Constant battles and waiting for victories seems to be our latest family course. Unfortunately, we found an EM rash (we think) around an unknown bug bite on our 9 month old on Friday. I knew about the bite on July 4, and thought it was just a really bad mosquito bite. After seeing this bite go from bright red, hot, swollen, pea size pimple, to a flat scar like color, and then a red ring around it, I decided urgent care on Saturday was our next plan of action. The urgent care gave us a horrible lab technician, who used an adult size butterfly needle on my babies arm. She missed his veins in both arms, and fished for it both times. Obviously the needle was so big it just kept pushing his vein around. I firmly asked her to remove it the first time, and the second I told her "Stop, No fishing!" She immediately obeyed. Today at our clinic I had a great lab technician who took out a baby size needle, which was how I knew the other lab tec. screwed up. I shared with them my experience and they just shook their heads. She even told me she would never fish, if she didn't find it on the first poke she would remove it. Nothing like a confident, knowledgeable lab technician to draw blood from your precious baby.
I was given some interesting facts from my babies pediatrician today, who called to allow 10 more days of antibiotic for our baby who originally received 10 days from the urgent care doctor. Dr. Y informed me that she spoke with an infectious disease specialist about Lyme disease, and she was corrected by this infectious disease specialist with regards to EM rashes. Dr. Y originally believed that around "50% of cases present with an EM rash," however today she found out the "90% of all cases actually have an EM rash," she went on to state that most people need to just check more carefully because almost all the time there will be some rash. Unfortunately, I strongly disagree, and they just keep thinking that those stats exist, when in reality it is closer to that 20-30% listed from published Lyme aware Doctors.
Dr. Y told me that she was confident that I would be able to find a rash, because I check my kids so well. Oh, please! I told her that I just completely disagreed with the infectious disease specialist, because the cases in my house with positive (lets go with them) results did not ever have an EM rash. I only know one friend who has had an EM rash, and others who were confirmed positive with no rash. The doctors seem to have no accurate information to go with, and constantly they seem to be questioning what they originally knew. Our nine year old was the only one, and now baby, who have ever had EM rashes, and test results both times were negative for my older son (waiting for baby, confident it will be negative). I really believe that we need to stay connected with educating ourselves and keeping our doctors reading as well. My little victory for today was Dr. Y gave the extra antibiotic to bring my baby up to 20 days total for treatment, falling short only by 1 day of the recommended dosage. I guess that is a victory.
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