Is Bartonella The Only Thing That Causes The Red "Scratch Mark" Lines ?

I have them - the red lines that look like little comets, or actual scratch marks .. They are not the "stretch mark" type patterns, but more like red arches and streaks ..

The marks coincide with upheavals in symptoms, and have come out during treatment with herbs, and when taking doxy and also rifampin ... The red marks seem much more likely to appear when my blood gets circulating - for example, I had not had any marks for weeks and weeks, and on Thursday, I went for a vigorous 2 mile walk ( first time since last summer ) .. within 24 hours, I had them on my arms and across my chest ..

I have asked this question to 3 different LLMDs that I have seen : one said the red lines are as specific to bartonella as a bull's eye is to lyme ... Another said NO, the red lines are NOT unique to bartonella ... and the other said that it is probably a sign of some sort of vasculitis, so any organism that lives in the blood vessels could trigger the marks ..

Maybe it is pointless to ask ??

Because if I am getting them, it is a sign that whatever I am doing being effective, right ??

In the past, I have stopped because the symptoms got really bad, and the docs would always say OK STOP EVERYTHING ...

But does anyone have any theories on the red lines, or has your doc given any clues to what, other than bartonella, could cause them ??

Thanks !!!

Post Edited (Tommy08) : 5/21/2016 3:27:46 PM (GMT-6)

PeteZa said...
I got what I thought was bartonella scratch makes on my chest once and I thought maybe I had scratched myself. So I intentionally scratched myself to see if it looked the same. It did not.

So.... I concluded it was a bart scratch mark. Am I sure? Nope.

I never saw it again and will always wonder.

PeteZa, was that prior to your diagnosis, or after you began treatment ?

Do you recall an upheaval in symptoms ?

How long do they last?

I will try to upload some photos .. I have a CD w/ pics that I took to show my doctor

The lines are hard to photograph = they look more dramatic and larger in person .. But here are a few

Between the shoulder blades

VIEW IMAGE

They don't get puffy, itchy and then disappear in 15 minutes do they? What you posted certainly look like Bart scratches to me. Do you have "Bart symptoms" as well? If so, my gut is that they are increasing due to treatment.

.. and thanks for your reply Mister Mike .. this entire thing is very humbling and at times downright scary

Mister Mike said...
Those lumps certainly sound like inflamed lymph nodes and Bart especially loves lymph nodes. And inflamed blood vessels too - as Bart is a disease of blood vessels. Totally makes sense. Have you tried detoxing more than usual to see if they will go away?

Just recently I bought a mini trampoline, so that has inspired me to do more in the way of detoxing .. I also bought a brush for dry brushing, which I now do before the mini trampoline

Things have changed since I began that, plus receiving acupuncture two times per week

I went into this thinking that I could simply take double or triple the recommended doses of things and get rid of it faster .... big mistake

I am very glad to have found this forum

Those scratches look a lot like the ones I get. For some reason they only occur on my back so I'll miss most of them. My other rashes and tiny itchy bumps occur pretty much anywhere. I also don't have joint pain but do get the burning/tingling mostly in my legs and feet.

Tommy you could slowly add more detox methods into your day. Here are some ideas on why and how.

www.tiredoflyme.com/detox-methods.html

Hi BetsyG - welcome!

You could have a Bartonella infection. It is a coinfection of Lyme disease that often comes with Lyme.

Bartonella can also come from an infected cat (cat scratch fever) -but it is generally self limiting and in healthy people your immune system “handles” it.
But if your immune system is already taxed then it can become symptomatic.

Lyme is one “thing” that can be responsible in suppressing your immune system.

So - are those scratch marks from Bartonella? That is the question.
If they go away in the next few days - and you don’t come down with other symptoms - then it’s maybe not bart.
If they don’t go away - and/or you get other symptoms - it would be wise to make an appt with a Lyme Literate dr for an evaluation.

Did you take a picture of it? That would be a good idea.