Dr. Caitlin Doody, PhD, Family Nurse Practitioner

Dr. Caitlin Doody, PhD, Family Nurse Practitioner Board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and PhD researcher specializing in Lyme disease treatment.

Founder and owner of Rise Wellness, expanding care to comprehensive wellness treatments

Summer may be winding down, but tick season isn’t. 🍂Ticks can remain active well into the fall—and even during the winte...
09/02/2026

Summer may be winding down, but tick season isn’t. 🍂
Ticks can remain active well into the fall—and even during the winter—so don’t put away your tick-prevention habits.
A few reminders as we head into fall:
• Continue daily tick checks after spending time outdoors
• Use tick repellent when hiking, gardening, walking the dog, or spending time in wooded or grassy areas
• Check children and pets, too—ticks can easily hitch a ride into the home
• If you find an attached tick, remove it promptly and talk to your provider about appropriate prophylactic treatment and tick testing
And remember: not everyone with Lyme disease develops the classic bull’s-eye rash.
Enjoy the cooler weather—just stay tick-aware.
If you’re in Connecticut and have questions after a tick bite, Rise Wellness offers evaluation and treatment for acute and complex tick-borne illness.

09/01/2026

Story shared with permission.

Sometimes a rash tells an important story. 🦠

A colleague recently sent me a photo of a rash on their leg and asked for my thoughts. The appearance was consistent with erythema migrans (EM)—the characteristic expanding rash associated with Lyme disease.

When we discussed it further, they also reported several weeks of mild, flu-like symptoms. Taken together, the rash and systemic symptoms were consistent with early Lyme disease, and they started treatment.

Within about 24–48 hours, their symptoms temporarily became significantly worse, and the rash became much more pronounced.

This can occur with a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, including a cutaneous reaction where an existing EM rash temporarily becomes more inflamed or prominent after starting treatment.

Understandably, the change was concerning, so they sought a second opinion at an urgent care. That provider also felt the presentation was consistent with Lyme disease. They continued treatment, and ultimately both the symptoms and rash resolved.

The takeaway? Lyme doesn’t always present dramatically at first. Symptoms can be mild, an EM rash doesn’t always look like the textbook bull’s-eye, and sometimes symptoms temporarily worsen after treatment begins.

Thankfully, this story had a great outcome. 💚

I am incredibly grateful for reviews like this and even more grateful for the patients and families who trust me to be p...
08/31/2026

I am incredibly grateful for reviews like this and even more grateful for the patients and families who trust me to be part of their healthcare journey. 🤍
I feel so fortunate to work with such wonderful people who are willing to put so much time, patience, and dedication into getting their health back on track. Healing from complex, chronic illness is rarely a quick or straightforward process—it takes persistence, teamwork, and a willingness to keep moving forward even when progress takes time.
When I have patients who are this invested in their health, it makes it easy for me to be equally invested in them. Getting to know my patients, listening to the details, working through the challenges together, and ultimately seeing someone begin to feel like themselves again is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share these kind words and, most importantly, for trusting me with your care. I truly feel fortunate to work with such amazing patients and families. 💚

Sometimes the path forward isn’t about finding the “right” road—it’s realizing you’re allowed to create a new one. 🤍You ...
08/27/2026

Sometimes the path forward isn’t about finding the “right” road—it’s realizing you’re allowed to create a new one. 🤍
You can change direction. You can outgrow what once fit. You can begin again. Keep moving toward the life that feels like yours.
— inspired by Dolly Parton ✨

08/25/2026

Not every Lyme rash looks like the classic bull’s-eye. 👀

Erythema migrans can vary significantly in appearance — and recognizing it matters. If you develop a new or expanding rash after possible tick exposure, don’t wait for it to look like the pictures you’ve seen online.

