Hi Bvpv!
Welcome to our little community! I'm so sorry that you even have to consider having one or more of these diseases, but you are very wise to be concerned!
That could very well be a bulls eye rash. I wouldn't take any chances knowing what I know about
these diseases and what I've had to live through!!! Taking 6- 8 weeks of strong abx could meant that you won't have any issues at all with this.
Because of your cats, you should also be concerned with Bartonella.
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!
You should be seen by a doc that understands these infections, known as LLMD's - Lyme Literate Medical Doctors.
If you don't already know of one, here are the links we usually post:
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/LLND 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