How I Became a Lyme Disease Doctor

How did I become a Lyme disease doctor? It’s a question I’m asked often, and the honest answer is that medicine—let alone Lyme disease—was not my original plan.

I didn’t set out to become a physician. And I certainly didn’t imagine that Lyme disease would become the focus of my work. This journey reflects my broader approach to medicine and patient care, which I describe in more detail on my About Dr. Cameron page.

My original plan was engineering.

The Plan Was Engineering, Not Medicine

I wanted to become a biomedical engineer. I was fascinated by the mechanics of the human body and drawn to designing medical devices—tools that could quietly help people behind the scenes.

But over time, that plan no longer felt complete.

Something shifted.

The Pivot Back to Community Care

I started thinking about the people I grew up around in my small farming community in Minnesota. These were hardworking individuals who rarely saw specialists and often lived with chronic physical, emotional, and social challenges without adequate care.

I realized I didn’t just want to design tools for healthcare. I wanted to practice healthcare. I wanted to listen to patients, understand their lives, and care for them directly.

So I changed course and went into medicine.

Training in Geriatrics Shaped How I Practice Medicine

After medical school, I trained in geriatrics and served as an assistant professor of medicine in the division of geriatrics at New York Medical College, where I directed medical student training in dementia.

Geriatrics taught me how to manage complexity. Patients rarely had a single diagnosis. Symptoms overlapped. Subtle changes mattered. Listening mattered.

That training would later shape how I approached patients with chronic Lyme disease—long before I realized it.

How I Became a Lyme Disease Doctor—Unexpectedly

While working with older adults, I began seeing cognitive symptoms that didn’t fit typical dementia patterns. Some patients were younger. Others fluctuated. Lab work didn’t always explain what I was seeing.

Then I began seeing younger patients—often dismissed elsewhere—with brain fog, fatigue, joint pain, and autonomic symptoms. Many had seen multiple specialists. Few had answers.

A pattern emerged: tick-borne illness.

Often it was Lyme disease. Sometimes it involved co-infections such as Babesia or Bartonella. Many had been told they have post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome and that nothing more could be done.

But I had seen complex illness before. I knew symptoms could mislead. And when these patients were evaluated and treated more carefully, many improved.

That was the turning point in how I became a Lyme disease doctor.

Treating Lyme Disease Requires Listening First

Lyme disease is not a simple infection. It can involve the nervous system, joints, heart, immune regulation, and cognition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges that some patients experience persistent symptoms after treatment, even when testing is inconclusive.

In my practice, understanding Lyme disease means understanding the whole patient—not just lab results.

That approach aligns closely with what many patients experience in chronic Lyme disease and persistent symptoms, particularly after delayed diagnosis or incomplete evaluation.

It also requires careful assessment for co-infections, which can complicate recovery and are often missed.

This Is the Work I Was Meant to Do

Today, my work as a Lyme disease doctor focuses on patients with Lyme disease and co-infections—and the biological, psychological, and social complexity that comes with them.

What began as a desire to serve my community led me to geriatrics. Geriatrics taught me how to manage complexity. And that experience ultimately led me to Lyme disease care.

This was not the path I planned. But it is the path that kept presenting itself—one patient at a time.

And it turns out, this is exactly where I’m meant to be.

Clinical Takeaway

How I became a Lyme disease doctor reflects a journey shaped by listening to patients and recognizing patterns others missed. I didn’t set out to become a physician—my original plan was biomedical engineering, designing medical devices to quietly help people behind the scenes. But something shifted when I started thinking about the hardworking individuals in my small farming community in Minnesota who rarely saw specialists and often lived with chronic challenges without adequate care. I realized I didn’t just want to design tools for healthcare—I wanted to practice healthcare, listen to patients, understand their lives, and care for them directly. After medical school, I trained in geriatrics and served as an assistant professor at New York Medical College directing medical student training in dementia. Geriatrics taught me how to manage complexity: patients rarely had single diagnoses, symptoms overlapped, subtle changes mattered, and listening mattered. That training would later shape how I approached patients with chronic Lyme disease before I realized it. While working with older adults, I began seeing cognitive symptoms that didn’t fit typical dementia patterns—some patients were younger, others fluctuated, and lab work didn’t always explain what I was seeing. Then I began seeing younger patients often dismissed elsewhere with brain fog, fatigue, joint pain, and autonomic symptoms who had seen multiple specialists but had few answers. A pattern emerged: tick-borne illness. Often it was Lyme disease, sometimes with co-infections like Babesia or Bartonella. Many had been told they have post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome and nothing more could be done. But I had seen complex illness before, knew symptoms could mislead, and when these patients were evaluated and treated more carefully, many improved. That was the turning point in how I became a Lyme disease doctor. Lyme disease is not a simple infection—it can involve the nervous system, joints, heart, immune regulation, and cognition. Understanding Lyme disease means understanding the whole patient, not just lab results. This approach aligns with what many patients experience in chronic Lyme disease and persistent symptoms, particularly after delayed diagnosis or incomplete evaluation. It also requires careful assessment for co-infections, which can complicate recovery and are often missed. Today my work focuses on patients with Lyme disease and co-infections along with the biological, psychological, and social complexity that comes with them. What began as a desire to serve my community led me to geriatrics, geriatrics taught me how to manage complexity, and that experience ultimately led me to Lyme disease care. This was not the path I planned, but it’s the path that kept presenting itself one patient at a time—and it turns out, this is exactly where I’m meant to be.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did you become a Lyme disease doctor?

I became a Lyme disease doctor unexpectedly. After training in geriatrics at New York Medical College, I began seeing patients with cognitive symptoms, brain fog, fatigue, and autonomic dysfunction that didn’t fit typical patterns. Many had been dismissed elsewhere. A pattern emerged: tick-borne illness, often Lyme disease with co-infections. When evaluated and treated carefully, many improved.

What training prepares doctors to treat Lyme disease?

There’s no single path. My geriatrics training taught me to manage complexity—patients with overlapping symptoms, subtle changes, and conditions requiring careful listening and individualized care. This background proved essential for treating chronic Lyme disease, where symptoms span multiple systems and standard testing is often inconclusive.

Why do some doctors understand chronic Lyme better than others?

Experience matters more than titles. Doctors who treat chronic Lyme regularly learn to recognize patterns others miss: migratory symptoms, co-infections like Babesia or Bartonella, autonomic dysfunction, and persistent symptoms after standard treatment. Clinical judgment becomes as important as lab results.

What makes treating Lyme disease different from other infections?

Lyme disease is not a simple infection. It can involve the nervous system, joints, heart, immune regulation, and cognition. Understanding Lyme disease means understanding the whole patient—not just lab results. It requires careful assessment for co-infections and recognition that persistent symptoms after treatment may reflect incomplete evaluation rather than treatment failure.

What should patients look for in a Lyme disease doctor?

Look for clinical experience treating chronic Lyme and co-infections, willingness to use clinical judgment beyond test results, familiarity with persistent symptoms after treatment, and ability to individualize care. The right doctor listens carefully, recognizes patterns, and doesn’t dismiss symptoms that don’t fit standard presentations.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lyme Disease.
2. Dr. Daniel Cameron: About Dr. Daniel Cameron