Have you ever had to deal with doctors who don’t listen or believe you when you say you have chronic Lyme disease? It’s frustrating and annoying and angering and hurtful. This playlist is for all those feelings…and pokes a little fun at some of the not-so-helpful doctors out there.
Look What You Made Me Do- Taylor Swift
Favorite lyric: But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time
To the doctors who don’t take you seriously…look what you made us do. Swift sings vengefully about someone who has wronged her and while we don’t know exactly what it has made her do, we do know her trust has been lost and she’s not putting up with it for any longer.
As a patient of an unhelpful doctor, you’ve now resorted to every other treatment option possible because if they can’t help you, then you’ll take matters into your own hands.
You’re so Vain- Carly Simon
Favorite lyric: You’re so vain/ You probably think this song is about you
This song is probably the angriest a song could be without even sounding angry. When dealing with some doctors, it’s amazing there’s room for both of you in their office—seeing as how their ego takes up so much space. Some doctors are adamant that chronic Lyme disease does not exist and no matter how much evidence presents itself, they will not listen.
Heartless- Kanye West
Favorite lyric: How could be so Dr. Evil, you bringin’ out a side of me that I don’t know
The question being posed in this song is so genuine, “How could you be so heartless?” Combine that with auto-tune and a continuous tempo, and this song is sure to be stuck in your mind as you leave the doctor’s office.
Before a poor experience with a doctor, you never had reason to not trust. Now, you really want to understand how somebody who made an oath to help can do more harm than good in good conscience.
Elastic Heart- Sia
Favorite lyric: And I know that I can survive/ I walked through fire to save my life
After dealing with a doctor or treatment plan you thought you could trust, it is difficult to try again. Just because one doctor wasn’t right for you doesn’t mean you can’t find one who will actually help. You’ve got “thick skin and an elastic heart” and you will keep on trying.
Gives You Hell- The All-American Rejects
Favorite lyric: And here’s all your lies/ You can’t look me in the eyes/ With the sad, sad look/ That you wear so well
When you feel like a doctor can’t help you, it can make you angry. It doesn’t get more straight forward than hoping that it gives someone hell when they see your face, hah.
She Works Hard for the Money- Donna Summer
Favorite lyric: She works hard for the money/ So you better treat her right
The song is upbeat, but there’s nothing upbeat about the medical bills that come with chronic illness. It’d be nice if some doctors would actually spend more than two minutes looking at your chart before dismissing you. Don’t they know how expensive all these medical bills are? And how hard you work for your money?
Til It Happens To You- Lady Gaga
Favorite lyric: ‘Til it happens to you, you won’t know/ It won’t be real
Do you ever wonder how differently your doctor, or anyone for that matter, would treat you if they could feel what you feel? In this pop ballad, Gaga relates how she’s told to keep her head up but how she doesn’t want to hear from the people who don’t know what they’re talking about. You can’t possibly understand what it’s like (to live with chronic illness) ‘til it happens to you.
Not Ready to Make Nice- Dixie Chicks
Favorite lyric: I’m still mad as hell, and I don’t have time/ To go ’round and ’round and ’round
It’s okay to be angry and frustrated with doctors, with the insurance companies, with the whole situation. With time, you may be able to forgive, but lead singer Maines is still waiting.
Hear Me- Kelly Clarkson
Favorite lyric: I need you to see/ I’m screaming for you to please/ Hear me
If only everyone sounded as lovely as Clarkson does when belting out for help. This song is a plea for help filled with desperation—a feeling all too relatable to those living with chronic illness. Some doctors don’t listen. They don’t believe you. They don’t understand. They just don’t seem to hear you.
At the end of the day, we know there are doctors out there who are doing everything they can to help their patients, and to those we say, “thank you!” But to the ones we encounter who aren’t taking Lyme seriously, we say…this song is for you. Listen on Spotify.