A Lyme Literate Therapist in Texas Shares
What it Means for Clients to Have a Professional
Who “Gets It” In their Corner
By Dawn Irons
In the last several years, I have had clients come through my office who were desperately at the end of their rope. They would share of the medical drama that had been plaguing them for years and now their medical doctors have told them to seek out psychiatric help. Their stories all had some common similarities: chronic illness that was unexplained, some doctors suspected Lyme disease, other doctors felt Lyme was impossible in Texas, and finally they either read my story somewhere or someone with Lyme passed my name on to them and assured them I would “get it”. It was sad to see those clients sit on the couch just braced for one more professional provider to write them off and send them on their way. Even though they were told I would understand, they were already braced for ridicule and rejection.
My first assurance to them is that I really do understand on such a personal level that I wish I didn’t—but I do. I was undiagnosed for 18 years with Lyme disease and all the medical issues and misdiagnoses that come with the journey to wellness. It took 18 years for a doctor to finally run the test I had been asking for at least three years prior. During the process of my illness I lost 7 pregnancies (one far enough along to have a funeral), had a whole laundry list of diagnoses that were piling up (but all we “atypical”) when finally a positive Lyme test shows up for the official record. I was unprepared to be told it must be a false positive because we don’t have Lyme in Texas. I began seeking treatment outside the state because, at that time, I was not able to find anyone in Texas willing to treat for more than a 28 day round of antibiotics. Thankfully there are several medical providers in Texas that will treat, but they still tend to “fly under the radar” due to previous abuses and harassment by the Texas Medical Board of Examiners. Recent legislation within the last few years have made it more safe for doctors to treat—but it is still far from a Lyme-friendly atmosphere in Texas.
When the Doctor Says “I can’t help you, you need psychiatric help!”
What it Means for Clients to Have a Professional
Who “Gets It” In their Corner
By Dawn Irons
In the last several years, I have had clients come through my office who were desperately at the end of their rope. They would share of the medical drama that had been plaguing them for years and now their medical doctors have told them to seek out psychiatric help. Their stories all had some common similarities: chronic illness that was unexplained, some doctors suspected Lyme disease, other doctors felt Lyme was impossible in Texas, and finally they either read my story somewhere or someone with Lyme passed my name on to them and assured them I would “get it”. It was sad to see those clients sit on the couch just braced for one more professional provider to write them off and send them on their way. Even though they were told I would understand, they were already braced for ridicule and rejection.
My first assurance to them is that I really do understand on such a personal level that I wish I didn’t—but I do. I was undiagnosed for 18 years with Lyme disease and all the medical issues and misdiagnoses that come with the journey to wellness. It took 18 years for a doctor to finally run the test I had been asking for at least three years prior. During the process of my illness I lost 7 pregnancies (one far enough along to have a funeral), had a whole laundry list of diagnoses that were piling up (but all we “atypical”) when finally a positive Lyme test shows up for the official record. I was unprepared to be told it must be a false positive because we don’t have Lyme in Texas. I began seeking treatment outside the state because, at that time, I was not able to find anyone in Texas willing to treat for more than a 28 day round of antibiotics. Thankfully there are several medical providers in Texas that will treat, but they still tend to “fly under the radar” due to previous abuses and harassment by the Texas Medical Board of Examiners. Recent legislation within the last few years have made it more safe for doctors to treat—but it is still far from a Lyme-friendly atmosphere in Texas.
When the Doctor Says “I can’t help you, you need psychiatric help!”
There is such emotional devastation to the
patient when they hear these words. They feel the complete disappointment of
feeling abandoned by one more medical provider who feels their case is just too
complicated, or that they really are a serious hypochondriac who is in love
with a myriad of psychosomatic symptoms (i.e., “it’s all in your head!”). The
tragedy is that many of these patients walk away believing they are literally
going crazy. Until someone gets a
correct diagnosis they are lost in the hopelessness of being financially
crushed due to mounting medical expenses, having family and friends who want to
believe them but somehow they can’t without something official explaining the
condition. Then to hear medical providers tell their loved-ones they are making
it up for attention or some unmet need that is not medical—the family and
friends are just left scratching their heads not knowing what to do or how to
help. They even begin second-guessing if maybe their loved one is losing their
mind!
