It started off as a big raised circle on my leg and then it went red, got smaller and formed this rash. I've never seen anything like it but after researching, thought it could be a small lyme rash. I know it's not the typical rash for Lyme Disease but I just wanted to know if it still could be? I went to the doctor and they had no idea what it could be, but I told them I thought it could be Lyme Disease so I got a blood test done and it came back negative. After finding out that the Lyme test isn't reliable i'm still not convinced it's not Lyme disease as I haven't been feeling myself lately, I have no energy and feel achey. I have other symptoms that come and go but at the moment they could be seen as anything (Headaches, cramps, mood swings etc) so I don't know. Things just seem harder to do than usual and I feel really irritable. I just want to know what it could be.
I think you should definitely push for further testing. Lyme Disease Association should be able to give you guidelines of what to say to your doc for further investigation. The rash combined with your symptoms makes it suspicious. Complete lack of energy, bad headaches, feeling of weakness, fluey type aches and pains are typical of early lyme (tho not only lyme which makes it hard to identify, but the rash adds to the evidence!). Overwhelming sleepiness and waking feeling exhausted and like death also typical. Joint pain (esp knee but can be others) classic. With my daughter this started a few weeks after the other symptoms above. Her symptoms seemed like tonsillitis or mild mumps at first but the enlarged glands weren't in quite the right place. Also a raised temperature wasn't present, if anything was below normal. The symptoms improved temporarily but did not go away after short abx courses or rest.(longer course abx is needed) Hope you find some help soon!
Hi
I have emailed Lyme disease action UK so hopefully they can help me like you said. I can't see my doctor until next Thursday but I'm thinking because the test was negative he'll dismiss the idea it could be lyme disease. The achiness seems to be getting worse and I'm experiencing mild shoulder pain now but I don't know if that could be from other things. If someone could tell me what the bite and rash was if it wasn't lyme disease I'd feel better but it doesn't look like anything to me apart from an altered smaller version of the lyme rash. Also, I forgot to mention that around 2 weeks before finding the rash I was in The New Forest in Hampshire. I saw deers whilst I was there so surely that makes the chance of it being lyme disease even higher? But my doctor didn't really understand what I was saying, think he thought it was just coincidence.
The New Forest is a known area for Lyme. So many doctors are inexplicably dismissive of the possibility that symptoms might be caused by Lyme. If you read around this forum you will see that some people have had their blood taken and sent it off themselves at their own expense. Unfortunately all this costs but an option if your doc is uncooperative. Maybe you could ask to be referred to a rheumatologist but that may not help if the rheumatologist isn't lyme aware either. my daughter was treated with long term antibiotics and vitamin and food supplements. There are herbal remedies which are supposed to be effective if you can't get hold of antibiotics after diagnosis. Samento is one i have read about a lot.