How prevalent is Lyme Disease in Scotland?

[S&LHEN]

By that night I was frantic and had been to the doctors but 2 doctors that I seen didnt have a clue other than a bite!!



They marked it with a line to see how much it was spreading at this point I stopped taking pics as it was too bad!! He was on antibiotics for 2 weeks I think it would have kept growing had I not burst it and cleaned and dressed it daily.

[S&LHEN]

diffrent angle

[S&LHEN]

I still dont know what it was Ann No one seemed to know!! I even searched everywhere and I found nothing of this extent.

Thanks Dadie i ll try that

[Nacho]

Youve got to be really careful with bite -- My son was playing in rock pools in Skye and he got what looked like a midgie bite but by evening it had got bigger next morning was huge and filled with liquid it just kept spreading and expanding the doctor never had a clue what it was.
All i know is it was bad!! I ll try and upload pics of it. Now thankfully its gone but I had to heat a needle and burst it!! Its left a scar but hes ok thankfully!! x

stings and rock pools make me think weaver fish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weever), but unless your lad has a high pain threshold you'd soon know about it.
weavers tend to lurk in sand but they have been known to sting in rock pools, and unfortunately, they're on the increase up here. (if discovered, stomp without mercy)

reiterating Bill's advice concerning ticks, avoid sitting on the grass without a blanket if possible, tuck your socks into your trousers and give everyone a tick check when you get home from a walk in the woods/countryside.

thanks for starting this thread roadbowler, hope all goes well.

[Nacho]

forget weaver, i'm thinking jellyfish if it's connected with the sea.

a hell of a sting, hope your lad wasn't in too much pain/discomfort

[Dadie]

That doesnt look like a bite to me....its worse than I get!
And I usually do pretty nasty pdq!
It looks more like blisters.....

[S&LHEN]

Thanks nacho im not sure what it could have been im saying it wasnt jellyfish as there were none visible in the rockpool but really for all i know there could have been tiny ones?? He wasnt in much pain intil the lumps started joining... Thats when the pain came and thats when i couldnt let it go on any longer, Taking the liquid out seemed to do the world of good as did bathing it in detol and salt..Iodine was to nippy.

[Margaret M.]

Thanks nacho im not sure what it could have been im saying it wasnt jellyfish as there were none visible in the rockpool but really for all i know there could have been tiny ones??

Has your son had chickenpox? The blisters look kinda like shingles.

[S&LHEN]

yes he had chicken pox a few years ago Mmmm I dont know its just really strange the skin round about was bright red a bit like a burn it got near double the size in that photo.
It looked like a wee face I think that made him feel better about it :-) x

[Nacho]

i've no idea, if the doctors didn't have a clue then what do i know !?

it's the randomness that's strange, like Dadie says, looks like blisters ... but from what ?!

possibly a sweeping contact, like a nettle sting, but what the hell causes blisters and pus like that ?!

glad to hear he's okay now and hope he enjoyed 'lancing' them !

[Nacho]

yes he had chicken pox a few years ago Mmmm I dont know its just really strange the skin round about was bright red a bit like a burn it got near double the size in that photo.
It looked like a wee face I think that made him feel better about it :-) x

lol didn't want to say that, but it does look like some big nosed cartoon character !

the pus looks more like a burn than pox, clear liquid pus rather than 'creamy' ... nice.

[Margaret M.]

Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles. I got shingles in my 20's and they looked very much like that -- the area looked just like a burn with redness and blisters. Glad he is feeling better whatever it was.


What is shingles?

Shingles is a disease caused by the chickenpox virus. Your child can only get shingles if he or she has already had chickenpox. With shingles, your child will have a rash.
The rash:

• is in a line and follows the path of a nerve
• occurs on only one side of the body
• starts with clusters of red bumps, changes to water blisters, and finally becomes dry crusts (looks like small groups of chickenpox sores)
• is most commonly found on the back, chest, or abdomen but can occur anywhere on the body
• usually doesn't burn or itch in children (as it does for adults).

Your child will not have a fever or feel sick.

[RIR]

I got a gadget from here: http://www.ticktwister.co.uk/ and have used it on a number of occasions, especially on the dog.


Ian.

[Dog-eared]

Tick removal gadgets are the safest way to remove ticks.

Research has shown that while pulling, burning them or covering them in vaseline will get ticks off, it also causes them to empty their stomach contents into your skin, greatly increasing your chances of getting Lyme disease.

The tick removal gadget removes them by pulling from the mouth pincers, not the body.

[suzyq]

The blisters also look like a phototoxic reaction - i.e. reaction some liquid on skin has when exposed to daylight.

A good example of this, and probably the most publicised, is the blistering caused by Giant Hogweed, but there are all sorts of other plants not so well known that could cause the same.