 2012 in NC and had a blotchy red rash with streaks on my back. It was sore and also itchy. I only knew this because a few days after we found ticks all over ourselves I was taking a shower and the water hitting my back stung and burned.

Sure enough my husband looked and the rash was there. We took pictures to show the doctor just so this time I could be treated quickly.

Over the years as I have been on different abx..for different symptoms this rash reappears. I always know because my back gets sore again. Almost my entire upper back is all scarred from the streaky rash which looks like cat scratches and then heals to a scab.

I started abx again a month ago and once again the rash has appeared. I am wondering if anyone at all has any input on what is going on. I can only think that the abx are awaking the bacteria and it is showing up in the form of the original rash. How in the world after 2 years and all the abx could there still be anything in there to kill off....

Or is it just the old antibodies from the bite that are coming up in the form of a rash. Any ideas? Even my Lyme doctor is puzzled as to why this happens....it is always in the same place as the original.

I know Lyme is not solely responsible for my symptoms as I have many CFS as well...
 

duncan

Senior Member
Messages
2,240
Frequently, Lyme bites go unnoticed - maybe as much 30 to 40% of the times, if not more, if memory serves me. One of the reasons for this is that the tick saliva has agents which numb the site of the bite. That yours was sore and itchy makes me wonder if it were indeed a tick bite, or if you were experiencing an allergic reaction of some kind to the tick. The fact that the rash seems to be triggered by abx to me supports the notion it is a tick bite, but I am no doctor.

I am wondering about Bartonella henselae - cat scratch fever - or Babesia, if it is due to a tick. If you have not already been checked for TBDs over and beyond Borrelia, you may wish to. Unfortunately, the tests for these coinfections are not all that good at detecting them, or differentiating between old infections and new.

I am pretty sure I can guess what mainstream Lyme would say: One of its proponents would argue each time the rash appears it's a NEW infection. I wouldn't buy that explanation for a millisecond...The thing to remember is you can have Lyme AND any one or more of several TBD coinfections - they often come bundled, not unlike cable services. :)
 
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Martial

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Ventura, CA
Like Minkey said definitely sounds like bartonella infection is a possible co infection going on, one of its hallmark is cat scratch like rashes and streaks. Interestingly enough one of the alternative names for it is "Cat Scratch Fever" because the bacteria in cat's nails can get into the blood and bring on the infection. You should also look into natural anti microbiol protocols like a Dr. Stephen Buhner, or Dr. Lee Cowden, long term antibiotics has a pretty pure success rate alone in the treatment of chronic lyme, also a host of side effects and candida issues that can develop. Lyme disease and its co infections can cause any kind of symptoms on the planet as well lol.
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Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
@soxfan

I agree about looking into Bartonella as rashes often appear with antibiotic treatment. A large percentage of people bitten by infected ticks get more than one co-infection.

Sushi
 

fibrodude84

Senior Member
Messages
191
Mainstream would argue it's a new infection but I have had my rash reappear too. I don't know for certain if it is/was lyme but it all went downhill after.
 
Messages
15,786
I started abx again a month ago and once again the rash has appeared. I am wondering if anyone at all has any input on what is going on. I can only think that the abx are awaking the bacteria and it is showing up in the form of the original rash. How in the world after 2 years and all the abx could there still be anything in there to kill off....
If you weren't consistently on antibiotics for long enough, or the right antibiotics, or the right combination of antibiotics, you might not have succeeded in completely killing off borrelia and/or bartonella.

If your back rash is disappearing, I don't think that fits with the typical bartonella rash, but I'm not sure. It should look exactly like stretch marks (though sometimes in odd places and odd directions), and I think they're just as permanent.

I have gotten more bartonella marks while on antibiotics. In fact, my first batch of marks, several years before getting ME, appeared while I was taking a short course of antibiotics (azithromycin I think), and I had a three-week hemiplegic migraine start immediately after. They also flared up when starting on Lyme treatment a few months ago, and a bunch of new ones appeared as well.

I also had a streaky and blotchy red rash appear and spread very quickly while on Lyme treatment, but only once. It was red and very hot to the touch, but not raised or itchy. Though I didn't try applying hot water to it, so maybe that would have triggered a bit more discomfort :D
 

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
Some of the streaks are thick and random on my back...like they can either be horizontal or vertical. Then some look like a cat scratch which are red and then scabs over just like if a cat actually scratched you. The rash does disappear in about a week and I am left with those scars all over my back....The rash isn't hot to the touch and I think because my skin is so sensitive on my back now that when it is inflamed the water just makes it feel sore and burning...


Then I also have these things that look like papules which pop up randomly as well. I know that it was a tick bite back in 2012 as we were in a state park and between the three of us we found a total of 18 ticks on our bodies.


My husband and son got doxy because they actually found some attached. Apparently I had a hidden tick which proceeded to then bite me. The doctor they saw said they were deer ticks (nymphs) as we saved one in a bag.

I have been treated numerous times for Bart/Lyme and am once again on abx again.

I am thinking my best bet would to see a dermatologist and see what he thinks....I could try and post a picture of them but I am not too good at figuring that out...