Valerie has been writing an urgent plea for help on the Lyme newsgroup since yesterday. She has a daughter who is very ill from an apparent insect bite. I am going to post pieces of her various posts below. If you have any ideas, please contact her directly at the addresses she gives:
You can email me through this address of [email protected] until the 13th - then you'll have to email me through the [email protected] email address. Hello, I'm writing to see if anyone here can give me some help/information. The story... so far... May 3 - daughter's arm - bug bite looking mark. May 4 - daughter's arm - bug bite turns to "ringworm" look. May 5 - daughter's arm - ringwork look fills in, becomes VERY RED, hard and begins to sweel, looks "bubbled". May 6 - daughter's arm - the "bite area" now has doubled in size, the area around it looks "whelped" like an allergic reaction, her arm looks like a huge knot. We take her to the emergency room - shortness of breath (already an asthma established patient), stomachache and of course, her arm hurts. The ER doc thinks its a Spider Bite - and puts her on Keflex antibiotic, and 60 mg of prednisone in the ER. May 7 - afternoon - my daughter is worse, hard to walk around without shortness of breath, headache and bad stomachache. Slight rash around the "bite area" - she looks like she hasn't slept, but thats about all she's been doing. Doctor says its just an acute allergic reaction to some sort of bite, though he doesn't know what bit her. Says to discontinue all Medication, except for Benadryl, but puts her on a 5-day dosage of Prednisone, for her asthma. I discontinue the med's, and within 12 hours, she's worse and so is the bite area. I put her back on them, over the weekend. Saturday she sleeps most of the day away, headache and stomachache, arm hurts and shoulder hurts. We keep icing it, antibiotics, etc etc. Sunday she seems better, until nightfall..... May 11 - Back to yet another doctor (#3 to be exact) - this one is concerned about LYME Disease! Scrapes her arm for a sample, says its definitely not ringworm. We begin blood-testing for Lyme Disease, and she has to have another blood test in two weeks to determine???? Tomorrow morning, she has an appointment with her Pediatricain (Doc #2 - who seems to have thought this was nothing). Daughter's head hurts so bad, she says it hurts worse when she lays down. Her neck hurts her, her should and arm hurt and down to her wrist now. The bite area is still improving - but she looks worse and feels worse. We're still on Keflex, neosporin ointment, one more Prednisone pill, and of course Benadryl. Tylenol no longer makes her headache feel any better at all, so we've switched to 200 mg Ibuprofen per Doc #3's request. Anyone - comments, help, suggestions, pictures of the bite/rash (I've only found one on the net so far, but I've just started my search!). I have little time to spend on my own research at this moment, as she wants and needs my time and attention. I'd appreciate anyone who can help me, please.... she's the only little girl I've got - and even so - unreplaceable at any cost. I feel like these Docs are a bunch of quacks, except for possible the one we saw today - so why did she refer me back to quack #2??!?! Signing Off, With hopes that my prayers will be answered - by answers/help/comments from anyone out there who reads this... my sincerest of thanks in advance.... Valerie, Mother of Amanda-age 11 Response 1: PREDNISONE !!!! a Cortiosteriod would worsen symptoms of Lyme, if thats what she has. What would be the downside to putting her on antibiotics known to be effective against Lyme if the Dr. suspects Lyme. Keflex is not one of them IMHO. Sooner is better than later. I hope shes better soon. Valerie's Response to Response 1 >PREDNISONE !!!! a Cortiosteriod Would worsen symptomsof Lyme, if thats what she has. This is what I've been reading and finding out - thank heavens she took the last one yesterday!! >What would be the downside to putting her on >antibiotics known to be effective against Lyme if the Dr. suspects Lyme. >Keflex is not one of them IMHO Sooner is better than later The Doc who put her on Keflex, was the 1st Doc, in the Emergency Room - she did it because she diagnosed it as a Spider Bite, possibly the Brown Recluse aka Fiddle Back (poisonous). But, she wasn't certain. The Keflex she said, was the antibiotic of choice by most Plastic Surgeons, its a "skin" antibiotic and would help to keep the wound from spreading, and help aid it in healing properly regardless of which spider bit her. The Prednisone was for her asthma which flared up while in the ER and