Episode 532: Revival - My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease, an interview with Kaitlyn Oleinik

Kaitlyn Oleinik is a chronic illness advocate and the author of Revival: My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease. She was bitten by a tick at age six and spent much of her life fighting an invisible illness while being dismissed by the medical system. Diagnosed with Lyme disease and co-infections in her teens, Kaitlyn has endured everything from hallucinations and involuntary psych holds to IVIG and stem cell treatments. Her book and voice give a name to the unspoken pain of countless others living with Lyme.

📘 About the Book

Revival - My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease is Kaitlyn’s searing memoir that chronicles her descent into neuropsychiatric Lyme, including psychosis, hospitalizations, Morgellons disease, immune collapse, and ultimately, healing and redemption. It’s a must-read for patients, caregivers, and practitioners seeking to understand the lived experience of chronic Lyme.

🔑 Episode Highlights:

• Kaitlyn’s suspected tick bite at age 6 and onset of strange symptoms by age 10
• Dismissed by dozens of doctors who claimed she was “too pretty to be sick”
• The psychological toll of not being believed—and being told it was all in her head
• Her first psychotic break, caused by inflammation and medication interactions
• Misdiagnoses including delusional parasitosis and bipolar disorder
• Treatments: IVIG, antibiotics, glutathione, intranasal stem cells, exosomes
• 5150 hold and the trauma of being institutionalized without understanding
• How residential treatment helped her begin to recover mentally and emotionally
• Rebuilding her identity after gaining 100+ lbs from steroids and losing her hair
• How she lost everything—then reclaimed her voice, purpose, and health
• Writing Revival - My Journey with Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease as an act of truth-telling and healing

💬 Powerful Quotes:

• “The trauma wasn’t just from Lyme—it was from not being believed.”
• “They said it was all in my head. But it was in my blood, my brain, my cells.”
• “Revival means coming back from the dead. That’s what this journey felt like.”

🧪 Medical Takeaways:

• Lyme disease can manifest as psychiatric illness.
• “Delusional parasitosis” and “antibiomania” are misunderstood and under-researched.
• Proper treatment can be delayed for years by misdiagnosis and stigma.
• Complex chronic illness often requires multi-systemic treatment and trauma-informed care.

🙌 Why You Should Listen:

Kaitlyn’s story is not just about Lyme - it’s about what happens when we stop believing women, ignore invisible illnesses, and turn away from complex suffering. Her story is a rallying cry for validation, medical reform, and hope.