If you have a circular rash anywhere on your body after being bitten or in contact with a deer tick, or after being in an area where ticks may reside, you could be infected with Lyme disease.
The Lyme disease rash is a sign that you are already infected.
Many people receive a rash when they have been infected by a deer tick carrying Lyme bacteria. Reports say between 70 and 80 percent of people with Lyme disease will have a rash. This number also tells us that even if you don’t have a rash, you can still have Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a condition you do not want to leave untreated as it can progress and cause widespread damage throughout the body. The more you know about the disease, especially about the rash associated with Lyme disease, the quicker you can get medical help to eliminate it.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the Lyme disease rash.
Lyme Rash Specifics
Erythema migrans is the technical name for the Lyme disease rash. It often looks like a red bullseye and can circle the area where the tick bit you, or it can appear anywhere else on your body. The rash can even occur in areas difficult to see, so it is more difficult for some people to connect their symptoms with Lyme disease.
The rash can vary in size from just a couple of inches up to 12 inches or more. Furthermore, you may discover the rash anywhere between one week up to 30 days of being infected with Lyme.
For some, the rash will feel warm to the touch. Additional symptoms may be connected to the rash. You may have headaches, fever, chills, aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
You must pay attention to your symptoms and give them treatment. Getting a Lyme disease diagnosis is difficult because many general practitioners misdiagnose symptoms. This happens because symptoms can mimic other illnesses, even mental health disorders.
The sooner you seek help and testing, the better chance you have of getting a correct diagnosis, which can help you avoid much more painful symptoms down the road.
Lyme Rash and Diagnosis
The best-case scenario involves you seeing a tick on your body, pulling the tick off your body, and saving it in an airtight container. And after you develop a circular rash, your doctor can be confident your symptoms are that of Lyme disease.
Your doctor can then immediately start you on a strong dose of antibiotics to fight the Lyme infection and eliminate it from your body before it starts to spread. Ideally, this takes place within the first few days of developing a Lyme rash.
This does not happen for many, however.
Why Doctors Get It Wrong
General practitioners are great at diagnosing and treating common ailments. Unless they are specialized in treating Lyme disease, though, they can make errors. They are not bad doctors; they are just not properly trained in treating Lyme disease.
As mentioned, Lyme disease symptoms can mimic other diseases. Depression and Anxiety, Coronavirus or COVID19, the flu, Lupus, and many other ailments are known to make you feel aches and pains in your joints and bones, mental confusion, mood swings, and inflammation.
You can see how easy it would be for a non-Lyme disease specialist to accidentally misdiagnose, and therefore, mistreat your symptoms. You must find a Lyme literate doctor if you have developed a Lyme rash or simply think you may have the disease.
Lyme Literate Doctors
Lyme literate doctors are extensively trained in all things related to Lyme disease, from symptoms to modern treatments.
Just as Psychiatrists are specialists in the field of mental health, and OBGYNs are specialists in the field of female reproduction, Lyme literate doctors are specialists in Lyme-related illness.
A Lyme literate doctor will have training above their medical degree. They will be involved with research, conferences, journals, and reports in this field. In addition, they will have connections with other Lyme literate doctors around the world. They may be located outside the United States, which should not be a factor in seeking treatment.
You should want to get the most modern, effective treatment, no matter where that treatment is provided. A Lyme literate doctor will be able to offer you multiple treatment options, not just a round of antibiotics.
Treatment Options
Lyme disease treatments are advancing, and doctors have a range of options that can be modified to meet your Lyme disease needs. They understand there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. that antibiotics do not work for everyone, and that alternative methods work.
Some treatment options available by Lyme literate doctors include therapeutic blood and plasma apheresis, in which your infected blood and plasma are replaced with healthy blood and plasma.
Other treatments include oxidative therapies, anti-viral protocols, hormone replacement therapies, immune-boosting techniques, and parasite inactivation. Yet still, there are more.
Your treatment plan will be created with your Lyme literate doctor. This will be based on your specific symptoms, how long you have had Lyme disease, your health and medical histories, and your preferences.
Lyme literate doctors find a multi-disciplinary plan works the best. They also stress that prevention of Lyme disease is essential. You don’t want to eliminate Lyme from your system, then turn right around and get it again.
Prevention
You can do things to avoid getting Lyme disease, and it starts with preventing the infected deer tick from attaching to your body. If you go into woody areas, be prepared. Wear protective shoes and clothing that make it hard for a tick to reach your skin.
Shower soon after returning from the outdoors. Check your body, all parts, after being outdoors. Also, check your pets since ticks love all warm bodies. If you see a rash, even a small one, don’t shrug it off and assume it is nothing.
Finally, if you aren’t sure, or suspect you may have Lyme, seek help from a professional who knows.