Can Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever come back after you already had it?
I’m 18 years old I had rmsf about 2 years ago. I had went hunting with my Dad around Thanksgiving somewhere in there. I got the rash first and we thought that it was red bugs, I took a bath in bleach everything we could think of but it never went away. A couple of weeks later I started getting really sick like I had a bad case of the flu. Everything hurt I could not stop itching my body the rash was everywhere sometimes I would scratch so bad that it would start bleeding. I finally went to the doctor about two three months later when one day I had a really bad headach and something popped inside my head and my nose started bleeding. They diagnosed me right away with rmsf. I live in a very small town and the doctor I went to has only heard of 6 casses in mississippi since he became a doctor. It took me a year to get completely better cause we caught it early. But, now I am gettng the same rash I had when I first started getting the symptomes the first time I have a rash down both my arms all over my stomach and my legs like it was the first time. I was wondering if it could come back or something I don’t know if it can or not but it’s the same rash I had when I first got the rmsf 2 years ago. I’m just wondering if it can come back, if any one can help me please let me know thanks
First of all I was treated for rmsf the doctor said there are many different signs and ways it can show up, and I was treated for it and I got better with the meds they gave me so yeah I dont know what your talking about but I know for a fact I had rmsf.
wow – in the first place, you clearly did NOT have RMSF 2 years ago. There are so many things that disprove this diagnosis, it is difficult to know where to start to list them.
second, NO, even if you had RMSF, it does not come back. Once you are treated you are cured.
So NO – YOU DO NOT HAVE RMSF now, because you never even had it in the first place.
This information is not secret. You can be reading for days if you just google it — I would always suggest you get the most reliable information from – go there if you don’t believe me. But this is my job, and I’ve treated many cases of RMSF, so I know what it looks like first hand. Here are a BRIEF list of reasons why you most definitely did NOT have RMSF.
1. the rash in RMSF NEVER itches !!!!! I mean NEVER.
2. the rash is NEVER the first finding – it appears after 3 days of high fever.
3. in untreated cases, you would be dead in 8 days. It is impossible to theorize that somehow ;you had a rash for 3 MONTHS before someone diagnosed it as RMSF.
4. the rash would not involve the stomach. you indicate that it was present on you stomach and legs even the first time. RMSF does no do this — it presents with a rash on the wrists, ankles, palms and soles. you really would not see it on the stomach except in the most extreme cases, just before death.
I could go on further, but I think I’ve made my point.
You were misdiagnosed the first time. The reason you have a recurrence now is because you never got a proper diagnosis the first time. I have no suspicion that you have any infection — you would probably be better served by seeing a dermatologist.
But if you wish, you can see an infectious disease specialist as well – I’m sure they will be able to reassure you that this has nothing to do with RMSF, and nothing to do with a germ.
good luck to you !