The Mind Body Connection
The Mind Body Connection
The good news is—it’s not rocket science! There is a proven connection between the physical
condition of the body and well-being of the mind and vice-versa. When dealing with Lyme disease (even when
undiagnosed) you are dealing with a bacterial infection. This is a true organic
illness. Left untreated the disease will disseminate and go multi-systemic
throughout the body and ravage the immune system. When bacterial infection enters the blood and
the brain there is a whole spectrum of symptoms that manifest the illness.
Multi-Systemic
Manifestations include:
Neurological Symptoms
Musco-Skeletal Symptoms
Gastro-Intestinal Symptoms
Cardiac Issues
Cognitive Issues
Psychiatric Symptoms
The more complicated the case, the more likely the patient will be referred out for a psychiatric evaluation. By the time they end up in a therapists office they have typically been diagnosed and treated for issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD, insomnia and a whole litany of symptoms that would lend credence to being observed and evaluated for a mental illness.
Neurological Symptoms
Musco-Skeletal Symptoms
Gastro-Intestinal Symptoms
Cardiac Issues
Cognitive Issues
Psychiatric Symptoms
The more complicated the case, the more likely the patient will be referred out for a psychiatric evaluation. By the time they end up in a therapists office they have typically been diagnosed and treated for issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD, insomnia and a whole litany of symptoms that would lend credence to being observed and evaluated for a mental illness.
Why
A Lyme Literate Therapist is Essential
A Lyme literate therapist will be aware that the
psychiatric symptoms you are experiencing are likely a bacterial infection and
can help refer you to medical providers who will actually help you treat the
infection. To become well the body must
be rid of the bacteria. Counseling wont resolve the bacterial infection, but a
therapist who understands you are not mentally ill can be the best advocate to
help you obtain proper medical treatment.
But
What About All Those Psychiatric Symptoms?
The important thing to remember is that most
often when the bacterial infection is brought under control the psychiatric
symptoms will begin to dissipate. Make no mistake—when one becomes chronically
ill they will experience anxiety, depression and symptoms of that nature. There is a difference between clinical
depression and situational depression. When
the medical condition of the bacterial infection is addressed the situation
changes and we will generally see the depression was only a symptom of the
medical situation.
These symptoms are not to be ignored though. They are real. A Lyme literate therapist can help you see your symptoms in light of the medical “big picture” and keep you focused on coping skills that will help you navigate the medical situation. Most importantly a good therapist will help you understand that you are MORE than your DIAGNOSIS and that your life consists of more than the current medical drama you find yourself trapped in at this time. Quite often, by the time a person seeks out a therapist, they have forgotten who they were before the illness not only ravaged their body, but also stole their identity. It is possible and even healthy to have a therapist who will help you remember who you are by exploring interests that you had before the illness called a time-out and set you on the proverbial bench as life as you knew it continues to go on without you.
My Family and Friends Just Don’t Understand
These symptoms are not to be ignored though. They are real. A Lyme literate therapist can help you see your symptoms in light of the medical “big picture” and keep you focused on coping skills that will help you navigate the medical situation. Most importantly a good therapist will help you understand that you are MORE than your DIAGNOSIS and that your life consists of more than the current medical drama you find yourself trapped in at this time. Quite often, by the time a person seeks out a therapist, they have forgotten who they were before the illness not only ravaged their body, but also stole their identity. It is possible and even healthy to have a therapist who will help you remember who you are by exploring interests that you had before the illness called a time-out and set you on the proverbial bench as life as you knew it continues to go on without you.
My Family and Friends Just Don’t Understand
Lyme disease affects more than just your medical
condition. It changes your life. It changes your finances. It changes your
relationships. It changes your social life. It changes YOU. Quite often family and friends expect the
illness will run its course and you will be back to yourself in no time. But
the longer the illness takes to treat the more distant friends and family
become. They want to help but the genuinely don’t know what to do to help you.
