Katy Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 About ten days ago I was out in the yard setting up one of those above ground pools. I got a bunch of what I assumed were chigger bites. I saw little mites crawling on the side of the pool that day, the day after a heavy rain, they're itchier than mosquito bites, and they crawled up the inside of the dress I was wearing as I was leaning over the pool and bit me on my hips and stomach rather than exposed skin the way a mosquito would. So anyway today the red mark around one of the bites on my stomach has started to whiten from the inside out, leaving a somewhat lacy bulls eye around the bite. Think it's just an allergy & scratching or should I go in for a test? Update: Thanks for telling me to go in for a check! The doctor said the bites on my hip were all chiggers, but two of the bites on my stomach are tick bites with a classic lyme-type bullseye rash. He said he could do the blood test but they are expensive and typically falsely negative this early in an infection, and he'd prefer to just give me a course of antibiotics instead. I agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Get tested. May have been a tick and not a chigger. And take a picture of the rash to show your doc in case it fades before you get in to see them. I would also insist on a preventative round of antibiotics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andani Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Get tested. May have been a tick and not a chigger. And take a picture of the rash to show your doc in case it fades before you get in to see them. I would also insist on a preventative round of antibiotics. YES! [Worth shouting] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 It is probably too late to spot the chiggers, but if you get a really bright light and shine it across (not down on) the bite, you (or someone with good close up vision) might be able to actually see the orange little SOBs. If you can spot a chigger, I would just assume the rash is from itching too much. Mine get really nasty if I do not get the bug off very early in the bite process. This entails DH shining the light and getting out the very finest of tweezers to snag them off. Everything I have read says that chiggers are not known to carry disease. That doesn't mean you haven't given yourself an infection from scratching though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 The reaction bump from a chigger bite can be quite large and bright red with a whitish blister in the center. What you described sounds like a typical chigger bite reaction to me, but if you're concerned it would be worth getting it checked out to make sure it wasn't a tick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Well it is a lyme rash after all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Glad you had it checked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Thank goodness you went to the doctor, Katy!!! Did he put you on doxycycline? I have a lot of personal experience with Lyme, and took doxy for longer than I'd care to remember, so I wanted to give you a few quick tips... Take it with food if your stomach is even the least bit sensitive. Take it with a full glass of water -- every time -- and don't lie down for at least 30 minutes after you take it, or you could end up with a very nasty and super-painful burned esophagus. (Ask me how I know -- I thought I was having a heart attack! :eek:) Take all of the medicine even if you feel perfectly fine. The whole idea is to keep you feeling fine, so it's very important to take the full course of medicine. The best time to treat Lyme is right now -- before you have any symptoms, to ensure that you never get any symptoms. Sorry to be preachy, but I really don't want you to get sick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Catwoman - yes, Doxy. Appreciate the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 It's really bugging me that they were in my yard. Especially when I just googled and learned that the little mite things I saw crawling up the pool were probably the nymph (most contagious) form of the ticks. Can my dog get lyme? Please give me all the advice you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Catwoman - yes, Doxy. Appreciate the advice! One more thing -- eat yogurt or take acidophilus to help prevent yeast infections, because doxy is one of the medications that can lead to them. And yeast infections are :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 A bullseye rash, as far as I've studied it, is a tick/Lyme indicator. I don't think anything else causes it. (Please correct me if I'm wrong!) Anyway, so glad you have a reasonable doc who believes in proactive treatment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 And hey, wear your sunblock dutifully! The doxy makes your skin super photosensitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 And hey, wear your sunblock dutifully! The doxy makes your skin super photosensitive. I'm so glad you mentioned that -- I'd completely forgotten, but sunscreen is very important when you're taking doxy, especially on your face, so you don't get any discolorations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Glad you had it checked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Whee! Not that you have bites or Lyme, but that it got caught early. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Yes, your dog can get Lyme but they can get vaccinated against it. Glad you got checked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I'm so glad you mentioned that -- I'd completely forgotten, but sunscreen is very important when you're taking doxy, especially on your face, so you don't get any discolorations. I would actually avoid the sun altogether on doxy. It isn't a sunburn so much as it is a chemical reaction burn and it hurts and it doesn't take long to get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I'm relieved to hear you are being treated already. Scary stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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