510.495.7608
Alison Hymes, who I wrote about a couple days ago, is having a CAT scan at UVA hospital today. UVA is the same hospital which nearly killed Alison after they put her on psych drugs after a kidney transplant (when psychiatry destroyed her kidneys and bladder with longterm Lithium use). The CAT scan is going to monitor the brain aueurysm. Supposedly, Alison's aneurysm is too small to operate on. However, WE STILL NEED to ask the doctors at Western State to take her OFF of the psych drugs which cause strokes.
Alison's treating psychiatrist, Dr. Ann E. Walling has decided that Alison has signs of dementia. This is patently false. When Alison is not on psychiatric drugs, she sounds sharp as a tack. When on them, she does sound "out of it". The logical thing to do, would be to help her taper off, right? Well, this is psychiatry we're talking about. Now her doctor wants to add Aricept to Alison's regimen. Aricept is an Alzheimer's drug. Fantastic, another drug for her weak system to process.
We still need people to call Jack Barber at:
540-332-8000 (switchboard) and demand why Alison's medical needs aren't being strongly considered. She should be slowly tapered off the drugs, which she does not want to take, to reduce the risk of the aneurysm bursting and causing stroke.
IN ADDITION:
We need people to CALL Mark Seymour, Alison's Human Rights Advocate at Western State. His number is 540.332-2149. Ask why her doctors are refusing to let her sign a medical release for the hospital to talk directly with Alison's friend and advocate, Adinah Caro-Greene. Insist that Alison be supported to sign that release. Without the release, Alison's help is seriously blockaded.
This is a major issue. Those of us with labels, if we're lucky, are going to age. We are going to have a time when we need real, actual medical help. This discrimination against the psychiatrically labeled is a threat to our quality of life.
Please circulate and post everywhere.
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5 comments:
Susan,
Great update.
Will do.
Thank you,
Duane
Thank you Duane. Trying to get in touch w/ you, please email me at hollythecat at gmail. thnx
Just sent you an email.
Duane
This is distressing and there should be someone empowered to advocate for her medical treatment. So pressuring the hospital's human rights advocate to make that happen is needed. If calling Mr. Seymour is not an option, he can be e-mailed at Mark.Seymour@dbhds.virginia.gov. More information at http://www.dbhds.virginia.gov/co-directory_moreinfo.asp?first=Mark&last=Seymour
Thank you for the email address.
I sent letters a while back when she was being threatened with being incarcerated... and was thankful to hear things looked okay (at least momentarily), and was grateful so many others, including Susan had taken an interest in her well-being....
Only to hear that she had been incarcerated. I called this week, and left a voice message, and sent an email today as well.
I hope we can all rally behind this effort, and make sure Alison is given the kind of "treatment" SHE deems to be in HER best interest!
I would like to remind readers that Alison has been a strong advocate in this area for others -
http://www.mindfreedom.org/as/act-archives/us/va
She deserves our help during this dark hour. If anyone has any other ideas on what we can do, please let the rest of us know.
Susan, if you need to contact me, you have my email address. (It indicated it was sent... if not, please let me know).
In solidarity,
Duane
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