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Dear Charlie,

We have been thru the wringer when it comes to mismanaged care. The
whole hospital care was a mess. They stopped all her home meds and never
restarted them. (doctor ordered them, nurses never found the list of
meds I gave to the ER) CK level (indicating muscle damage usually
cardiac, was over 3,000 on admission and over 5,000 when they kicked her
out of the hospital. This included meds for hypothyroidism so her
thyroid test results were abnormal which they never followed up on. Her
blood pressure was 180/90 on admission then started out 140/80 and
150/90 then up to 160/90 before they discharged her - no treatment.
The 1st neurologist was a real jerk and when I called to schedule the
procedures with him he screamed at me on the phone and told me the
procedures would not help Carm with her symptoms and we would come in
and sit in his office and listen to him tell us what he was going to do
with Carmel!!! Sounded threatening - thus he won't get near our dog let
alone my mother in law.

The multiple infarcts go along with the nursing documentation of left
sided weakness the first 2 days she was in the hospital. We think it is
a very good chance is that she either had another stroke or her fall was
caused by the pressure in her head ( "conscious falls" are a common
sympton of normal pressure hydrocephalus)

It appeared to us that Parkinson's was an "easy" diagnosis to get her on
meds and out of the hospital with a disease that has no cure and there
was no reason for additional time as an impatient. The only time we saw
anything resembling the tremors of Parkinson's was after they started
her on the medications. According to the PDR, the meds can cause the
same symptons or make them worse - thus we could have been seeing side
effects of the meds.

Bill and spend alot of time with his mother before this happened since I
am a nurse and I got the responsibility of monitoring her blood
pressure. We went to her apartment 3-4 times a week for Bp checks and
there were no new symptoms that we noticed. She was taking alot more
tylenol and tylenol pm and this could be because of headaches.

When she was off the meds the tremors disappeared and right now she is
off the meds there are no tremors, no change in gait. Memory loss and
confusion could be attributed to the strokes as well as NPH.

Her primary care doctor has decided to refuse to respond to my phone
calls for help for BP too high or too low or questions concerning her
meds, I am dealing with this on my own since she has not seen the new
primary care doctor yet. The referral to the neurologist was delayed due
to the insurance refusal for the referral to the doctor who agreed that
she needed the tests done.

We have not seen the neurologist yet, he could not see her until 2/15 -
and I explained it was an emergency, the LP was supposed to be done in
January- they told me take her to the hospital. Can't do that unless she
had a doctor's order for the test. She is asymptomatic,eccept for
confusion and memory loss which can be attributed to many other things
thus they would not admit her. So Lp was not done, Shunt was not done
and we wait. She will be 81 this august.

Because her blood pressure has been getting lower and lower, and the
Parkinson's meds have a side effect of hypotension, we have already
stopped the meds and her blood pressure is back to a better level - and
wonder of wonders - she has no symptoms of Parkinson's.

This will also give the new doctor time to check the dopamine level
while she is off the meds to see if they are really warrented.

Thanks for the info, would like to hear from your friend the
neurosurgeon.

Leslie