I sent the following email to Sherri Spillman and Sylvia Gray at Woodland Terrace (and copied my sister):
Dear Sylvia and Sherri,
Sherri called me at six-fifteen this morning because she said my mom had asked to speak with me. Sherri then let me speak with Jessica, the Unit Manager, because I had been asking about what medications my mother was being administered.
Jessica told me all the prescriptions my mother was taking, and told me that she was being given levothyroxine, which is used to treat hyperthyroidism.
On May 29 of this year, Dr. Escander at Halifax Hospital specifically told me that he had done a test which confirmed her thyroid was normal.
Jessica said that Dr. Peele, the house doctor at Woodland Terrace, saw mom on Tuesday, July 10th and prescribed the levothyroxine. I told Jessica that I wanted the levothyroxine stopped until Dr. Peele called me and explained what led him to diagnose hyperthyroidism, since nobody told me anything about any tests being performed since she arrived at Woodland Terrace.
I also said that under no circumstances should my mother be given any medications (aside from Aspirin or Tylenol) without my prior consent.
She said she understood completely, and that Dr. Peele is one of her favorite doctors (even though she said they aren’t supposed to have favorites, which I thought was a little silly). Jessica told me that he visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but that she would call him and give him my number and ask him to call me as soon as possible.
I just wanted to make sure I had told you both about this so you would know, in case you saw a note somewhere about it. I didn’t want you to think I was flying off the handle or anything like that.
Thank you very much,
David Vincent Gagne