Tick Bite and Rash

Morning! My daughter had a tick bite a couple of months ago. Her doctor put her on an antibiotic immediately just in case.

Call your doctor & ask.

A few things to note:
- A Lyme titer isn't accurate until about 2 weeks after the bite so don't be annoyed if the doctor says to watch for other symptoms & call back in a couple of weeks. It takes time for your body to build up a reaction that can be measured. Testing earlier can cause false negatives. And don't worry -- if it IS Lyme, this 2-week wait isn't going to cause a worse case of the illness.
- In this area, doctors prescribe doxycyclin (sp?) for a minimum of 2 weeks -- and most ask for a 30 day program. This has been really, really effective (and we're in a Lyme heavy region).
- If the tick was noticed within 24 hours, the chance of disease is much smaller.
- I've not heard of a rash in a different part of the body being connected to Lyme but, unfortunately, Lyme disease is not the only tick-borne illness we can contract so it's still worth a phone call.

Could it be that the rash is because of something else outside and not ticks? Maybe an allergic reaction to the grass or bushes he was playing in? Maybe some benadryl will do the trick. Still, don't mess with ticks. Call the doctor and ask.

Yes, "bullseye" rash is a symptom of Lyme disease which is carried by ticks. I think the doctor can test for it. If it is caught right away 10 days of oral antibiotics will usually clear it up. If it's not caught it can cause serious problems when left untreated for a long time. Of course it might not be that since the rash is on his back. If it were me I would have the doctor check it out.

It could be or it could not be. Ticks do carry diseases so anytime you see any sort of "unusual" symptoms shortly after being bitten it better to consult your doctor. Call in for an appointment tomorrow morning first thing.
Good luck!

Don't take any chances.. Get him on an antibiotic~

Doctor now, don't take chances. Lyme disease is dangerous if not treated.

I would think it more had to do with some sort of plant that he came in contact with while he was someplace to get a tick, unless of course it was your backyard! ;) Either way, I'd call the doctor just to be sure. And although ticks do carry lyme disease, they are deer ticks which are very small and you may not even be able to see it. It's more likely it wasn't a deer tick that you pulled out of your son, but it could still be carrying something else.

Ticks are so gross! This year is going to be bad for them too. Good luck!

Any chance he came in contact with poison oak or ivy?