lyme disease

Forgive me.  I'm new here and a little confused. I have a question about lyme disease.

I have a perfect bullseye on my upper left arm about the size of a dime.  It comes and goes several times a year and when it does appear, it hangs around for a few weeks. After the bulleye fades away, I still have a small dark spot approx 1//8"   A few months later that spot will begin to darken and get a little larger.  Then within a week or so, the outter circle will form once again, and the bullseye is back. It doesn't spread or get inflamed like a rash.  It's just a bullseye!  There's no other way to describe it.  I don't ever remember being bitten by a tick but I've had this thing for more than 2 years.  about 1 1/2 yrs. ago, I went to my family doctor b/c I wanted to know what this thing is. My doctor doesn't know what it is but she doesn't think it's Lyme disease .  She did order the lyme test but it came back negative. 

I have lots of pain but I'm not sure it would be related to lyme disease - simply b/c I'm 75 yrs old. It's probably just old age.  I have pain in my knees, lower back, hips, and feet.  However, I've had surgery on both knees for torn cartilage, and I have plantar faciitis in both feet which causes foot pain.  I also have a herniated disk in my back and  I figure the pain in my hips and ankles are probably due to old age and overweight.  I also experience fatigue, which once again may come from age and excess weight.  So if pain is a symptom of lyme disease how does one determine if that's what is causing the pain? 

I live in central Florida, 5 min.from the beach but in an area that is surrounded by 2 state parks. so we have lots of wooded areas and alot of deer. My house also backs up to what is called 'a greenbelt' which is a large wooded area. However, I don't spend anytime outside, not even at the beach.  I don't even walk my dog, my husband does, so i think my chances are slim for getting bitten by a tick - but you never know.

We don't have any doctors in this area who specialize in lyme disease so I don't know who to go to that could tell me what this bullseye is.  It's a mystery to me because it comes and goes.   I'm looking for thoughts or suggestions from anyone here who might be able to help me.

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

Hi Jany!
Welcome to our little community! I'm so sorry that you are experiencing all of those things!

As Todd said, the bulls eye rash means Lyme disease....always! It's the skin form of the disease. Chances are you have chronic Lyme by this point in time, due to the fact that you have had that rash for 2 years, so blood tests are no good. The tests only test for 4 or 5 of the 100 strains of Lyme that are in the U.S and it can also hide from the immune system and the blood tests all look for an immune response.

Please take a picture of that rash with something else in the picture like a dime to give perspective on the size of the rash! This will be invaluable later! No blood tests needed!

If you haven't already, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists (as Lyme rarely occurs by itself), helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, and a list of questions that you can ask any doctor that you are seeking treatment from!

There are doctors in Florida that specialize in the treatment of tick-borne infections, they just don't advertise much as they are persecuted and some have even lost not only their license to practice, but their practice as well - just for prescribing long term abx for these diseases.

For information on finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, you can start a new thread titled something like:"Looking for LLMD in the _______ area." Although you will need to enable your email option in your profile in order to receive any recommendations, as we don't allow doctor's names and contact info to be posted on the forum for several reasons. You can enable your email option in your profile, under 'edit profile'. Be sure to click the submit button to actually save your preference.

You can also email our long time member, Dan's Mother at:[email protected]

You can also email Stephanie at: [email protected] You can also go to: www.turnthecorner.org/ if you want to learn a little bit more about Lyme Disease.

You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link:www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74

You will want to find an ILADS (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) believe Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat, and don't believe in the reality of chronic Lyme. The ILADS site is another great place to read to get you started on your Lyme journey. www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/treatment_guidelines_clearing_ilads.html

Also, you don't have to have a tick attach to get any of these diseases any more - they are so prevalent that mosquitoes, biting flies of all types, fleas, mites, even bed bugs now infect people!

We are here to help you learn what you need to know to get good, reliable treatments for these infections!

Hi Jany!

I agree with what everyone else has said, but I just wanted to add that sometimes ticks can be brought into your house, espcially if you have pets. I was infected at my job . (I'm a nanny.) The dog would come in from being outside for just a few minutes, and dozens of ticks would be jumping off of him and onto the floor. Also, one of the children was infected in the dead of winter - ticks go dormant in firewood or Christmas trees, and the heat of the house wakes them up, so to speak.

Can we help you find a LLMD? I have a few names of doctors in Florida. I don't have any experience with them as I live in Massachusetts, but it might help to get the ball rolling. Feel free to email me by clicking on the envelope; or, if you'd prefer, I can email you if you enable your email address in your profile.

We are here for you :)