I recently joined Christina Murphy on Frederick’s Tick Talks to discuss Morgellons, Lyme disease, and what it is like to live with skin symptoms that other people struggle to understand. We talked about my own history, looked at skin images, and considered how patients can bring useful information into a medical appointment.[1]
The conversation also reached a more personal question: what happens to someone’s sense of worth when illness and isolation begin to take over their life? Helping people find their way back into care, and back into community, is a central reason I do this work.
This time, Christina was asking the questions. Readers may remember her earlier appearance on Morgellons Discussion, when we explored tick prevention, education, and the importance of being heard.
Watch the full interview
Episode 37 · Frederick Live Network · 43 minutes. The video was published November 10, 2026. Watch on YouTube, or use the topic links below.
Why this work is personal
In the interview, I describe a long history of skin problems, tick exposure, and the eventual Lyme diagnosis I received at 40. I also discuss finding care with Dr. Eboni Cornish and how conference recordings helped me learn about her work.
Those events are part of my medical history. They explain why I became involved in advocacy, but they cannot establish what is causing another person’s symptoms. One patient’s account and a study designed to test a cause answer different questions.
What I can speak to directly is the effect of living with an illness that changes how you see yourself. Persistent lesions, uncertainty, and social withdrawal can narrow a person’s life. I want someone watching this conversation to know that asking for help is reasonable and that being ill does not diminish their worth.
Looking carefully at the skin findings
During the discussion, I share photographs and microscope footage of my skin. We talk about filament-like material associated with lesions, the sensations patients describe, and why the details of a specimen matter. A photograph can document a visible finding; identifying its composition and how it became associated with the skin requires further investigation.
The discussion includes a 2017 Korean case report by Ohn and colleagues. The authors observed a black fiber protruding from the dermal side of a biopsy specimen during gross examination. That fiber was absent from the processed histological sections, and its composition was not determined. The report also described negative findings for microorganisms and negative Borrelia testing. The authors interpreted the case as delusional infestation. Their paper records an observed fiber without resolving its identity or establishing an infectious cause.[2]
We also discuss research by Middelveen and colleagues. Their 2013 study of specimens from four patients reported filaments with keratin and collagen components. These observations deserve scrutiny and follow-up; a small descriptive study cannot establish a universal cause or determine the identity of every material a patient finds.[3]
For readers who want to examine these distinctions more closely, our critical comparison of Morgellons skin-material research looks at specimen context, laboratory methods, and the limits of interpretation.
Skin findings and beliefs need their own assessment
One point I return to is the need to examine a person’s skin and evaluate their explanation of it carefully. A visible finding needs a clinical assessment. A proposed explanation needs evidence. The word Morgellons, by itself, cannot do that work.
I mention Lai and colleagues’ 2018 review, Reframing delusional infestation: perspectives on unresolved puzzles. It discusses the diagnostic difficulties surrounding delusional infestation and Morgellons and calls for stepwise, interdisciplinary examination of underlying causes.[4]
My aim as a patient advocate is to encourage that kind of careful encounter. Patients should have room to describe what is happening, and clinicians should have room to investigate it. The relationship between Morgellons and Lyme disease also needs that discipline: a reported association is not proof that one condition causes the other.
Making a medical appointment more useful
Some of the most practical parts of our conversation concern preparation. An appointment is more productive when the clinician can see the sequence of events, understand what has changed, and identify the question that needs attention.
- Bring a short timeline. Record when symptoms began, important changes, previous investigations, and treatments you have tried.
- Choose a small set of clear photographs. Include a wider view showing the location and a close view of the finding. Record the date and use a size reference when practical.
- Describe what you observe. Explain the pain, appearance, recurrence, or effect on daily life. Keep a suspected cause distinct from a confirmed diagnosis.
- Identify the next question. Ask what examination, investigation, referral, or follow-up could help clarify the problem.
The Morgellons Clinical Visit Pack and skin-photography guide provide a starting point for organizing that information. You do not have to settle the diagnosis before documenting the problem.
Applying the same scrutiny to every claim
Christina and I also discuss how to evaluate information found online. Sweeping promises about a guaranteed cause or a universal cure should prompt questions about the evidence behind them. The same scrutiny should apply to claims that dismiss every patient’s skin findings without examining them.
We touch on using AI to help check research. My advice for readers is to follow any summary back to the original paper: check who was studied, what was actually measured, and whether the conclusion follows. Agreement between AI systems does not independently validate a claim.
I approach this as a patient advocate, not a medical expert. My responsibility is to help readers ask better questions and find the underlying sources, including when those sources leave an issue unresolved.
Illness should not erase your identity
The emotional part of the interview matters as much to me as the discussion of research. We talk about isolation, despair, and the importance of reaching out. Someone can become so occupied with symptoms and the struggle to explain them that their interests, relationships, and accomplishments begin to feel distant.
I encourage people to remember those other parts of themselves and to reconnect with people who can offer support. You deserve care while the medical questions are still being worked through.
For readers in the United States experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, the https://988lifeline.org offers crisis support. Call 988 or text 988.
Thank you to Christina Murphy and the Frederick Live Network for making space for this conversation. I hope it helps viewers look more closely at the evidence, prepare for a useful medical visit, and remember the person living with the symptoms.
Featured Morgellons conference playlists
For readers who want to explore the conference material discussed in this interview, these three playlists collect recordings from the Charles E. Holman Morgellons Disease Foundation’s 2017, 2018 and 2019 medical-scientific conferences.
The recordings reflect each speaker’s interpretation of the evidence at the time. The conference years below distinguish the events from the later dates when the videos were uploaded.
2017 · 10th Annual Morgellons Conference
April 29–30, 2017
Selected presentation: Canine Filamentous Dermatitis Associated with Borrelia Infection — Raphael Stricker, MD.
2018 · 11th Annual Morgellons Conference
April 14–15, 2018
Selected presentation: Diagnosing Morgellons Disease — Ginger Savely, DNP.
2019 · 12th Annual Morgellons Conference
April 6–7, 2019
Selected presentation: My Morgellons Journey and the Charles E. Holman Morgellons Disease Foundation — Cindy Casey Holman.
Jump to a topic
These links lead to approximate topic starting points in the full interview.
- 3:04 — My health history and the path into advocacy
- 7:45 — Defining Morgellons and the diagnostic disagreement
- 10:52 — Skin images, microscopy, and published observations
- 17:50 — Isolation, mental health, and seeking support
- 20:09 — Preparing for a medical appointment
- 27:21 — Morgellons, Lyme disease, and questions of causation
- 29:20 — The Lai review and clinical assessment
- 32:20 — Better appointments and evaluating online claims
- 36:15 — Identity, encouragement, and community
Sources and episode notes
1. Frederick’s Tick Talks | Ep 37 | Jeremy Murphree. Hosted by Christina Murphy, Frederick Live Network. Video published November 10, 2026. This article is a companion to the conversation; personal medical history is presented as my account.
2. Ohn J, Park SY, Moon J, Choe YS, Kim KH. Morgellons Disease. Annals of Dermatology. 2017;29(2):223–225. A single case report; the observed fiber was not compositionally identified.
3. Middelveen MJ, Mayne PJ, Kahn DG, Stricker RB. Characterization and evolution of dermal filaments from patients with Morgellons disease. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. 2013;6:1–21. A descriptive study involving four patients.
4. Lai J, Xu Z, Xu Y, Hu S. Reframing delusional infestation: perspectives on unresolved puzzles. Psychology Research and Behavior Management. 2018;11:425–432. A narrative review, not a diagnostic validation study.