Red painful nose spreading to the cheeks

Has anyone experienced a red painful nose that slightly spreads to the upper cheeks? My daughter has been in treatment for lyme, bart, and babs for almost 2 years. She’s much improved but still sick with plenty of neuropathy, fatigue etc...
about a month ago noticed the tip of her nose is red and painful. She describes it as a burning feeling. Over the last couple of weeks it seems to also be lightly appearing on her cheeks. Her dr is running some tests to HOPEFULLY rule out lupus as a complicating factor but we are so nervous. She’s currently on doxy and rifampin so he’s going to also switch the doxy in case it’s a sun sensitivity. Staying out of the sun does not seem to have helped but he wants to be sure. Anyone have any experience with both lupus and Lyme? Can you have a lupus type rash from lyme and or bartonella? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Thanks christianwithlyme.
I think/hope you might be right about it being related to bart. Her’s too flares with sun and heat but she has neuropathy type sensations as well with it. She also recently has had more of the typical scratch like bartonella marks on other areas of her body. Hoping it’s related to bart herxing.

Yes either the bart or maybe the doxy? First time I’ve ever wished for bartonella over something else. Hate to think about how one might manage something like lupus with chronic Lyme

Hi Girlie. Yes she is switching to minocycline. And switching the rifampin to rifabutin. I really hope you’re right about the lupus resolving with treatment. Can’t find too may that have both. I blame everything on lyme.

I have painful nose (not red though) with redness on cheeks. Was diagnosed as rosacea. Lupus ruled out but I do have + ANA with low positive rheum factor. Maybe it is rosacea?

Thanks girlie. Yes I’m a little nervous about the rifabutin switch as I’ve heard it’s harder than rifampin. She’s to take 150 mg twice a day. Any suggestions about how to ramp up? Is it reasonable to start with 150 or to pulse it a few days a week first?

Post Edited (Upatnite) : 4/16/2020 5:24:24 PM (GMT-6)

I've just started Rifabutin (combined with Septra DS and Omnicef). It seems to be hitting me pretty hard. My LLPA said to start with Rifabutin 150mg 1x day and try to build to 150mg 2x day. I am pulsing Mon., Wed. Friday also so only 3 days week for me.

Ok thanks CWL. That sounds like a reasonable approach.

I experienced redness, heat, inflammation and burning in my face that lasted for years. It started gradually a couple of years before I had sudden onset of life altering symptoms. I got it on the lower part of my cheeks and It went down into my neck somewhat and I had a red nose. It was very uncomfortable and made me feel like I had a fever. During the worst times, it would look swollen.

When it first started, it was subtle and felt like my face was dry under the surface and screaming for moisture in spite of oily skin on the surface. I went through a period of buying all kinds of face creams trying to make it feel better. Nothing I tried worked and probably made it worse.

It strangely went away a year before I found out Lyme was my mystery illness. It went away suddenly when I started taking Nexium and Zantac and did not return except a few very minor flares after I stopped taking Nexium and Zantac. To this day, I have no clue as to why those drugs stopped those symptoms.

I remained on the histamine blocker for a while after stopping the PPI, because I thought the histamine blocker was likely what helped and assumed an allergic reaction of some sort was involved and the histamine blocker was helping that. Turned out, the histamine blocker alone (without the PPI) wasn’t all that helpful and once I stopped everything, thankfully the red, burning face did not return. So, my assumptions didn’t pan out, and I know of no other plausible explanation.

Your daughter has my deepest sympathy. I remember those awful symptoms that stayed with me for years. They were uncomfortable to miserable and embarrassing and unsightly in addition to the physical discomfort.

I don’t have lupus. I had ANA, sed rate, and C-reactive protein tests back then, and they were all negative.

I have read a few reports of others with red, burning face in older Lyme information. I don’t know if Lyme, bartonella, or ehrlichia was the cause. Being near computers seems to make it worse. Mine would start in the morning and gradually worsen during the afternoon and cool off before bedtime. I would often feel like I had afternoon fever when it was at it’s worst.

I used to randomly get red, burning earlobes, too.

Upatnite said...
Thanks girlie. Yes I’m a little nervous about the rifabutin switch as I’ve heard it’s harder than rifampin. She’s to take 150 mg twice a day. Any suggestions about how to ramp up? Is it reasonable to start with 150 or to pulse it a few days a week first?

Can she switch one med over first ?

I think 150 per day of Rifabutin is a good idea - for at least a few days.