Best practice for this (maybe) tick bite

[Anonymous]

DS is 4 and is prone to a bumpy rash behind the knee which I have always attributed to eczema, but recently the bumps have gotten bigger, filled with a bit of pus, and then healed. He has a bump on the back of his leg which I assumed was part of this skin affliction, but now this bump has a pus filled center and a bullseye rash, and I’m concerned about Lyme.

What are the best practices here? We are military and when I called to make a ped appointment, they told me for a bug bite I should go to urgent care or the ER. Should I go tonight? Can I go tomorrow? When I go, do I ask for a blood test? Any BTDT is appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Go to the urgent care and get a lyme test, but, it probably isn't a tick bite if you did not see a tick attached. They tend to hang on. I'd be more concerned about the recurring pus filled rashes.

[Anonymous]

That sounds more like a staph or strep infection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to the urgent care and get a lyme test, but, it probably isn't a tick bite if you did not see a tick attached. They tend to hang on. I'd be more concerned about the recurring pus filled rashes.

Ticks do hang on but they drop off the skin once they're done feeding. You can have a tick bite but never see the tick. The bullseye rash doesn't appear as soon as the initial bite takes place.

I'd tell the pediatrician you want to see them today because there is pus and other stuff going on, and it is not looking like a mere "bug bite." Don't take no for an answer; they will try to fob you off as an overreacting mom but don't let them. Urgent care centers may or may not have decent doctors who know what they're seeing.

A Lyme test is important but be aware that unfortunately, Lyme tests can give false negatives. You may need to get him tested now and again later. Lyme can act at times like a flu or body aches etc. so it's good to find out what to watch for and be vigilant.

[Anonymous]

Lyme tests are most reliable after 30 days, it takes a while for the antibodies to build up in the system and to be detectable.

https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html

Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans.

No mention of pus filled anything associated with Lyme.

I found a tick on me and called my Doctor. She said to come in immediately if I had any flu like symptoms but made an appointment for a few weeks later. When I saw her, she asked if I had any flu like symptoms since finding the tick (no) and then said we could do the lyme test then (2 weeks after finding the tick) or wait for 30 days when the test was more reliable. She offered the meds for lyme right away but said that if there had been no flu like symptoms or rash that I was probably fine. I choose not to take the meds or get the test.

My husband went in with the rash and was given the initial meds and took the blood test at 30 days. No Lyme found.

Per the CDC website

Ticks can attach to any part of the human body but are often found in hard-to-see areas such as the groin, armpits, and scalp. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted.

Lyme is scary, I get it. The CDC website has a lot of good info. We try and do a tick check every night before bed, not just a visual check but a physical check. Run your hand over your child, especially if you see a new freckle or a different birth mark. The ticks that carry lyme are small and can look like a freckle. I saw a freckly around my sons groin when he was a toddler. I checked more closely and it was a tick. Make sure to look around where socks and undies lay, ticks hide there.

If you are checking regularly, it is less likely that a tick will be connected for 36-48 hours.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like MRSA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like MRSA

Stop scaring her. It doesn’t sound like that at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like MRSA

Stop scaring her. It doesn’t sound like that at all.

Pus filled, recurring bumps? Yes, it does. Our DS had MRSA when he 4 yo.

[Anonymous]

We saw a bullseye on our son and pediatrician immediately gave antibiotics as if it were a tick bite. She said it was not worth waiting for the lyme test.

[Anonymous]

take him to the doctor. they'll give prophylactic antibiotics .

[Anonymous]

You are describing exactly something I experiences. A bug bite got infected. The as the infection spread, it looked like a red ring. If you have not already done so, go to urgent care tomorrow, they will drain and clean the wound and give you antibiotics. I waited several days which was a mistake.

I learned that when you get a red area that could be the result of an infection and it grows in size, you go to the doctor.