Hi Jlc,
Welcome to our community! I'm glad you've joined us!
First you should know that we can't see the pictures. You need to upload them to a free picture sharing site like photo bucket, and the get a link to share here.
Next you should know, that a bulls eye rash is diagnostic of Lyme by itself, if you are seeing a doctor that has been properly educated. The bullseye rash does not need to be picture perfect for it to be a bullseye from Lyme, either - and there are quite a few variations.
I apologize for the length of this post, but I feel there is a lot of information you need to be presented with.
Your "bad reaction" to the Doxycycline was what is known as a Herx, Herxheimer, or Jarrisch-Herxheimer reaction, if you are wanting to look it up. Syphilis, which is another spirochetal infection, also creates this die off reaction when treatments begin. This only means that as these bacteria die off, they put off toxins, and these toxins create symptoms in us. A herx is defined as a worsening of current symptoms, or new symptoms when anti-infective treatments are started or doses are increased.
If you haven't yet, 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, helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, information on probiotics and much more.
We are finding that many Lyme patients have gene mutations that make it difficult for their body to effectively detox, so when a herx hits, it can be overwhelming or even severe, in some circumstances. Many have gene testing done to find out what gene mutations they have and if they have the ones that can interfere with the bodies ability to detox (MTHFR).
Don't let anyone fool you into believing that because of where you live there is little to no risk of having Lyme. It's not only in South Florida, but every other area of the U.S.
There are two opposing viewpoints for treating tick borne infections. We believe that ILADS(International Lyme and Associated Diseases Association) is the right ones to follow on this, and not IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America).
ILADS vs IDSA:
www.clinicaladvisor.com/controversy-continues-to-fuel-the-lyme-war/article/117160/archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=226373www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901226/ We can help you find an ILADS trained LLMD though.For information on finding an ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) trained Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, 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 send me an email by clicking on my screen name or the small blue envelope under my screen name. I may have contact information for some LLMD's in your area as well. Please include your state and area that you would like to find a LLMD in and I will see how close I can get to your
location.
You can start a new thread titled something like "Looking for LLMD in the
(insert the nearest larger city & state) area". Members can email you about
the LLMD's that they see in that area if you have your email enabled. We don't allow doctors names to be posted though.
You can also email the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance at
[url]
[email protected] for LLMD referrals and you can go to
tbdalliance.org to learn more about
these infections.
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
ILADS has their own referral system as well:
ilads.org/ilads_media/physician-referral/ You will want to find an ILADS 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. Go to the ILADS site to read the new (2014) Treatment guidelines to get you started on your healing journey:
www.ilads.org/lyme/treatment-guideline.php