Granted a Lyme literate doctor is hard to find, but not
impossible to locate.
You would think with all of the press about Lyme disease
and all of the people with symptoms that go unexplained
until they receive a diagnosis of Lyme that physicians
would get on board, fast. Well, if you have Lyme or have
suspicions that you may have Lyme you will find that this
is not the case.
If your family experiences are like ours you have been
referred from one doctor to another and yet another without
finding remedy. You have been to the "big name clinics" in
medicine only to be told, "It's all in your head." My
stepson, who is being treated for Lyme refers to this as
"lazy doctoring."
So, why aren't those doctors in some sort of Directory?
Lyme diagnosis, treatment, and the very existence of the
disease is a hotly contended issue among those in the
medical community: physicians, insurance companies, and
pharmaceutical companies alike.
Although a Directory of Lyme Literate Doctors sure would
make life easier for patients and their families,
physicians are adamant about not participating in such a
Guide.
Lyme Literate Doctors work long hours. Many have a team in
place to treat patients seven days a week. They do not have
room in the day or in their office(s) to take care of more
people. They can not afford for their office staff to spend
all day on the telephone answering questions from hundreds
of information hungry people who suspect they have the
disease.
Add to this the understanding that by law medical
professionals must not answer those questions lest they be
mistaken as a diagnosis, over the phone. All to say a
Directory of Lyme Literate Physicians is out of the
question.
Should patients try to get their family practitioner to
test them for Lyme?
Lyme literate doctors do not rely on just one test; they
run a series of tests to come to the determination of Lyme.
If your family practitioner is not familiar with these
tests you may be fighting an uphill battle trying to get
him/her to even consider Lyme as the source of your health
problems.
So, what's a patient to do? How are patients supposed to
find a Lyme literate doctor?
Find someone who has had Lyme, now has his/her life back
and ask "who diagnosed and treated you?" The Lyme
associations are a good place to start. Although there are
just a handful of Associations across the country and may
not be one in your state, that is OK. They are a good
source of information for those of us with the disease.
Be aware that Lyme Associations as constrained by the laws
of their not-for-profit status are not able to recommend
physicians. These associations are operated by Lyme
patients who volunteer their time to answer phone calls and
emails.
So, if you call Lyme associations for referrals have
patience as you may get voice mail instead of a live
person. Leave your message and wait for them to return your
call.
When you get the names of doctors, many find it helpful to
schedule appointments with these physicians and interview
them to make certain that what they say makes sense to you
and to determine which physician will partner with you
towards the goal towards getting your life back from Lyme.
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