PLEASE READ (and share): I am so grateful for the post similar to this one that I saw three days ago… a post that potentially has saved my sons life, or at least saved him from a life very different from the one he lives and loves right now. He isn't even two years old yet!
Yesterday I noticed a spot on his temple that looked a lot like a bullseye – the bullseye I had seen in a post about a little girl who was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I phoned our doctor as soon as they opened yesterday and got him in quickly. Within a few hours, more and more of these bullseye spots were showing up on his face, legs and arms. We were given anti-biotics to treat for Lyme Disease and we are hoping we caught it in time!! The doctor had never seen this before in a child so young…
We ended up at McMaster Children's Hospital this morning for a second opinion because we really didn't want to mess around with something like Lyme Disease, and let me tell you – the staff at MAC are nothing short of world class! They were amazing with us! Two doctors looked at him and confirmed that it is indeed Lyme disease. The stage of rash indicates it must have been from a tick bite he would have received 3-4 weeks ago (we never even saw a tick...). The funny thing is that because my son had been on anti-biotics for 24 hours, the spots with the bullseye marking didn't look as bad as they did yesterday. It took the pictures I had taken with my phone, as well as the doctor seeing a brand new spot pop up while we were there to confirm what they were looking at. One of these amazing doctors even looked me straight in the eye and said "it's scary for a mom to hear all this… are you okay?"
I encourage everyone to watch for these spots!! They look just a bullseye, and had it not been for the post I read, I never would have known it was something more than a simple rash caused by being the long grass! Take a picture with your phone if you see one of these spots on yourself or your family – you might need it to show a doctor down the road what you saw.
This website has fabulous information about Lyme Disease and what to look for, how it's treated, and what happens if left un-treated:http://www.cps.ca/…/documents/position/lyme-disease-children
We are now waiting and watching. Hoping and praying that nothing else comes of this. The list of things we are watching for is scary – not a list I ever expected to have to watch my kids for, but I am grateful for the fact that we likely caught this in time!!
Feel free to share this post - I would love nothing more than to have our scary situation educate others about what to look for this summer.
***DISCLAIMER*** I am not Lyme Disease Expert and will not be giving medical advice to anyone. I encourage you to see a doctor ASAP if you are suspecting Lyme because the sooner the treatment starts the better. I am getting hundreds of messages with pictures asking my opinion - please don't think I'm being rude by not replying as I'm sure you can all respect the fact that I work and have a young family. Please please please see your doctor if you are worried, but please don't send me pictures asking if it's Lyme because I simply can't answer you.
Also - I appreciate the kind messages I am receiving from all over the world! Please don't think I am being rude in not replying... I am literally receiving thousands of messages and simply can't reply to everyone. Thank you smile emoticon
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