Reintroducing Questions about Red Dot Rash

I've been having swollen calves, ankles, and feet ever since a major herx I had in December, where my feet got so swollen I could hardly put on my shoes. I have had slightly swollen calves/ankles for a year or so (before I ever suspected Lyme). And there's been more of this red-dot kind of rash in the same area. Looks like pettechiae, to me--small, dark red freckles? And I don't have freckles. My left foot has remained swollen, reddish/purple skin color and migrating pain in my toes/feet--and there are faint stretch marks in the skin. Hurts to walk, at times. Also, major fatigue in my legs, especially lower legs when I'm walking uphill. Feels like oxygen hunger in my legs.

https://photos.google.com/album/af1qipnxcim3wdorhjpbgg8wehk1jm4h9byb78x1qfe

My LL PA says it doesn't look like Babesia, although that's what I'm being treated for at this point in the PA's protocol (essentially Dr. J's). Amoxicillin, Septra, Malarone, and the herbs Cryptolepis, Artemisinin, and Enula, along with Xylitol. She thinks it could be vascular problem (claudication?). Poor circulation in the legs, possibly due to pinched nerve in spine (I've got Spondylolisthesis--dislocated vertebrae.) I just don't know. Maybe both: circulation and Babesia?

Post Edited (BlueRidgeDave) : 2/19/2020 11:46:30 AM (GMT-7)

I couldn’t see the image

Is it tiny red dots?

I guess time will tell - if you keep treating the red dots should resolve.

The stretch marks are possibly Bartonella - even though you’re on Babesia treatment, bactrim can kill bart, too.

Your swollen legs / feet. Did the Dr ever suggest gene testing for circulation issues? Two well known ones any normal lab can do. If you have them, the infection could have some influence in activating these too- we dont know this stuff yet. Either way, swelling in the extremities warrants these tests to be done. This is the cause of DVT in legs and can be fatal if ignored.

Although we blame tick infections for everything, its best to be on the safe side and check other possibilities too. The worst of our bodies come out when where weak with this.

Your vertebra- do x-rays show a part broke off causing it to slide forward? Thats how this is diagnosed. If no brake imaged, then its just a normal vertebra thats moving (sublexation) and possibly cured by muscle re-balancing (had that).

Hi BlueRidgeDave,
It could be a chronic lyme rash called Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophicans (ACA). The website below discusses symptoms, treatment, etc.

https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/acrodermatitis-chronica-atrophicans

Thanks! . . .WalkingbyFaith, Girlie, summer16, astroman, k07, Clam Digger, HeartsinPain. . . . I thought my post was just getting ignored, as being something unimpressive. I'll try to post the photos again, since the "Image" thing didn't seem to work so well. And I guess it has to be a link to another website (I'm using Google Photos).

My LL PA in Asheville, NC (works with Dr. J) sounded almost dismissive of it, though it seems important that the swelling, redness, and pain got much worse after my big Herx in December. She thought it could be a separate vascular issue.

https://photos.google.com/album/af1qipnxcim3wdorhjpbgg8wehk1jm4h9byb78x1qfe

Thanks, summer16 (Patty)!
"The first 2 years of treatment my legs felt extremely heavy and very fatigued along with a lot of swelling. At times it was only one leg. It has since resolved."
Sounds a lot like what I've got going on. Some bruising of the toes on my left foot, also--like purple blotches that stay there for a while.

Thanks, astroman!
"Your swollen legs / feet. Did the Dr ever suggest gene testing for circulation issues? Two well known ones any normal lab can do. If you have them, the infection could have some influence in activating these too- we dont know this stuff yet. Either way, swelling in the extremities warrants these tests to be done. This is the cause of DVT in legs and can be fatal if ignored."

Thanks for mentioning DVT. I'm supposed to get a referral to a vascular doc (thru my reg. PCP)--and maybe that will show something.
Also, the Spondylolisthesis that I have (due to what MDs call a "Pars break" has caused my L5 vertabra to slip forward over S1, deforming the disc and prob. causing the sciatic pain I have. Could be spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal column) causing "neurogenic" problems with circulation in the legs. How much Lyme figures into it I don't know. I most likely have chronic Lyme, and so it could certainly play a role in the deforming of the disc and nerve issues.

Girlie--thanks for the website! A few of the chronic Lyme rash photos look like mine. But so many of them worse--God bless them!!

And Clam Digger--thanks for the mention of ACA, with long-term Lyme. Definitely a possibility, and I'll bring it up with my LL PA after I've been checked out by a vascular doctor.

Post Edited (BlueRidgeDave) : 2/19/2020 11:40:38 AM (GMT-7)