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Fortunately for me I have good insurance coverage, by US standards, so I can't comment on costs. Also I'm not a doctor and am fairly new to PD (2 years since diagnosis), but I'm concerned about the lack of diagnosis re: your tremors. My understanding is that blood work and CAT scans are used only to rule out other causes of your symptoms, e.g.; a brain tumor. PD cannot be diagnosed in this way. And tremors are hardly natural. (Personally, I find it very difficult not to give them any attention!) Also if a doctor discourages second opinions, I would start sniffing for something. Of course, money is a concern and the context of saying such a thing is important. Perhaps a small point, but I believe Lipitor, being a statin, lowers one's CoQ10 which seems to be a negative thing for PWP. The official take based on current knowledge is that the benefits of reducing lipid levels when required trump the concern about CoQ10; so it should be continued. I have read that some doctors recommend CoQ10 supplements when taking statins, even for non-PWP, because it is also important for healthy heart functioning. >I do not know what treatment costs are, and believe there are many >out there that have more experience, and can help keep me informed. >I went to a local General Practitioner to get a physical, and to see >if there might be a cause for my tremors on my right side. He gave >me the physical, and sent me to the local hospital for a CAT scan of >my brain, and a CAT scan of my nasal sinuses. He also sent me for a >full blood check, that included checking for Cholesterol status. I >had the blood drawn, and had the two scans, and returned to his >office. He told me he found only a need to be on Lipitor, but no >other abnormalities. He told me that my tremors could be from >natural causes, and not to give them any attention. He recommended >that I stay with the Lipitor, and avoid going to any other doctors. >He told me I could if I wanted to, but that he thought it would be a >waste of my time and money. I received the $3,500 bill for >everything that was done, today. I believe it to be excessive, and >need some feedback. $280 for the two doctors visits and the >physical. $293 for the CAT scan of the brain. $277 for the CAT >scan of the nasal passages. $772.91 for the Blood Tests. $1,670.36 >for the interpretation of the two CAT scans. Is this normal, or >have I been scammed? I still have the tremors, but at this rate I >can not afford to go on looking for the cause. > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >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 --