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I guess I just want to ventilate.  Bear with me.  I have been diagnosed with
Post Polio Syndrome for the past few years.  During this time I began to
develop tremors in my left arm/hand.  Two years ago my PCP referred me to a
Neurologist who ruled out MS and thought it to be Essential Tremor instead
of Parkinson's.  As the tremors worsened, I sought another opinon from
another Neurologist in our small community.  He saw me a few times and
didn't really know what was going on, we both thought it was due to the
weakness from Polio.  Six months later, as things began to get a lot worse,
I saw him again and he was surprised in the change in six months.  I, then,
requested to go to a Parkinson Clinic to figure this whole thing out.  He
agreed to that and my HMO sent me to UCSF instead.  The chief Neurologist
there saw me for 5 min. (I had also visited him in 1998) and made the
diagnosis of Parkinson's (without a doubt).  So, I return to my area and
make an appt. with the Neurologist I had last seen.  His secretary informed
me that he would not see me anymore because I had come to him orginally for
a 'second opinion' and he was not taking any NEW patients at this time and
that I needed to return to the first Neurologist I saw.  (This was a
surprise since this guy, I thought, was going to follow me and I felt, since
I saw him a few times, that I was a patient there.)  So, I made an appt.
with the 'first' guy, stating that I now had Parkinson's.  Well, I never
heard from them, they said they had to get my old chart, ect.  I called a
week or so later and the secretary told me that the doctor 'informed her'
that he "refuses to see you because you have seen too many other doctors".
Can you believe this?  I have been in the medical profession 30+ years and
have never heard of such a thing.  In my case, it was difficult, at best, to
discern what was going on, Post Polio or Parkinson's.  I just wanted an
answer.

I called my HMO medical 'group' who told me that perhaps I should change my
group (meaning change the PCP that I feel very good about and have been
seeing for 4 yrs.) so that I can see other doctors because I have "exhausted
the doctors in my area".  Egads.  Who's exhausted???

Here I sit, so much pain in my feet and ankles from the structural changes
that I can hardly walk and my tremors and getting worse.  Is this CARE?

I feel better, thanks!!!!

Cheryl Byrne, Auburn, California.

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