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Well Lynn
Thank you for your comments,

Carmel chose the previous doctor and we had no problems with her until
this hospitalization. Then she chose not to take care of her in the
hospital and turned her over to what they called an "intensivest" a
doctor who had no private practice,(wonder why she doesn't have her own
practice? and takes care of patients of other doctors?) she is one who
just see patients in the hospital.

This doctor refused to meet with the family, just made phone calls.
Obviously did not reviewed the lab or radiology results until she was
planning the dicharge. The MRI was done 1/6 and she reported the result
of hydrocephalus 1/9. She never addressed the lab results of the CK
level (indicating muscle damage -usually cardiac), abnormal thyroid
levels, abnormal potassium levels.  She never addressed the results of
the MRI which showed evidence of previous or current stroke as well as
nursing documentation of left sided weakness on admission and for 2 days
after admission.

According to the nurses taking care of Carmel, this doctor had been
fired from many many cases because of her treatment or misdiagnosises.
Another person in case management who used to work there and left
because of the working condition, explained that she knew of patients
who died because of misdiagnosis by this doctor.

There were no personalities differences, how could there be , we never
met the doctor.

Although Carm has problems with memory loss and some confusion, we as
her family we there and gave a complete medical history including a
complete list of her meds, which they couldn't find to continue them in
the hospital and no one seemed concerned even when her blood pressure
reading were as high as 190's/90's; or when her thyroid tests were
abnormal ( she had been on thyroid meds).

We see it with Carm and I see it working as a nurse in our hospital,
there are so many people out there who continue to think that doctors
have their best interest in mind and are there to help them they have
complete trust in their doctor--- they don't know they can demand an
explanation or ask for a second opinion and many times, they are
threatened by the doctor "I am the doctor and you WILL do as I say".
They don't have the education to know that they have rights.

This is espically true of Carmel, who now depends on us to go with her
to the doctors and hospital and be her advocate. She just can't remember
and appears to have faith in the doctors that they will treat her right.
- and doesn't know when she is not getting good care unitl we discuss it
and I explain what should happen.

So we wait on the test results and hopefully get ito the neurologist
soon.

We are informed consumers and the care received at the hospital as well
as pcp refusal to care for her following discharge needs action on our
part. Informing them of the problems and any damage would go in one ear
and out the other, and the letter in the trash, based on previous
experience with this office and esp. the husband. It won't do anything
to stop this from happening to someone else. They "get away with this"
with Carm, there will be other elderly patients treated the same way,
and somewhere, sometime, someone will end up dying - I hope it won't be
anyone I know or care about.

We will start with a complaint to the insurance company, as well as
insurnace board since nylcare delayed her treatment by refusal of the
referral, and then a complaint to the medical board in Austin. Doctors
are not GODS and they are not above the law.

Well, I will get back down off the soapbox.