I called the Halifax Psychiatric Unit in another attempt at talking to mom. Someone answered the phone almost immediately, then when I asked to speak to my mom I was put on hold for eleven full minutes. Finally Nurse Ramos answered and we spoke for quite some time.
She told me that mom had been awake and talking, but she was “very restless” and so they gave her some morphine and there was no point in trying to talk to her now.
Nurse Ramos also informed me that mom is now in wrist restraints, and has been for a while, which was (shocking) news to me.
She said that Dr. Mohammad Kahn is her new “medical” doctor, and that the good news is that she is swallowing and drinking on her own now.
I asked Nurse Ramos what drugs she’s taking now and was told Namenda, Zoloft, and Sinemet, which is apparently a Parkinson’s drug. I freaked out and asked when the hell they started giving her that and why.
At first Nurse Ramos said that they started the Sinemet on June 4th, and then when I pressed, complaining that nobody had talked to me about it or about Parkinson’s or anything like that, she said that this prescription was actually started on May 31st — by a Dr. McDonald — and the dosage was increased on June 4th. 1
She told me I could call Dr. McDonald at (386) 673-2500 if I wanted more information; and that Dr. Kahn could be reached at (386) 304-3827.
She also mentioned a Dr. Wizbicky — I have no idea how to spell that — but only that she saw his name on mom’s chart and not who he was or what he did.
1 I later learned that the reason Dr. McDonald wasn’t returning my calls was that he prescribed the Sinemet for my mom and then immediately left town on a two-week vacation.