The Interactional Expertise of Lyme Disease and Co-infections Patients: Sharing Knowledge about a Failure of the Institution

This article explores the interactional expertise developed by Lyme disease patients during the medical encounters that punctuate their often-lengthy diagnostic odyssey. Through an analysis of narratives of medical interactions shared and discussed in French and Anglo-American Facebook groups dedicated to Lyme and tick-borne diseases, we examine the forms of peer support that emerge within these spaces. We observe that such forms of support rely on the collective identification of an institutional failure—an act that patients view as both an end (the provision of immediate care) and a means (to the hoped-for restoration of a reliable institution).