also was told it was for the swelling of the bite site. Then, 24 hours later, when she was worse and constantly short of breath - her Pediatrician diagnosed a 5-day course of Prednisone to "help her out". She's off both of those right now, and as of 4 pm tomorrow, we will have a Biopsy of the bite site/wound done - my Daughter having been off all Med's for 48 hours. I just hope she can get through the pain.... she lays here on the couch in pain right now, next to me as I type this very message. Response 2 Where do you live??? these doctors should all be shot. especially the guy who doled out the steroids!! the headaches are a classic sign of pediatric Lyme.. it is essential that she remain on antibiotics if they indeed seem to cause improvement.... the testing will not be accurate as it takes the body sometimes more than a month to develop an antibody response.... and she has been given steroids and antibiotics which can skew the results... your doctor whichever thinks it is lyme needs to consult with a Lyme literate doctor... this is not any doctor who thinks that 21 days of antibiotics is enought... stay in touch and let us know what is going on! Valerie's Reply to Response 2 I live in Arlington, Texas - closer to Dallas than Ft Worth - at least until mid-June. (and I agree whole-heartedly with you - the two of the three Docs should be shot - why won't they listen?!?!?! They're supposed to help!!!!!!) >doled out the steroids!! the headaches are a classic sign of pediatric Lyme.. This is scary, but I keep hearing it.... and I'm paying attention - thank you. >it is essential that she remain on antibiotics if they indeed seem to cause >improvement.... the testing will not be accurate as it takes the body sometimes >more than a month to develop an antibody response.... and she has been given >steroids and antibiotics which can skew the results... your doctor whichever She's been taken off of them - for 48 hours (since yesterday) to help get a "cleaner" Biopsy of the bite site/wound area. She's deteriorating even now.... she's just gotta hold on until 4 pm tomorrow and then we can get back on the RIGHT antibiotic. The Dermatologist said, that even Ibuprofen could sway the results - and she's only to have Tylenol, but it doesn't seem to touch it at all - but at least she's a little less fidgety. >thinks it is lyme needs to consult with a Lyme literate doctor... this is not >any doctor who thinks that 21 days of antibiotics is enought... stay in touch >and let us know what is going on! I will do that - I've got a slowly growing list here on my Desk, that I will take with me tomorrow. One is in Ft Worth, another in Dallas and one in Irving - hopefully between those three Docs, we will find one! :) Sincere Thanks, Valerie - Mother of Amanda-age 11, hopefully not sick with Lyme..... Response 3 Valerie, If you tell us where you are located, maybe someone here can give you a name of a local lyme-literate doctor. I agree that steroids of all kinds are dangerous with lyme, however with the athsma, this complicates things. I hadn't had athsma for almost 20 years, and it re-emerged with the lyme - I believe, because my immune system was so messed up. (I also had worse allergies of all kinds.) Once I got on antibiotics, my athsma and most allergy symptoms went away. Valerie's Response to Response 3 >Valerie, >If you tell us where you are located, maybe someone here can give you a >name of a local lyme-literate doctor. I'm in Arlington, Texas - closer to Dallas than Ft Worth - until mid-June - then I will be closer to Ft Worth, as we're moving to Burleson, Texas. (I know - what a time to have to also move - this really sucks - pardon my sarcasm please....) >I agree that steroids of all kinds are dangerous with lyme, however with the >athsma, this complicates things. I hadn't had athsma for almost 20 years, and >it re-emerged with the lyme - I believe, because my immune system was so messed >up. (I also had worse allergies of all kinds.) Once I got on antibiotics, my >athsma and most allergy symptoms went away. This is good news to hear - that with the anitibiotics you got better, including the asthma. I've nearly lost the life of my little girl, numerous times from the asthma - so many ambulances, so many hospital stays.... and endless nights and days..... I just hope and pray this doesn't make her asthma worse - but it seems to have flared it - like you said yours did....... Hopefully - the antibiotics will work in her favor, as they did yours.... Thanks for writing - I very much appreciate it. Sincerely, Valerie - Mother of Amanda-age 11, hopefully not sick with Lyme......
