Many doctors don't know what the Lyme rash looks like

How can doctors diagnose and treat LYME if they don't even recognize the initial RASH? Physicians MUST be educated and updated on Lyme disease starting with the RASH... All the literature states the sooner the treatment the better and the rash is indicative of a clinical diagnosis...

I live in the moutain and doctors around here and all over NEED to recognize the initial symptoms of LYME disease. As previously mentioned my Lyme started with an OVAL solid rash... My treatment was delayed 10 days because I had to basically diagnose myself... I think what upsets me most is the fact that many doctors don't even recognize the rash...

June 3, 2008 is a day I will never forget because that 's the day I noticed the OVAL rash on my chest.. I saw pictures of a rash very similar to mine on the CDC web site and other Lyme sites. I'll never forget when my family doc told me in his professional opinion he didn't think the rash was from Lyme and sent me home with a lotion.... At first I believed what he said and was relieved that I didn't have Lyme. By the next week I developed many other Lyme symptoms because the disease had progressed and the bacteria had spread. The initial OVAL rash had expanded across my chest and was now more irregular in shape. My husband's cousin ( she is a gastroenterologist) happened to be driving through town 6 days after the OVAL rash. I had her look at the rash and she had NO idea what it was but said it was "NASTY" looking. On the 7th day after the rash, 2 more rashes developed on my legs. Both were round more typical LYME type rashes. One was on the front of my left leg and the other was on the back of my right leg. After doing more research on the computer I began to feel that yes indeed this was LYME disease... Multiple lesions (rashes) are present less than 10% of the time but do represent DISSEMINATED disease.... I called a dermatology office and insisted they see me sooner than a month because I thought I had Lyme disease.... I did not see an MD, I saw a nurse practitioner in the dermatologist office and he confirmed MY diagnosis of LYME. This was already 10 days after the initial rash and I estimate ~ 1 month or more after the bite. I didn't realize I was bit at the time because the tick is SO small and releases a nerve toxin when it bites. I've learned ALL about LYME the hard way!!! This could have been avoided with knowledge, prevention and early diagnosis and treatment. I had to become my own doctor and researcher in order to help myself and I'll explain how I did that in further blogs.