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View Full Version : Riley neuro appointment- sorta a waste


Denae
09-21-2007, 09:08 PM
I tool off work early Thursday afternoon so we could go and really relax early- and miss the traffic.

We got to the hotel and the girls swam and just had a good time. I don't remember the hot tub ever feeling so wonderful.

This morning we get up and get ready,Ri lost her VNS magnet in the hotel van, but thankfully the same guy that dropped us off picked us back up and her magnet was still where she stuck it.. We are down to two-

After waiting more than an hour I saw Leigh coming toward us. She sits down across from me, nothing unsual. She normally comes and talks for a few minutes before Ri goes back, just chit chat. She starts apologizing- I wanted to be sick-

Remeber Dr.P's old assistant, the one we had such a hard time with about 2 years ago- She does the scheduling- Dr.P had to be away this week and someone was supposed to call us to reschedule the appointment. That didn't happen.

Dr. S is the other ped neuro there, she said he was with a new patient but would see us next, if we were ok with seeing him. We had already been waiting almost an hour and a half so we stayed and waited. I was still upset, I had a lot I wanted to discuss with Dr.P and not someone who doesn't really know Ri, that would be pointless.

Finally we go back, it was kinda nice to have a fresh look at Ri. Although the news was no different abotu possible seizure control. I asked him a few questions, mainly about meds. He suggests we try her on depakote again. She is older and less likely to have the same side effects as when she was two. The problem is Dr.Parrott said he wouldn't put her on it for those very reasons. He said he didn't want to make any changes with out Dr.P knowing so we aren't changing anything.

We did talk about the Klonopin and he gave me a schedule to wean her off of it, if we wanted to. I do, but not with out replacing it at the same time. He said to break the .25mg tablets in half, droping only that much per month. If we saw an increase then we could talk about what to do next. The memory of what happened with the Topomax is still fresh enough that I am not messing with anything unless we have something to back up the wean...

He did say that we needed to keep a close eye on her regression, that if it continues we need to call. Since she has a history of regressions followed by a plateau and progress he just wanted us to watch between now and her next appoitment.

I am sending Dr.Parrott an email with all my questions, I am not waiting another 3 months for all the questions I have had for more than the last 3 months...

So it was really kinda a waste of time, except for having her VNS checked.

She has been ok the last few days, it sort of worries me because she has been super hyper- oh geez, I almost forgot about her behavior she was like something on speed all weekend. It has been driving me crazy, it was almost impossible to talk to Dr. S over hear constant chatter and noise making. I have also noticed with the regressions, her autistic like behaviors are really worse.. I can only imagine what he was thinking, he isn't like Dr.Parrott who says exactly what he thinks (100% like House.) Dr. P has told her before he has a time out room and she can go sit there- trust me, she needed it last time.

So here we are...

My stomach is in knots again....

mjcolenc
09-21-2007, 09:24 PM
I am so sorry things didn't go the way you hoped they would go.

shanunlee
09-22-2007, 08:45 AM
What a pain! I am so sorry that happened to you. How far did you have to travel AND pay for a hotel room? At least the hot tub was nice. :)
What's the deal with the VNS battery? I know what a VNS is, but that is where my knowledge of it ends.

CasaDe
09-22-2007, 11:56 AM
Dr.P had to be away this week and someone was supposed to call us to reschedule the appointment. That didn't happen.
Oh, Denae, that just STINKS!!!

He suggests we try her on depakote again. She is older and less likely to have the same side effects as when she was two. The problem is Dr.Parrott said he wouldn't put her on it for those very reasons.
Maybe (maybe?) he will try to convince Dr. Parrott, if you ask him to.

We did talk about the Klonopin and he gave me a schedule to wean her off of it, if we wanted to. I do, but not with out replacing it at the same time.
Dr. Mom is, naturally, right in this case!

I am sending Dr.Parrott an email with all my questions, I am not waiting another 3 months for all the questions I have had for more than the last 3 months...
Good!! Is he generally responsive?

So it was really kinda a waste of time, except for having her VNS checked.
You must have felt beyond frustrated!!! I hope, though, that at least some discussion will take place between these two doctors. Perhaps something fresh will come out of all this annoyance.

And at least you enjoyed the hot tub!

~Pollyanna

apmom
09-22-2007, 02:43 PM
Oh, (((((Danae)))))

How frustrating! I can't imagine how your stomach must have dropped when you realized what was happening. :( :mad:

I would definitely email your regular neuro with all of your questions, this was completely unfair to you, Riley, and your other girls.

I am glad you were able to see this as a fresh look, and maybe something good will come from this mix up. If nothing else, how lovely that the girls had an opportunity to swim, and mom had a chance to relax in the hot tub. *bunch

Denae
09-22-2007, 10:04 PM
What a pain! I am so sorry that happened to you. How far did you have to travel AND pay for a hotel room? At least the hot tub was nice. :)
What's the deal with the VNS battery? I know what a VNS is, but that is where my knowledge of it ends.


Thankfully the hotel offers a discount for hospital families, so we got a nice room at the Hampton Inn Uptown for less than $90.00 :p Her neuro is about an hour and a half away..

Rileys VNS is on a very rapid cycle so each time we go to the neuro (every 3 months) they check it to make sure that it is functioning properly and to make certain that the battery is still good, it will tell them when it is nearing the end of its service, with her settings they think about 3 to 4 years before we replace it, she has had it almost 2 years.


Pam-

I was almost speechless when Dr.S brought up Depakote- I have wondered like I said about it, I mean it did help her back then... But at the same time this Dr. only spent a few minutes going through her records before calling us back. I have spoken to him a coupld of times on the phone after hours, but you all know Riley isn't typical in her response to anything...

I had to save the email and sorta proof read it, I was so upset and angry when I first typed it that I needed to take a day and take some of the "attitude" I had out of it- He is good at responding to emails thankfully. I prefer to skip calling and having a messagfe relayed to him through his nurse (I do adore her but would rather him get my exact concerns, not message)

I really want her off the Klonopin, I don't like that plus the amount of diastat we use on a normal basis, and the ativan too, thats a lot of benzo's- I just don't like it.. Necessary evil for now though.

For now, UGH is how I feel...

We go back on Dec 10th- when they scheduled her appointment I almost choked when I realized that Christmas is REALLY close!

~Thanks everybody else~

Porkette
09-23-2007, 10:17 AM
Hi Denae,
I've had absence and cp sz. for 35 yrs. now and depakote helped me a lot until my body became immune to the drug. Recently they have found a connection that depakote can possibly cause autism in some people.
I've taken each AED your child has taken and not a single one of them helped me. I found out after having a DNA blood test that I was drug resistant. You might want to request a DNA blood test to be done on Riley so the Dr. can match up what AED will work the best to her body chemistry.
Another thing that has helped me a lot is taking vitamin B12 once a day. It helps calm the nerves and it has reduced my sz. greatly. Here's wishing you and your family the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue

Denae
09-23-2007, 12:47 PM
Sue

What is the test called?

Is it something they would know about if I just asked?