Rocky Mountain Spotted fever?
My doctor just diagnosed me with Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, which I think is impossible. The incubation period is 1-2 weeks. I’ve had this bite since June (nearly six months now) and it would flare up and every now and then.
So according to the Rocky Mountain symptoms… I would be dead now. Since i have had it so long. I am not nauseous, have a rash, throwing up, running a fever, having abdominal pain, or anything. I was convinced it was lyme disease because my severe fatigue and slow process. My bite also looks like the typical “bulls-eye” form that is associated with lyme disease.
This same doctor told me two months ago “it was just a bug bite” and gave me cream for it. After I told him about my fatigue and it was a TICK BITE. Shouldn’t he have automatically asked for a blood test the first time around??
I am just concerned this doctor is misdiagnosing me again. I know I would get the same treatment (doxycycline) but I would also like to see a lyme disease specialist if it really is lyme disease, I want to determine if it is chronic.
Did my doc diagnosis me with Rocky Mountain to avoid getting in trouble for not diagnosing me with Lyme Disease since it could be chronic? Rocky Mountain is lethal, but if I don’t have the symptoms and it requires the same treatment…
What do you think??
September 11th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
I think it might be time to go to another doctor. If you want a specialist, you might consider going to an infectious disease specialist who will test you for both of these and then you will have an answer. I think your first doctor was irresponsible not testing your for Lyme’s Disease when you had a known tick bite.
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October 5th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Sounds like you’ve already did your research and got a good handle on it. Are you in a location where RMSF is endemic? RMSF is an acute, fatal disease and it sounds like your doctor has little knowledge of tick borne infectious diseases. Well obviously its not RMSF, but you should consult an ID doc.
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October 26th, 2010 at 12:36 am
I recommend you learn as much about Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections as possible from the following websites, and to find a Lyme specialist who is affiliated with ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society).
One problem with plain-vanilla Infectious Disease doctors is that they tend to give you one Lyme test–the ELISA–which is actually known to have a high “false negative” rate. Then, when you show negative on that, they stop looking for tick-borne problems.
Ticks are dirty little buggers, and their bite can give you lots of nasty things–sometimes several at the same time. You need to be seen by someone who can evaluate you for all of them.
I also recommend the book “The Lyme Disease Solution,” by Dr. Kenneth Singleton.
Good sources of info about Lyme disease:
http://www.lymedisease.org
http://www.canlyme.com
http://www.lymenet.org
http://www.lymeinfo.net
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org
http://www.ilads.org
http://www.betterhealthguy.com
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