Hi Matthew,

I know that I mentioned before asking the MDS about your mom having a PET scan to help pinpoint a diagnosis. I don't recall if there was such a convo betweeen you and the doctor? Now seems like a good time to ask and maybe press the issue a bit. In January, the FDA approved DatScans which are used to differentiate between both those conditions PD and MSA. Insurers do now cover them. If it is MSA your mom should be treated for that now considering that she has been under observation and drug trials for quite some time.

It is not fair to make your family ride this out while she continues the lengthy, inexact process of diagnosing by observation and exclusion when there is a tool now widely available to differentiate her condition right away. Your poor mom is a trooper with all the drug trials and dosage fluctuations. I can't imagine how frustrated you all must feel. I would not wait until her next appointment, instead I would be calling the doctor and respectfully inquiring if your mother might have the DatScan, and if not, why is she not eligible?

Sorry to seem harsh, but your mom has been through enough already. I don't understand why your doctor wants to do this the old-fashioned way.

Laura