Topic: Has anyone been through this mistake?

Aug 13, 2012 03:05 AM allisontom911 wrote:

I would contact a VP at the hospital. I can not believe the drug rep has not called back. Did you try and reach out to the drug company yourself? Maybe even the FDA? They need to get on that ASAP. I am so sorry this is happening to you. Is the nurse new? what did she think she was giving you?

Sending you good thoughts and I sure hope everything will be ok.

Aug 13, 2012 03:10 AM CoolBreeze wrote:

Wow!!! No advice, just really sorry that happened to you!

Aug 13, 2012 03:15 AM soleil505 wrote:

Spam girl, my favorite funny gal.....I hate hearing this. 

How awful!!!  No advice good enough.  Maybe you should go to the ER....only cause they'd look at it.  Hoping for you

Aug 13, 2012 04:06 AM SPAMgirl wrote:

I have my next appointment tomorrow morning and I just don't know what to do. I'm just in shock. And it's right on my waistline where my pants sit. I suppose this is what happens when you sleep through chemo and you are just trying to open your eyes when they disconnect your port. When I was in the office Friday so one of the leads could look at it, I got to hear the gossip whispers of, "that's her". At least I'm famous.

I'm pretty scared about this a large area of skin where they cells won't multiply. I don't know how fast skin and tissue are supposed to turnover.

Thanks lanagraves for giving me hope my skin will make it through this.

Aug 13, 2012 04:14 AM Helmie wrote:

Unbelievable! I'm so sorry. Maybe the poison control center would know. Are you taking pictures of the area where you were injected? Maybe you need to see an independent Doctor in a hospital that is not in any way connected to your onc's office. I would also call an attorney.
I just can't believe this happened. That is terrible. Hope and pray you won't have any permanent damage to your body.

Hugs,
Helmie

Aug 13, 2012 04:21 AM Cynthia1962 wrote:

What a terrible mistake to have to deal with.  I would be furious.  Who turns an inexperienced nurse loose on patients?  I hope you get help and answers soon! 

Aug 13, 2012 04:22 AM LuvRVing wrote:

I'm speechless.  You've gotten some excellent advice.  I'd start with the drug company's advice nurse.  And yes, take pictures.  Lots of pictures.  Document in writing exactly what happened, when and how it happened.  I cannot even imagine such a blunder...

Hugs,

Michelle

Aug 13, 2012 04:27 AM Iwillwinthisbattle wrote:

My husband, who works as a monitor of clinical drug trials, suggests calling the drug company or the CDC. Do not wait. This could be casing irreparable damage.

Aug 13, 2012 04:42 AM itsjustme10 wrote:

SPAMgirl, I just saw your additional information.  I don't know what to say - is there another, larger hospital/treatment center where you could make an emergency appointment?  Or maybe one with an ER, so you can bypass making an appointment and be seen immediately?

My biggest concern is that they should have had an answer for you by last Monday night - Tuesday at the latest.  There is zero excuse under the sun that they made no attempt, in an entire week, to at least mitigate the damages that may still be happening to your body.

"That's her" is not a response.  I don't even know you and I'm really angry for you!! 

Aug 13, 2012 04:46 AM SPAMgirl wrote:

It wasn't a new nurse. They are remodeling one of their offices, so there are a lot of extra patients and nurses there. They told me Thursday that they wanted to see it everyday. My daughter's been taking pictures with it everyday on the iTouch so we can email them. They didn't think the skin would be an issue, but I don't like it when it blisters. I really like my onc and I don't want to make her mad.

There was a discussion on the Halaven thread about whether is was a slow or fast push. She pushed it very slow incase anybody wondered.

My appointment is at 8:00 tomorrow morning. I'll let you guys know who it goes.

Did I mention I have a low grade fever? I'm sure it from the kid's soccer tournament I went to this weekend, but I always like to freak myself out.

Aug 13, 2012 04:50 AM BouncingBetties wrote:

Oh, sweetie! I love my oncologist and if someone did that to me, he'd be furious. You're saying you don't want to make your onc mad? It's not about her - it's ALL ABOUT YOU. I'll be checking to see what you post tomorrow. You remember that you're the one that matters, not the nurse, or your onc.

Aug 13, 2012 04:58 AM SPAMgirl wrote:

While I try to know everything that is going on with my disease, I still think they are the ones responsible for figuring this out. I was okay with their take on my skin being red and hard for a few weeks until it started blistering today. And seeing a scab over the area where the needle went in. This is a little Nile next to that where it was bleeding.

I really thought the only answer I would need by tomorrow was if it counted as a treatment. And then it was just a matter of a 5 minute push in my IV:)

Halaven has been a wonder drug for me.

Aug 13, 2012 05:35 AM nurseronda10 wrote:

I am a nurse and this is totally unacceptable!!!  When I was getting chemo, the fulltime chemo nurse was out sick and they had a PRN nurse fill in who looked to be past retirement age.  I watched the PRN RN go from patient to patient without washing her hands.  She came out of the chemo room with multple IV bags, none of which were labeled.   She accessed two ports without washing her hands or wearing gloves.  She started my IV and had blood under her nail and I said something to her about it and she said she "quicked" herself that morning.  That blood would not have still been there if she had been doing proper handwashing.  I was nearly in tears.  I asked her what each chemo drug was before she hung it.  After the Herceptin and Carboplatin were done, she sat down and was taking the tape off my IV.  I asked her what she was doing and she said you are done.  I told her I never got the Taxotere and she seemed puzzled, left the room and came back in a couple of minutes and told me I was right.  I spoke with the oncologist and told her everything that happened and I would not be back if that nurse was ever there again.  I hate to see anyone loose their job, but holy crap, we are trying to extend our lives and to have some idiot space cadet.....I could rant on and on.  All I could think about were the poor people there that had no medical knowledge.  

I know what happened to you is much worse, but still cannot believe they do not have top notch nurses working in this field. These drugs are dangerous.  My prayers are with you and hope you find out something soon.  

Aug 13, 2012 08:51 AM banjobanjo wrote:

I think you should get legal representation now - then the medical staff will quickly find answers for you...  Hope you are not harmed by this.

Aug 13, 2012 09:46 AM CoolBreeze wrote:

Hey sweetie,

I said I had no advice but I do, a little. This was not a mistake, it was a legitimate medical error. And, they have not given you answers, whatever they are, in a timely manner.

I hate the kind of people who jump to lawyers, but you have a good reason to talk to one. You don't have to sue, but you should defininitly have answers by now, and if it takes a call from a lawyer to get them, that's what it takes. Your oncologist should be worried about making you mad, not the other way around.

We put so much trust in these nurses putting toxic chemicals in our bodies. She made a horrible, negligent error. It wasn't like a needle slip, that can happen. It was a negligent mistake; she gave yiu the wrong administration of a drug.

At the very least, the drug rep should have called the doctor back with some information. They have it, they test different routes of administration.

Maybe they don't want to tell you something, or maybe it will do no harm, but you have the right to know.

Hope you know more tomorrow. I would go in and insist