Lyme-Literate and Covered by Insurance? Sign Me Up!

Are you unable to afford a Lyme specialist, but feel your primary care provider is inadequate to treat you?  Enter Lyme-literate doctors of internal medicine.

IGeneX says, “A Lyme-literate doctor is simply a professional, licensed physician who has the knowledge, experience, and open mind required to help patients with the symptoms and complications of Lyme disease.”

Insurance-Covered Internists: Find One That’s Lyme-Literate

At a LabCorp blood draw while I was being treated for Bartonella, I met a phlebotomist. She had also battled Lyme and co-infections and recommended her doctor of internal medicine.

If I made Dr. Susan Brinkley my primary care physician, my insurance would even cover our visits! Since my Lyme specialist didn’t take insurance, this was fabulous news. 

Plus, my health issues seemed too complicated for my current primary care provider. I had been wanting to make a change. A doctor of internal medicine seemed the best choice.

The American College of Physicians describes internists as “especially well-trained in the diagnosis of puzzling medical problems, in the ongoing care of chronic illnesses, and in caring for patients with more than one disease.”

Furthermore, Dr. David Gremillion says, “Most of the great leaders in medicine . . . have come from internal medicine because of the breadth and depth of its academic and clinical work. It draws the best and brightest.”

My New Primary Care Physician

I first met Dr. Brinkley in September 2019. A straight-shooting blonde in her late fifties, she struck me as incredibly thorough. 

To tell the truth, I was surprised at how much time she spent with me. This appointment was nothing like my usual fifteen-minute visits with my physician’s assistant. 

First, she reviewed my previous labs, making comments that showed she was Lyme-literate. Second, she completed a physical exam and asked me questions about my symptoms. Third, she ordered more labs than I had ever completed at one time.

When I handed in my lab slip, the phlebotomist drew twenty-one vials of blood!

Want to know what my labs revealed? Click here to continue reading my story!