Susan L. Marra, MS, ND | Seattle — Local services in Seattle

I was a revolving door patient seeing specialists after specialist without any real help or answers. Most made me feel invalidated like I was exaggerating or or it was all in my head. I was completely bedridden most days for almost a decade with a line of symptoms that were endless. For 17 years I felt like I was screaming and yelling for help and nobody could hear me until I found Dr. Marra who knew exactly what was going on not only as a specialist in this field, but she had these infections herself and knows how it can feel. She is also incredibly intuitive and highly skilled. In fact, I think every one of her hunches on what she felt was wrong ended up lining up when the test came back with evidence she was right. I finally felt validated, understood and actually heard after being dismissed or ignored nearly half of my life. I felt I was being attacked from the inside and being eaten alive slowly without my body being able to fight anything off on its own. I felt all my systems and organs were failing one by one. I didn't realize one person could have so many debilitating and painful problems at once. I didn't know this level of pain and suffering was even possible including endless emergencies for this many years without any real relief or help just being dismissed and sent away by nearly everyone around me. I felt hopeless for so long, because I felt nobody cared to help or support me.

Dr. Marra is a strong woman who's no-no sense and to the point mixed with being a highly empathetic, compassionate soul. She truly listens to you when you speak, and I felt a level of being "heard" that I'm not sure I've ever felt regarding health situations. She gives excellent advice on how to properly heal understanding it's not just the pills that heal the person it's equally the mindset and way of life. She offers a variety of therapies including alternative. I can tell her brain is like a healing encyclopedia regarding these infections or other health issues and how to eradicate them or assist the body in the releasing process. At the worst of my sickness I felt incredibly raw and vulnerable especially dealing with other people in my physical and emotional state. I was so sensitive and had nothing left I thought if the wind blew I would evaporate into a billion pieces. I didn't have to feel "dumb" interacting with Dr. Marra when I couldn't think or even speak properly. Because of how severe my situation was at first, I honestly don't think I would have felt safe with anyone else handling my care. My symptoms were very scary, but I always felt like out of every expert out there that I was in the best care and I fully trusted her. That's a lot of responsibility on her part with that level of illness. I honestly believe she saved my life. I can tell she's the kind of specialist people probably fly in to see because she's that good.

All the ladies at this practice including Miss JuJu are contributing to my miracle of finally getting well, and I'm forever grateful to know I'm actually overcoming this once and for all. I'm seeing results and improvement nobody else could help me with. I can't believe how many things were associated with these infections as once I started to heal I saw the correlation.

(I was bitten by a deer tick 17 years ago. I found it by noticing irritation on my torso, and I realized it was completely embedded within my skin. I was tested the next day which was just a Lyme test (not a test on co-infections) at my primary's office. It was negative. I was not aware until recently about that not being enough time for something to show up on a test. Back then I wasn't told I should test again a month or so later. A year after that both my dogs were found to have tick infections. My health slowly declined right after that tick bite, and we finally found that I had 9 different infections. The specialist I was initially referred to didn't know how to even treat me as the guidelines said treatment was up to the specialists expertise and experience which he didn't have any regarding particular chronic...

