The symptoms looked psychiatric. The cause was infectious. The consequences were irreversible. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Nicole Bell shares her journey of losing her husband to a misdiagnosed tick-borne illness mistaken for early-onset Alzheimer’s. She reveals the systemic flaws in diagnostic testing, the overlooked connection between infections and psychiatric symptoms, and how she’s now leading efforts to revolutionize tick-borne disease detection.
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In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Nicole Bell recounts the heartbreaking story of her husband’s decline from undiagnosed tick-borne infections that presented as psychiatric symptoms and were misdiagnosed as early-onset Alzheimer’s. Despite seeking answers through mainstream and integrative medicine, repeated false negatives and incomplete diagnostic tools left her without a clear path—until she uncovered the real root: chronic infections like Lyme, Bartonella, and Babesia. Nicole reflects on how this experience revealed systemic flaws in medicine, where symptom management too often replaces root-cause discovery, and how she turned her grief into advocacy by joining Galaxy Diagnostics.
Nicole explains how they are now developing direct detection tools that go beyond traditional antibody tests—which often fail due to immune suppression. She breaks down how technologies like digital polymerase chain reaction and urine antigen testing are helping uncover stealth pathogens earlier and more accurately. We also discuss the emotional toll on caregivers, the power of community, and the importance of journaling and organizing information when navigating medical chaos. Nicole’s message is clear: demand better, trust your instincts, and never stop searching for the truth when it comes to complex, chronic illness.
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Nicole Bell is an author, engineer, and CEO of Galaxy Diagnostics, a laboratory advancing diagnostic tools for tick-borne illnesses. After losing her husband to a tragic misdiagnosis, she turned her personal loss into purpose. Through her memoir What Lurks in the Woods, she brings awareness to the devastating consequences of undiagnosed infections, and as a leader in biotech, she’s pioneering innovative direct detection methods to uncover the root causes of chronic illness.
With degrees from MIT and Duke, she combines her background in engineering and biomedical innovation with her mission to revolutionize the standard of care in tick-borne disease. She is a passionate advocate for better diagnostics, systemic change in healthcare, and the power of caregivers to demand answers and drive solutions.
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Website: https://www.galaxydx.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoledaniellebell/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoledaniellebell/
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Website: https://www.drohara.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/
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