Save this so you know what else to look for. 💚

08/25/2026

Finding a provider who is knowledgeable about Lyme and tick-borne disease can be challenging, especially if you live in an area where experienced clinicians are limited. If you’re looking for a provider closer to home, these are three resources worth saving:

🔎 ILADS Provider Search: ilads.org/patient-care/provider-search/
🔎 MAPS Clinician Directory (pediatric-focused): medmaps.org/clinician-directory/
🔎 HHS Lyme Resources: hhs.gov/lyme — the HHS clinician locator directs patients to the ILADS provider search.

Save this post so you have these resources when you need them, and share it with someone who may be looking for Lyme and tick-borne disease care. 💚

08/24/2026

Have Lyme disease? Treat patients with Lyme? Help move Lyme research forward. 💚

Patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers can now share real-world Lyme treatment experiences through CURE ID.

👉 Go to cure.ncats.io
👉 Select Share Your Treatment Experience
👉 Choose Infection-Associated Chronic Conditions → Chronic Lyme Disease
👉 Enter your experience or case

Sharing what treatments helped, didn’t help, or worsened symptoms can contribute valuable real-world data and help identify areas for future research.

💚 Your experience matters. Add your voice to the data.

SAVE + SHARE with the Lyme community!

Today, while coordinating care for a patient, I reached out to another provider with a question related to a treatment d...
08/21/2026

Today, while coordinating care for a patient, I reached out to another provider with a question related to a treatment decision and patient safety.

What should have been a simple conversation between colleagues ended with:

“Don’t question me, darling.”

It was a reminder of something I think is incredibly important in healthcare.

Good medicine requires inquiry. It requires questions. It requires collaboration.

Those questions should be welcomed whether they come from a physician, nurse practitioner, nurse, another member of the healthcare team—or from the patient themselves.

I’m a Nurse Practitioner. I’m a colleague. And I’m a woman in medicine. We should be able to question one another respectfully without being dismissed or diminished for doing so.

Questioning another clinician isn’t inherently disrespectful or a challenge to their expertise. Sometimes it’s exactly what responsible patient care requires.

We won’t always agree. We don’t have to.

But we do have to communicate, collaborate, and respect one another enough to ask—and answer—the questions that matter.

Because ultimately, this isn’t about titles or egos. It’s about the patient.

Patients first. Always.

08/11/2026

🌿 WE’RE HIRING — REGISTERED NURSE (RN)!

Rise Wellness is growing, and we’re looking for an experienced, compassionate RN to join our functional and integrative medicine practice in New Fairfield, Connecticut.

We specialize in caring for patients with Lyme disease, chronic illness, and complex health conditions, with an emphasis on individualized, patient-centered care.

This is a hybrid position combining in-person clinical care with remote responsibilities and offering a semi-flexible schedule.

Responsibilities may include:
• Patient care and clinical follow-up
• IV therapy and injections
• Lab draws and EKGs
• Patient education and care coordination
• Remote clinical and administrative support

We’re looking for an RN with strong clinical skills who is comfortable working independently, taking initiative, and managing responsibilities in a self-directed environment.

Experience in functional/integrative medicine, Lyme disease, or chronic illness care is a plus, but not required. We’re especially interested in finding someone who is compassionate, dependable, organized, and excited to learn and grow with our practice.

The position will initially be structured as a 1099 independent contractor role with semi-flexible scheduling, with the potential for the right candidate to grow into a larger role and/or W-2 position as the practice expands.

📍 New Fairfield, CT | Hybrid — In-Person + Remote

📩 Interested? Send your résumé and a brief introduction to [email protected]

Please feel free to share this post with an RN who may be a great fit for our team!

08/02/2026

There’s something magical about watching a mother duck lead her little ones through the world—quietly confident, patient, and always guiding them forward. They don’t rush, they simply trust the path, staying close together as they discover the world one gentle step at a time.

Sometimes the most beautiful moments aren’t the grand ones—they’re the simple gifts nature places right in front of us, reminding us to slow down, look around, and appreciate the beauty that’s already here. 🦆💛

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