Episode 197: Slow and Steady - an interview with Janice Iannucci

Dr. Janice Iannucci is a Nurse Practitioner and lifelong resident of tick endemic Long Island, New York. Dr. Iannucci studied and earned her nursing degrees, LPN, RN, NP, and Doctorate from the top universities located on Long Island, while working in hospital systems in the region. As Dr. Iannucci was climbing to the educational pinnacle of her profession, she felt but could not see “something on the back of her leg while she was driving” that resulted in a rash and chronic “flu-like syndrome that would put [her] down for months.” Unable to self-diagnose, she began to share her puzzling symptoms with hospital colleagues who were also unable to help her locate a diagnosis. Desperate for a diagnosis, Dr. Iannucci became a patient and visited over 10 doctors in search of a diagnosis where she was misdiagnosed with MS and depression. Finally, she visited the famous LLMD, Dr. Raxlen, where she tested positive for Lyme disease on an IGeneX lab test. The failure of her own education and training, the education and training of her hospital colleagues, and the education of her 10 medical doctors reset the concentration of Dr. Iannucci’s doctorial education. Additionally, the challenges she faced on her healing journey caused her to study traditional eastern herbal tools to supplement the tools she had utilized during her career. If you would like to learn how Lyme disease changed the educational and career paths of a western-educated Doctor of Nurse Practitioner, then tune in now!