Ted Kennedy’s brain tumor, and the medical care he receives

As we know, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy has an advanced stage brain tumor, and was recently hospitalized for a seizure.

Seizures are a common side effect of malignant brain tumors, and often controlled with a variety of anti-seizure medications. There will be times where seizures can break through medication control, leading to the frightening episode that occurred on Inauguration Day.

Family physician Doug Farrago asks some pointed questions about the stellar care that the Senator receives, observing that “he travels around with a team of physicians,” and, “most patients in [Senator Kennedy’s condition] usually are in hospice care.”

Senator Kennedy should be commended for his efforts to bring about health care reform. But is the care he is receiving, including instant opinions and access from revered institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital and Duke University Medical Center, representative of the kind of care he’s advocating for the American public?

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