How to Find Doctors Who Can Help with Your Tick-Borne Disease
Diagnosing and treating a tick-borne disease can be highly complex and having a doctor who is trained and experienced in caring for patients with these illnesses can help ensure that you achieve the best possible health outcome.
However, where do you start? What do you look for? What questions should you ask? The following article provides some useful suggestions to help you answer these and other questions so you can find and connect to the right doctor for your needs.

Identify Doctors Trained in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tick-Borne Diseases
You can access a variety of online resources and directories to locate doctors who are specifically trained in identifying and treating tick-borne illnesses. This is particularly important if you suspect that you may have Lyme disease since it is the most frequently misdiagnosed of all tick-borne diseases. Finding a Lyme-literate medical doctor (LLMD)—or a physician who is familiar with the vast range of symptoms that may indicate infection at various stages of the disease, as well as potential coinfections and other complexities—can help ensure that you get the right treatment, right away.

A few online resources to start with include1:

International Lyme And Associated Disease Society (ILADS) – Doctor Search
LymeDisease.org – Find Lyme-Literate Doctors
Global Lyme Alliance – Find a Lyme-Literate Medical Professional
Lyme Disease Foundation – Doctor Referral

Do Your Research and Get Referrals
You can learn a lot just by researching doctors and reading patient reviews online. You can also connect with other patients through local and online support groups for various tick-borne diseases. Asking other patients to recommend or share their own experiences with different doctors can be particularly helpful when you’re trying to locate and learn about physicians who specialize in various tick-borne illnesses.

The following sites can connect you to online support-group forums or help you identify different tick-borne support groups in the United States:

Lyme Disease Foundation – Find State Support Groups
Lyme Disease Foundation – Support Groups
Daily Strength – Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Support Group
What is Lyme Disease – Website and Support Groups by State
Call Ahead and Ask Questions
Even if you find a doctor who specializes in treating tick-borne diseases, you will want to ask some questions before making an appointment and committing your time and money. A few basic questions to consider asking up front include the following:

What is your experience in treating patients with tick-borne diseases?
How do you diagnose diseases? Do you use any specific labs or lab tests to confirm diagnosis?
Do you test for coinfections?
Do you use traditional antibiotics and/or herbals?
Do you have any patient success stories you can share?
Do you strictly adhere to CDC test interpretation criteria or are you open to alternative criteria?
Be Prepared for Your Doctor Visit
You can improve your chances of having an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment by providing your doctor with as much information as you can from the very start. The following checklist can be a good reminder of what to bring and discuss with your physician at your first visit:

Bring the tick: If you were able to remove or find the tick that bit you, seal it in a glass or plastic container and bring it to the doctor for possible testing.
Note possible exposure: Write down the places and dates that you believe you were exposed to ticks—and the possible date and time of day when the engorged tick attached and fell off or was removed.
Track your symptoms: Keep a running log of all symptoms you’ve noticed since the tick bite, even if you’re no longer experiencing them. Be sure to include the days/times when symptoms appeared (and disappeared).
Take pictures: Take pictures of any rashes or blisters that you may have noticed at the site of the tick bite or elsewhere on your body.
How to Approach Your Non-LLMD Doctor
For various reasons, you may choose to consult with a doctor who doesn’t specialize in Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases. If so, be sure to be as proactive as possible in providing information that could help in diagnosing your disease, and always feel free to share resources that you find in your own research to prompt discussions about any aspect of your diagnosis or treatment, including more advanced testing options. If your doctor does not believe Lyme disease exists, reach out to another doctor for a second opinion.

References
1. ↑ https://lymediseasechallenge.org/finding-doctor/
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