Before writing this review, I looked up how many words are allowed in a Google review. Because I knew there’s not enough words to describe how much Dr. Marra means to me and what she has done for me! 15 + years ago I was beyond sick when I discovered Dr. Marra. I came across a YouTube video after years of searching for what’s wrong with me? And this guy was crying and describing all of his symptoms. After that video, I broke down in tears because I knew that’s exactly what I had. I looked up Lyme disease, doctors. And found out there wasn’t that many. But there happened to be the very best Lyme disease doctor only 2 miles from my apartment in Seattle. What were the odds of that? I set up appointment, and we got right into it. She went over my symptoms and my health history extensively. Then ordered some labs. A major blood draw like I’ve never had before. 30+ vials. Dr. Marra. Does her due diligence. When all of my bloodwork came back, it turned out I had one of the highest counts of “babesia she has ever seen! Along with Lyme Bartonella, the whole cocktail of tick borne illnesses. I was The Walking Dead. We began a treatment plan right away. That involved anabiotic’s, probiotics, vitamins, natural pathic ways. Eastern, and western medicine. She never sugar coated how difficult it was going to be. Each month during treatment I had to get my blood drawn to make sure all my numbers were right, as far as my liver, etc.. Like I said, Dr. Marra does her due diligence. If I herxed too much, we would take the dosage down. If I wasn’t having response, we would keep switching medicines to attack all the different tickborne illnesses. Which you cannot attack all at once. It is a very systematic approach. And I had an expert in my corner, guiding me through. I thank God every day for Dr. Marra! I went from The Walking Dead, not even being able to work. To starting my own Dogwalking business. Then I started a doggy daycare and boarding service. I met my wife and daughter on one of those walks. And now we’ve just welcomed our second daughter into the family. My business has served my community for over 12 1/2 years taken care of people’s dogs. I’ve been on the news written up in the paper for the success of my business. But I owe all of that to Dr. Susan Marra! When she saw me, she didn’t waste a second. She knew my life was on the line. If I never met her, I wouldn’t be here! I wouldn’t have my beautiful family and newborn baby. I wouldn’t have a successful business, where Ive helped so many families. She is one of the very best lyme literate, tick borne illness doctors in the world. How lucky was I to be just a couple miles away from her! I spend my time now filled with gratitude, I meditate, I go to church occasionally. I count my blessings. Just a few days ago I ran 20 miles for the first time in my life without stopping. At 44 years old I’m in the best shape of my life. I won the lottery of life by meeting Dr. Susan Marra. And if I ever won the Powerball or the mega millions, she is one of the people I would go to first and ask her, “What do you need just name it”, it’s yours. The only thing better than Dr. Susan Marra is if we could CLONE more of her. If we could have thousands of Dr. Marra’s out there! Her dedication and continued education to her field, and expertise is incredibly rare. If you are reading this review and are considering calling Dr. Susan Marra. Know that there is hope out there for you to get better. It is not easy, and you will go through difficulty. But if you do what she says, and you maintain your gratitude each day. You will get better. May God bless, Dr. Marra always! I’ve always envisioned this long table of people that I love, and mean the world to me when I enter heaven, we all sit down at a table and we eat together and laugh. Dr. Marra is at my table and will always be at my...

I found Dr. Marra on Google because my Western medical doctors refused to believe my sudden onset of joint pain, trouble walking, and difficulty opening and closing my hands within three days could be Lyme.

Though my Polyclinic / Optum PCP agreed to 7 days of Doxycycline, she wrongly concluded my negative early-stage ELISA test result meant I did not have Lyme. I was new to the disease but not new to literacy - the result had a CDC warning that a negative result was not conclusive and longer-term antibody testing was needed. Despite my requests, my PCP would not order the new test nor prescribe more antibiotics for fear of antibiotic resistance.

Desperate, I went to a PA at Zoomcare who told me my symptoms were 'in [my] head and due to stress; I see it all the time.' Only when I cried did she agree to prescribe me more antibiotics. Antibiotics, not narcotics!

Ultimately, a Polyclinic Endocrinologist and Swedish Infectious Diseases expert both told me I had Rheumatoid Arthritis and needed to take steroids for the rest of my life. But get this - one told me Lyme MOVED joints while the other told me Lyme DIDN'T MOVE joints (newsflash: each tickborne illness manifests a very specific way and I'd be diagnosed with three coinfections).

I declined treatment for RA because I couldn't risk reducing my body's ability to fight off the tickborne illness. Good thing I refused since I now know RA doesn't go into remission without steroid treatment and I'm generally symptom-free if I avoid gluten!

In contrast with my 'best insurance in Seattle' gaslighting, in my first call with Dr. Marra she accurately predicted the specific tickborne pathogens I was infected by due to decades or pattern recognition (as a patient and a practitioner). My comprehensive blood tests quickly validated her beliefs and her resulting straightforward treatment plan was a combination of: 1/ therapeutic activities, 2/ supplements to detox, support, and reduce inflammation, 3/ prescriptions to tackle the infections, and 4/ a diet which reduced accidentally feeding the bacteria.

Every month I go to a lab or use a mobile phlebotomist so Dr. Marra can evaluate how my body is handling the regimen. She asks detailed questions and connects the dots like a detective - infinitely more observant and dialed-in than my harried PCP.

Last, Dr. Marra recently referred me to a new 'Lyme literate' Optum specialist who was fantastic. He made a very insightful observation which perfectly summed up my last two years of fighting and failing to get a diagnosis: 'The problem with Doctors these days is they're no longer curious, which means if something doesn't fit what they already know they wash their hands of it.'

Dr. Marra is curious. She's suffering from tickborne illness and has diagnosed and cured so many because it's so difficult to find an expert in this growing disease field.

If you suspect you have Lyme you can't afford NOT to seek help to reduce years or a lifetime of suffering. Bonus of no Western medical gaslighting. Plus she has the cutest Frenchie ever. She's an...