Group items tagged

Impressive line up of patient stories. Are you interested in sharing your story? We'd like to hear from you."

"The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) is a non-profit organization that focuses on the issue of diagnostic error. Misdiagnosis is quite common in Lyme disease and the consequences can be devastating. The SIDM website recently featured the personal story of LymeDisease.org's Lorraine Johnson, and the lessons learned from her own experience with diagnostic error. It is re-published here with SIDM's permission."

Sharon, telling your story this article is an act of bravery and determination. Your strength is an inspiration.

4 Lessons in Self-Advocacy - Sometimes you have to save your own life.

Christina P. Kantzavelos, LCSW #73271, MSW, MLIS *She/Her/Ella Licensed Psychotherapist and Writer (619) 797-6383 Free 15-min Consultation www.beginwithintoday.com hello@beginwithintoday.com Follow us on Instagram @beginwithtoday My name is Christina Kantzavelos, and I am a licensed psychotherapist and coach who specializes in treating clients with chronic illness @beginwithintoday, and the author of the Begin Within Journal. I'm also a gluten-free food, travel and health-conscious writer @buenqamino. Lyme Disease changed the entire trajectory of my life. Although, I was likely infected in middle school when we first noticed the cat scratch stretch marks, and strange symptoms (fatigue, panic attacks, fainting spells), they were manageable. Prior to getting 'really sick' in 2018, I was fearless, traveling the world, conducting international humanitarian work, working full-time, eating whatever I chose (minus gluten, and dairy), and essentially, a yeasayer. As mentioned, I had some ongoing health concerns prior to then, but it did not stop me from living my life.

Christina P. Kantzavelos: "I created this journal because it didn't exist. I was couch-bound due to #lymedisease and a plethora of other diagnoses and symptoms and needed a way to track my physical and mental symptoms, document my nutrition, meds/supplements, challenges, successes, while focusing on self-love, gratitude and visualizations. I needed a way to see the light at the end of the tunnel. "

"Dignity during the process of seeking treatment is a tall order. It requires first and foremost that a patient be believed. This, O'Rourke soon discovers, is much harder than it looks. At appointments, she's often met with disbelief, skepticism, and suspicion - daunting hurdles for her shot at wellness that highlight a gendered conundrum. Autoimmune disease disproportionately affects women (they make up 80 percent of patients), but health care professionals are less likely to take women's concerns seriously."