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Does Bullseye Always mean Lyme Disease?

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Posted 6/30/2015 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
Since LD has been in the news recently I thought I would ask about this.

about 3/4 years ago I had a few bullseye lesions. I went to the docs and they said I had probably been bitten but as I wasn't ill it was fine.

Since then the lesions went and I am not ill with any other symptoms. I just wondered if it could just have been a reaction to another insect bite(s) or should I be worried?

I am in the UK.
Posted 6/30/2015 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
The EM bullseye rash is positive sx that you have the Lyme infection. Some folks have super good immune systems that keep it in check, and you might have been lucky that the tick was not carrying another co-infections that cause more health problems.

Just keep in mind that if you allow yourself to get run down or compromise your immune system in any way, Lyme may get a foothold.

I was bitten, removed the tick, got the rash and was treated immediately with 30 days of Doxy. I never had any odd sx until three years later, after I had quite smoking cigs.
Posted 6/30/2015 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, the bulls eye rash is a 'symptom' (skin infection) of lyme disease.

I think you should find a LLMD.
Posted 6/30/2015 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Keniki - I'd like to officially welcome you to our community! This is a great group of caring, knowledgeable people.

If you want to find a LLMD (Lyme Literate MD), we can help you...just start a new thread titled: "Looking for LLMD in/near________" and insert your city/town and State.
Posted 6/30/2015 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
Back in '95' my sister had a bullseye from a spider bite. We KNOW it was a spider as she saw it when it bit....all these years later she has most of the same symtoms as myself-I tell her over-n-over where to get tests done but no
Posted 7/1/2015 8:24 AM (GMT 0)
Can I get a test even if I have no symptoms?
Posted 7/1/2015 9:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hi kid! Definitely you can get a test for Lyme disease! You may have to be assertive. Doctors always try to tell you what to think! You have to trust your gut! Remember you're employing them! They are not employing you. Tho they may treat u like they do! Better safe than sorry, when it comes to Lyme!
My sister plainly asked a doctor to type her blood. The doctor got bent out of shape & said she didn't have to know. She said, there's rare blood in my family. I want to know. She turned out to have AB negative Blood! The rarest! 0.6%! Another time, she was diagnosed with the flu. Turned out she had a bowel obstruction. Almost died!

Take care of yourself! smurf
Posted 7/1/2015 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi keniki and welcome!

I have a totally different opinion compared to others which is no, you may not have the disease at all. While a bull's eye rash means you were bitten by a vector that carried the lyme bacteria does not mean you have lyme disease.

If your immune system is very strong and your health is excellent your body probably killed the lyme bacteria by itself (yes, our bodies are very smart and are capable of doing things without the help of any medications whether it's conventional or herbals). I believe most people don't give our bodies enough credit. When we get a paper cut that cut usually heals by itself.

Lyme disease is also a clinical diagnosis and if you have been feeling good without any symptoms of the disease then I would not worry about it, sounds like you are fine.

Best to you,
Denise
Posted 7/2/2015 4:25 AM (GMT 0)
the longer you wait the harder it will be to treat if symptoms start to show down the road....find an LLMD like all these people said and look into it, i wish i knew of LLMD's two years ago
Posted 7/4/2015 3:18 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not sure if this thread is still ongoing??? But in case it is, I thought I'd offer addtl insight:

While it is true for the most part that our immune systems are 'supposed' to fight these I infections on their own; ITS NOT TRUE in the cases of those with multiple systemic infections example:

My immune system FIRST became severely attacked by heavy metal toxicity=lead, mercury, & aluminum. I had accumulated a few nasty human herpes viruses over the years, and then Mycoplasma, and chlamydophilia P. My system became overburdened!!! So it's almost like what happens with AIDS peeps-your body cannot fight the infections!!!!

Your body cannot naturally fight infections, ESPECIALLY if you've got 'RE-activation' of the HHV6!!!

It can't hurt to test for LYME after getting a bullseye rash! It CAN HURT to not test and then end up with chronic Lyme!
Posted 7/18/2015 1:29 PM (GMT 0)
A few FACTUAL points.

An EM (Erythema migrans) rash (bullseye rash) is what doctors call pathognomonic for Lyme.

This means it is an absolute, 100% definite sign of Lyme Disease. So you definitely had Lyme Disease.

There is a huge chasm between the two schools of thought in Lyme, but this is one thing they BOTH AGREE on.
So you definitely had Lyme. But the question for you is - do you still have this bacteria in your body, and can it cause you ill health in future?

Unfortunately, that is possible, as we know that Lyme Borrelia can persist in the body for years without causing overt symptoms. This does not mean you definitely will get ill. But it does mean you should be vigilant and familiarise yourself with the symptoms and signs of Lyme (see www.ilads.org for reliable information on this.)

Deejavu likened the situation to getting a paper cut and healing from it. I would disagree.

One of the most striking things about Lyme bacteria is their ability to evade the human immune system. That is why the original name of the Erythema migrans rash was ECM -Erythema CHRONICUM Migrans - Chronicum is Latin for CHRONIC. The Steerites deliberately dropped the "chronicum" for politial reasons.

Over 100 years ago it was noticed in Europe that the rash often remained for a long long time without healing. It was a persistent infection, and eventually it was understood that many people carried the causative agent of ECM for life, showing later manifestations like ACA.

This doesn't mean that your immune system could not have fought it off. It is possible. But IMO it's not correct to compare this extremely wily bacteria with a thousand immune-evasion tricks (not to mention it's ability to evade antibiotic treatment) to something like a paper cut - one of the easiest wounds to heal from.

Elena
Posted 7/18/2015 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
The Lyme bacteria can actually be cultured (grown) from skin scraping of a bullseye rash.

I have better links on my computer (I'm sick in bed with my tablet right now, sorry), but here are these:

Lots of really good info on this page, but I was after this-

"When Dr. McDonald used a PCR primer that would amplify any strain of borrelia, he obtained positives from biopsies of bulls-eye rashes caused by tick bites..."
drcharlescrist.net/testing-for-borreliosis.html




Fewer than 50% of patients with Lyme disease recall any rash. Although the erythema migrans (EM) or “bull’s-eye” rash is considered classic, it is not the most common dermatologic manifestation of early-localized Lyme infection. Atypical forms of this rash are seen far more commonly. It is important to know that the EM rash is pathognomonic of Lyme disease and requires no further verification prior to starting an appropriate course of antibiotic therapy."
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/about-lyme.php#sthash.yuTm8xqD.dpuf
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