Is this Lyme's?

Mountain Bug · Apr 22, 2026

Was in California a week ago and picked up a single tick. Was attached but pulled off easily. Developed a decent little blood blister the day after, and this a week later.

Unless I'm growing a nipple on my ankle, this doesn't look right. Have an appt booked at the doc tomorrow morning.

Scott

NoIDeer · Apr 22, 2026

I'd be doing the same as you, straight to the docs. Insist they treat it as lyme or one of the other tick born ailments until proven otherwise. In the UK you'd be lucky to get antiseptic cream 1st visit

WW. · Apr 22, 2026

I think doxycycline is the preferred treatment.

bowji john · Apr 22, 2026

Looks suspiciously like it

J

One on top of two · Apr 22, 2026

Certainly looks like it buddy

glasshalffull · Apr 22, 2026

Prophylactic treatment and ask for a blood test be done. Looks like the characteristic bullseye rash.

Andyquadra · Apr 22, 2026

I found a tick attached to me on Saturday after a week in Scotland, no red marks and no sights of a fever yet

Smellydog · Apr 22, 2026

Get it sorted!

Dazb1967 · Apr 22, 2026

If a tick bite looks like this with the bullseye does it mean you will be infected or will a tick bite look this way regardless and will not always carry the disease

HonestJohn · Apr 22, 2026

Could well be just infection. But I’d have it looked at by a professional if I was you either way

HonestJohn · Apr 22, 2026

Dazb1967 said:
If a tick bite looks like this with the bullseye does it mean you will be infected or will a tick bite look this way regardless and will not always carry the disease

I’ve had over 30 tick bites a year on average, and many looked like this and needed topical fucibet creams.

Norfolk Deer Search · Apr 22, 2026

Mountain Bug said:
Was in California a week ago and picked up a single tick. Was attached but pulled off easily. Developed a decent little blood blister the day after, and this a week later.
View attachment 471569

Unless I'm growing a nipple on my ankle, this doesn't look right. Have an appt booked at the doc tomorrow morning.

Scott

Like you’ve already said get yourself to the quacks ASAP!

Mountain Bug · Apr 22, 2026

Dazb1967 said:
If a tick bite looks like this with the bullseye does it mean you will be infected or will a tick bite look this way regardless and will not always carry the disease

I've been bitten a fair few times with little to no reaction. Not seen anything like this before.

Scott

HonestJohn · Apr 22, 2026

I’d expect to see a larger peripheral ring forming. But it does come in various shakes and sizes unfortunately.

If not going to get checked out asap, maybe worth drawing a perimeter line with pen to track spread.

Is there confirmed Lymes in the area you got bit?

Mountain Bug · Apr 22, 2026

HonestJohn said:
I’d expect to see a larger peripheral ring forming. But it does come in various shakes and sizes unfortunately.

If not going to get checked out asap, maybe worth drawing a perimeter line with pen to track spread.

Is there confirmed Lymes in the area you got bit?

I was in Napa County which is considered a high risk area. I'll get it checked. Doc had a cancellation tomorrow morning so I jumped on it. Not worried since I found it early. Maybe too early for a blood test to show anything.

Scott

HonestJohn · Apr 22, 2026

Mountain Bug said:
I was in Napa County which is considered a high risk area. I'll get it checked. Doc had a cancellation tomorrow morning so I jumped on it. Not worried since I found it early. Maybe too early for a blood test to show anything.

Scott

This is the catch, min. 3 weeks, ideally more before a test can confirm positively; and if positive, the disease will already have caught hold - so testing is relatively useless to stop early onset; it’s mostly to ‘confirm’

6 weeks of doxy isn’t nice either if not needed, exhausts you and destroys all gut bacteria

Freeforester · Apr 22, 2026

glasshalffull said:
Prophylactic treatment and ask for a blood test be done. Looks like the characteristic bullseye rash.

I have to say, it doesn’t look like the bulls eye rash to me, might the tick not have been on you very long?

Take precautionary tests for sure, it it looks more like either not all of the head was removed, or that it regurgitated into the wound as it was being g removed.

The classic bulls eye ring spreads (enlarges) over a period of a few days.

(Had it myself, some years ago)

Interested in the outcome.

Freeforester · Apr 22, 2026

HonestJohn said:
This is the catch, min. 3 weeks, ideally more before a test can confirm positively; and if positive, the disease will already have caught hold - so testing is relatively useless to stop early onset; it’s mostly to ‘confirm’

6 weeks of doxy isn’t nice either if not needed, exhausts you and destroys all gut bacteria

Check out Dr Sabine Hassan, leading US gastroenterologist, and her findings regarding use of ivermectin in restoring health of your gut bacteria (microbiome).

Mountain Bug · Apr 22, 2026

HonestJohn said:
6 weeks of doxy isn’t nice either if not needed, exhausts you and destroys all gut bacteria

Wonder if there's anything I could start topically? I've some nitrofurazone down in the barn.

Scott

Mountain Bug · Apr 22, 2026

Freeforester said:
Take precautionary tests for sure, it it looks more like either not all of the head was removed, or that it regurgitated into the wound as it was being g removed.

The classic bulls eye ring spreads (enlarges) over a period of a few days.

I could have squeezed it a bit when I pulled it off in the shower. I'll bet it wasn't on me six hours. Not even sure about its spread and hadn't paid much attention actually. Just found it today and it looked like this.

Scott

Is this Lyme's?

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads