Posted on 12/21/2013 1:51:06 PM PST by Innovative
Linda and Lou Pelletier of West Hartford, Conn., went into juvenile court in Boston on Friday hoping a judge would return custody of their 15-year-old daughter to them. Justina’s life has been in limbo for more than 10 months, as the teenager has remained in state custody at Boston Children’s Hospital, mostly in a locked psychiatric ward, while her parents, doctors, and lawyers fought over her future.
Dr. Mark Korson, the chief of metabolism at Tufts, had been treating Justina for that disorder (mitochondrial disease) for more than a year and had sent her to Children’s only because her Tufts gastroenterologist had recently moved there.
within three days, doctors at Children’s disputed that mitochondrial disease was the primary cause of her symptoms and began to suspect that her parents were blocking psychiatric care that she badly needed. The clinicians at Children’s decided that the girl suffered primarily from somatoform disorder, in which symptoms are real but there is no underlying physical cause.
The parents complained that the Children’s team was dramatically changing Justina’s course of treatment without Korson’s involvement or even an examination by the gastroenterologist they had come to see.
Judge Joseph Johnston ruled the state should maintain custody of Justina
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonglobe.com ...
Earlier article:
Family battling Massachusetts hospital to bring daughter home
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3104012/posts
For those who posted there and in case you are interested in more info — it looks like the hospital is not even allowing her regular treating doctor to see her...
Beck has been all over this story and we, who at least listen to him, have known the fact about not letting her Doctor in to see her for more than two weeks now.
The battle over Justina’s future was one of five cases involving Children’s in the last 18 months where a disputed diagnosis led to parents losing custody or being threatened with that extreme step. These conflicts, which typically involve controversial diagnoses at the medical frontier, have exposed the consequences of the ongoing failure to upgrade medical expertise within the state’s Department of Children and Families. The agency, many observers believe, is simply not equipped to properly referee such cases.
I really don't get the judge in this case. does his dept get a cut of the state money to care for Justina?
Are researchers exploiting the girl for her condition?
It seems like the MSM has not really paid that much attention — though the Boston Globe did have a two-part series.
Part 1:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/12/15/justina/vnwzbbNdiodSD7WDTh6xZI/story.html
Part 2:
Oops - looks like the BG wants people to pay for access...
Is the State paying for this?
Remember they have socialized medicine in MA— Romneycare, precursor of Obamacare.
The good old fascist “you’re crazy” tactic.
I was just doing a search on mitochondrial disease, it looks like it’s complex, so for doctors not familiar with it, it’s easier to declare that the girl and her parents “are crazy”.
No wonder the parents are at their wits end — they know more about their daughter’s condition, than the idiot doctors who are “treating” her and not even allowing her to be seen by her regular doctor.
My question is — what is the matter with the judge?!
Somatoform diseases cause more generalized symptoms like pain, fatigue, stomach aches, etc. then things like psychosis. Something doesn’t make sense.
There is something Tuft's knows that nobody else knows.
My bet is that their treatment harmed her in some way, and all this drama has been to hide that simple fact.
I meant Children’s is hiding something, not Tuft’s.
The comments over there are interesting. My conclusion - avoid this hospital at all costs.
And they never will be. If the doctors can't agree, how can a government agency solve it?
Right or wrong, the parents must have the right to decide.
Cause-less symptoms and the assertion that the parents "were blocking needed psychiatric care" = they have a guinea pig to practice on and don't want to let it go.
It looks like more medical investigation will be needed. Of note is that the girl, Justina, has not had some of the tests which are considered moderately diagnostic of the disease.
At this time, I do not think there is enough information to rule out (or in) Munchausen by proxy.
“I do not think there is enough information to rule out (or in) Munchausen by proxy.”
Nor is there enough information to rule it in, to the extent to stick the poor girl in a mental ward for 10 months!
Yes, this is a difficult situation. I do not think any of us are qualified to play armchair quarterback here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.