Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I had what the doctor suspected *might* be Lyme's disease, and was
    treated for the disease.  My symptoms were the bullseye (which
    disappears after a few weeks), mild flu (lasted less than a day), and
    achy joints (thought I was developing arthritis in my wrists).  I never
    saw the insect that bit me.
    
    The difficulty is that the blood test is NOT DEFINITIVE until you've
    been infected for about 6 weeks.  By this time, many people have
    entered stage 2 and are sustaining permanent physiological damage.  So
    my doctor elected to go ahead and treat me as a "stage 1 Lyme's
    disease" case, knowing it might very well be a wild goose chase.  All
    that's involved is a 30-day course of tetracycline, which I regard as a
    very small price to pay to be certain.  
    
    By contrast, our favorite auto mechanic has been forced to retire at
    the ripe old age of 26 because of Lyme's.  He didn't see the bullseye
    and they didn't get a diagnosis for 6 months.  He's been hospitalized
    several times for MONTHS in the last three years due to severe
    respiratory distress. He's legally blind and his knees are so bad he
    can barely walk.
    
    In general, I strongly disagree with taking drugs as a shot-in-the-dark
    treatment for something I'm not sure I have.  I felt "this COULD be
    Lyme's disease" was a justifiable exception to that philosophy.  Other
    people will have other opinions.
    
    Beth

    Like the previous noter, my daughter was "thought to have Lyme
    disease".  It started with a "bulls eye", it got very large in size. 
    At first, my husband and I thought nothing of it.  I was putting
    Calamine lotion on it and it seemed to be helping.  As soon as I
    stopped, the bulls eye started to get very large again.  This was over
    a two week period.  I then called my doctor.  He examined her and said
    he thought very strongly that it was phase 1 of Lyme disease.  She was
    immediately put on Amoxicillan (not sure of spelling) for two weeks.
    
    Needless to say, the anti-biotic helped alot.  The bulls eye did leave
    a very large discoloration on her back though.
    
    My doctor told me that alot of times, people don't get help quick
    enough because if the rash disappears they think they are all right. 
    But if that rash re-appears, even in a different place, that is a
    pretty sure sign that something is not right.
    
    Also, small children can't always tell you if they have achey joints,
    so they rash tends to be the biggest clue.
    
    Hope this helps,
    
    Lisa

    
    
    	RE: Bullseye
    
    	Can anyone describe exactly what a bullseye rash would
    	look like?? Obviously, I'm assuming it looks similar to
    	a bullseye on an archery target..
    	
    	white in the middle and red around it?  Red in the middle
    	and white around it???
    
    	Just want to be aware!
    	/Kim

    The "bullseye" is light in the middle with a dark ring around it.  Note
    that other things can also produce this kind of mark:  ringworm, and
    something I can't spell but it's pronounced like "piddorya rosea".
    
    Beth

    Is there only one at the site of the bite, or do you get it all
    over?
    
    --bonnie

	Re: .1

	I agree that the blood test is not always an effective method of
detecting Lyme's disease. Neither is the rash. I've heard of many cases
where the rash never appeared.

	A friend of mine's daughter was diagnosed two years ago with Lyme's
disease...she was 5 yrs. at the time. No tick was found, and she did not
have a rash. However, she was very sick to her stomach and was always tired
and lethargic (not her normal self) before her mother took her to the doctor.
I don't remember all the details, but I know that she was in stage 2 before
Lymes was diagnosed.

	From what I've read, people tend to respond differently to the 
antibiotics, also. Maybe depending on how early the disease is diagnosed.

	I also agree with .1 that if one suspects Lyme's disease, and you
live in an area where Lyme's disease is very prevalent (which I do), then
I would opt to take the drugs early on, instead of waiting to see what 
happens. I have heard that there is work being done on a vaccine, but it
won't be available for a number of years.

	Since I have recently moved to an area where there is a large number
of reported cases of Lyme's disease, the best protection is prevention...
Check yourself and your children every day!


Carol

RE: .4

Pytiosys Rosea is the thing you can't spell - I'm not sure I can either,
but I had it.

It starts with a quarter size itchy spot somewhere on the body.  It is not
bulls-eye shaped.  The other spots spread out from the first one and they
are smaller than the first.  Most of mine were about 1/4" diameter.  Also,
the whole rash tends to form in one direction.  What I mean is that the spots
are elliptical and they all line up with the long axis in one general direction.
It itches like crazy.  The other interesting fact is that the rash is
similar in appearance to the one caused by second stage syphylis (can't spell 
that either), so it is common to have a blood test for that to rule it out.

PR tends to occur in the spring; apparently March is the most common month.
They don't know what causes it, it isn't contagious.  If you get is once, you
have a very large probability that you will again (something like 90%).

I've seen pictures of the Lyme disease bulls-eye, and it is much, much bigger
that the start spot of PR (like a factor of 10 or more).

    I just got back from the pedi's office with David.  Last week, after
    playing in the woods at my mother's house, he came home with several
    bug bites.  Typical, for a little 19 month old in shorts and t-shirt. 
    One was especially large, about the size of a quarter.  It stayed red
    and inflamed-looking for 4 days, then developed into a bull's eye. He
    is now taking pennicillin for 2 weeks, after which time he will have a
    blood test to check for Lyme Disease.  His doctor has given him 2X the
    dosage that she would for strep throat because that is the recommended
    agressive dosage for stage 1.  She said the latest info. is that the
    blood test can detect the disease 2 weeks after the appearance of the
    bull's eye.  From the spot on David's arm, I wouldn't call it a "rash".
    It looks more like a ring of pinpoint pricks around a mosquito bite. 
    The skin under the ring is white.  A rash, to me, is more of a bumpy
    surface on inflamed skin.  The spot itself didn't seem to bother David.
    He didn't complain, didn't scratch, etc.  
    Sarah