And if you are honest with yourself, even you have recognized that your temper is shorter, your patience level is almost non-existent, you are prone to extreme light and sound sensitivity, you may experience excruciating migraines, and your emotions are all over the map…. Admit it. You know it’s true… even you don’t recognize you anymore. And there are few experiences in life that are more painful that watching the people you love the most become almost afraid to interact with you because they don’t know or who they will be experiencing today. Lyme disease is unmerciful and definitely takes a toll on families. But there is hope! Lyme does not just attack a person—it can destroy families if you let it. This is why counseling with a Lyme literate therapist is good for the whole family. They know how to address the individual patient as well as the family who is at a loss and is experiencing their own loss at grief for losing you as they once knew you. But don’t underestimate your friends and family! You are right on one account: they don’t get it. But don’t be content to leave it that way. Encourage your whole family to begin family therapy. Families can be preserved and marriages changed for the better when everyone sees that the common enemy is the Lyme disease—not the Lyme patient.
How Can I Make an Appointment with a Lyme Literate Therapist in Texas?
And if you are honest with yourself, even you have recognized that your temper is shorter, your patience level is almost non-existent, you are prone to extreme light and sound sensitivity, you may experience excruciating migraines, and your emotions are all over the map…. Admit it. You know it’s true… even you don’t recognize you anymore. And there are few experiences in life that are more painful that watching the people you love the most become almost afraid to interact with you because they don’t know or who they will be experiencing today. Lyme disease is unmerciful and definitely takes a toll on families. But there is hope! Lyme does not just attack a person—it can destroy families if you let it. This is why counseling with a Lyme literate therapist is good for the whole family. They know how to address the individual patient as well as the family who is at a loss and is experiencing their own loss at grief for losing you as they once knew you. But don’t underestimate your friends and family! You are right on one account: they don’t get it. But don’t be content to leave it that way. Encourage your whole family to begin family therapy. Families can be preserved and marriages changed for the better when everyone sees that the common enemy is the Lyme disease—not the Lyme patient.
How Can I Make an Appointment with a Lyme Literate Therapist in Texas?
First you have to know where to find one. I only
know of one other counselor in Texas who has extensive knowledge of Lyme
disease. We are both in the DFW Metroplex. Audra Dahl can be found in
Arlington, Texas as the Rush Creek Counseling Center.
I am Dawn Irons and I own and operate Hope
Harbor Counseling Center in Bedford, Texas. You can visit my website at www.HopeHarborDFW.com. I am in the
process of preparing to see online counseling clients through a protected
server that is HIPPA compliant and with a completely secure and confidential
interface and environment.
I started noticing a common trend with my chronically ill clients. Many of them had to cancel their appointments because they were too ill to travel to my office. So I have researched the best means of meeting the needs of these clients. One of the benefits of online counseling with chronically ill clients is that as long as they are Texas residents I can counsel them—whether they are in DFW or Houston or El Paso—it matters not. They just have to be Texas residents to meet the requirements of my license to practice in Texas only.
For more information about counseling with a Lyme literate therapist you can contact Dawn Irons by emailing dawn@HopeHarborDFW.com or calling 972.804.2876.
Don’t ever let Lyme have the last word. You have more life in you than you realize! Let’s find it together as we help your family and friends come to more understanding.
Join us for a public screening of Under Our Skin
I started noticing a common trend with my chronically ill clients. Many of them had to cancel their appointments because they were too ill to travel to my office. So I have researched the best means of meeting the needs of these clients. One of the benefits of online counseling with chronically ill clients is that as long as they are Texas residents I can counsel them—whether they are in DFW or Houston or El Paso—it matters not. They just have to be Texas residents to meet the requirements of my license to practice in Texas only.
For more information about counseling with a Lyme literate therapist you can contact Dawn Irons by emailing dawn@HopeHarborDFW.com or calling 972.804.2876.
Don’t ever let Lyme have the last word. You have more life in you than you realize! Let’s find it together as we help your family and friends come to more understanding.
Join us for a public screening of Under Our Skin
Saturday April 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
First Baptist Church of Bedford
2045 Bedford Road, Bedford Texas 76021
After watching the film there will be a Q&A
discussion panel with local Lyme literate medical providers as well as
alternative medical providers, patients and advocates.
The event will be FREE. Be sure and invite friends and family to come with you!
Please go to www.HopeHarborDFW.com/events.html to RSVP so that we know how many to prepare for coming to this event.
The event will be FREE. Be sure and invite friends and family to come with you!
Please go to www.HopeHarborDFW.com/events.html to RSVP so that we know how many to prepare for coming to this event.
