Dealing with this practice, and Brandy Hughes in particular, have been a complete and total nightmare. I cannot imagine a worse place for a migraineur to seek any sort of guidance, get support, or even receive proper treatment.
This practice's methods seem to encourage suffering and I have been put on treatments that have caused significant risks to my health without proper monitoring or consideration.
This place seems to function mainly as a Botox mill and is run by the coldest, laziest, most frustrating people I have ever encountered in the medical profession.
My personal experience with this practice has been horrific, after suffering through a period of significantly increased migraines, I was put on a calcium channel blocker. My last visit, I had a migraine that had lasted a week, Ms. Hughes prescribed for me to take steroids and another medication which I had told her previously caused uncomfortable side effects and did nothing for my headaches. Meanwhile, she pushed for me to consider botox treatments.
This migraine continued for another three weeks, before this point, in the past, with my previous (Pediatric or Out-of-State) who were fantastic, top flight neurologists, I would have been hospitalised.
I developed symptoms atypical of my usual pattern, and after playing phone tag with her useless assistant and sending multiple ignored emails to Ms. Hughes, begging to be seen for evaluation, in an ideal world by an ACTUAL doctor.
Instead, after four days of leaving messages, I was accused by the assistant of improperly taking my steroid medication (which is ridiculous, I'm not new to the migraine game, also, I can read and follow directions) and that I should increase the calcium channel blocker, which even on a low dose was causing me to become dizzy and feel faint (as I have low blood pressure anyway,) without monitoring or examination. I was told these medications need time to work, but as a person suffering with a severe migraine for a month...after being on these medications for a month...with no relief, I ended up seeking treatment in an urgent care center where they encouraged I follow up with Ms. Hughes, and had temporary relief from their treatment for vomiting.
When I tried to follow up with the practice, they announced they had gotten approval to go ahead with the Botox treatment, and I would be to have them done at my follow up appointment. In the meantime, they referred me to a pain clinic. When I arrived at the pain clinic they told me that I had been referred to have nerve block injections, which was news to me. Referring me to the pain clinic was the only worthwhile thing that has come out of my dealings with Atlanta Neurology, as the anesthesiologist was actually sympathetic and quite frankly, confused, by how little consideration had been given to my case. These injections made the Botox treatment slightly redundant, and even when the anesthesiologist called Brandy for her opinion of the necessity receiving both treatments, Ms. Hughes told the doctor to "Do whatever she wanted with me" and that I should still go in for the Botox treatment later in the week.
Fast forward to my follow up appointment...
As for the Botox, no one informed me of the cost, how to prepare for the procedure, or what to expect from the treatment.
When I arrived to the appointment, after being told that the appointment would be my normal co-pay, the person at the front desk expected me to pay $1400 on the spot. After being surprised by this bit of news, that I had no time to prepare for, I inquired about payment plans, the lady told me I could pay a reasonable sum for five months, I agreed out of desperation, to the sum, when she suddenly that option went off the table and she insisted I pay $1000 on the spot.
I didn't care so much about the Botox, and instead was concerned about the medications they had put me on and the fact the migraine had not yet broken, I asked to just see Ms. Hughes, as I had made an appointment anyway. They told me I would be unable to see Ms. Hughes without paying the $1000 for the Botox they never performed after waiting 45 minutes even though I had an appointment.
I made an appointment with my PCP who was horrified by the fact I was put on blood pressure medication, that made my already low blood pressure dangerously low, and the fact that they increased that medication without any monitoring. He was able to refer me to another, actual neurologist whom I am currently waiting to see.
In my 17 years as a migraineur (with admittedly rare and difficult to treat migraines) I have never been treated so poorly, with so little consideration to the debilitating effects of these episodes that effect my ability to work and function in daily life.
From my experience, Ms. Hughes is a sadist and a quack and her assistant Crystal is useless.
I hope no one has to suffer the way I have.
AVOID THIS PRACTICE LIKE THE PLAGUE. read more