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Beautiful letter, Katie. YOU ARE ONE FINE ATTORNEY! E of the headdress ----- Original Message ----- From: <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 11:24 PM Subject: Investigation into Dad's Death > Johanna, > > I read earlier tonight your posting about your conversation with > someone at the VA Hospital about the investigation into your dad's death, and > I just finished reading Edith's posting which encourages you to investigate > your dad's death further and to consider the possiblity that there was > negligence or wrongdoing somewhere at the VA. You and your family could have > requested an autopsy, tox screens, and blood levels prior to the time your > father was prepared for burial. (I assume your father has been buried, or > possibly cremated, since he died in February). I assume that the VA, in its > own internal investigation, interviewed personnel and possibly performed some > tests or other procedures. There should be the record of this investigation > as well as the medical records at the hospital. > > I think you, your mother, and your family, although it is very > difficult to accept the fact and manner of your father's death, can > determine, can sense, if there were problems at the VA, or with the attending > physician, at the time of your father's death. You may feel comfortable > scheduling an appointment with hospital administration and the attending > physician to answer your questions and explain the investigation. You may > want to contact an attorney to discuss the fact and manner of your father's > death and/or review the records at the hospital and of the hospital's > investigation. Exhuming a body is very expensive as well as emotionally > harrowing. The doctors on this list, or your father's attending physician, > or a neutral physician you, or your attorney, contacts/hires could indicate > for you if an autopsy would be helpful; I would think that the autopsy would > only show the fact of the death, which you know, and if your father was > properly diagnosed as having PD. I would be much more interested in the > dosages, and the frequency of those dosages, of medication as given in the > hospital, and recorded in the chart, and the matching of actual dosages as > given and recorded with the doctor's orders as written in the chart. I would > also be interested in any blood levels or tox screens of the blood taken at > the time of death, but I doubt that any were taken and you can't get them > know. I don't know what type of tissue samples would be useful and available > at this time. It might be helpful to have a doctor, with the appropriate > expertize, particularly of dementia in the last stages of PD and of > delusions/dementia/personality changes caused by PD medications, review your > father's entire course of treatment, including medications prescribed, prior > to his hospitalization as well as after. If you see a personal injury > lawyer and that lawyer agrees to take your case, you most likely will have to > pay, and most likely pay in advance, for all of this and any other costs of > the attorney's investigation into your father's death. > > The manner of your father's death is horrific and bizarre. I don't > know if any further investigation, or exhumation of the body, will show > anything was done wrong or if it will help you and your family accept and > reach some closure on your father's death. The purpose, the function, of the > legal system is to redress wrongs, but the legal system can't do everything. > I don't think the legal system can make you feel better about your father's > death. I don't think that the legal system can help you accept the manner of > his death. If you feel you need to pursue further investigation of your > father's death, by all means, do so. I made some suggestions as how you > might get started. You may find something wrong, but you may not. I assume > that there is no serious issue here of foul play since you have never > mentioned that possiblity. Showing that the doctor/s did something wrong or > that the hospital did something wrong will be difficult given your father's > behavior and state of mind. I think that you would have to show that the > dosages of the medications and/or the continued prescription of the > medications were wrong or that the level of protection and security provided > by the hospital was wrong. > > I was uncomfortable writing this to you, at this time. I was > primarily responding to the questions which were raised by Edith. It is > difficult to deal with grief over the loss of a loved one under any > circumstances, and, when things like this happen, we look for the reason, the > cause, the explanation. However,sometimes, we can't get any answers to our > questions, and it is heartbreaking as well as frustrating. Katie > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn