Need Advise

[SouthernPoint3]

Not 100% sure if Im posting in the correct forum, but it's a start. It's a bit long, but it's the only way to get the complete picture out. So here it goes.

Here is my story:

I have been and RN for 5 years now. I have a great job and some awesome co-worker's.

I have been battling endometriosis since I was 15. My current OB/GYN had be treating me for the endometriosis since I started seeing him when I was 18. He had tried everything that he knew of. I would get some temporary relief, but as I got older the pain got worse. When I went to see him in July 2007 he put me on pain medication that I only took a couple of day's a month. Nothing major. Well the pain was getting worse and the bleeding way to heavy. So, I went to see my GYN again in October 2007. At this time he told me that he need to do a hysterectomy. He gave me some choices, but he told me that I wasnt going to be able to wait much longer and that I need to have it as soon as possible. So after talking everything over with my husband, we decided to go foward and have the hysterectomy.

I cleared everything up with my job, got the required time off and scheduled my surgery. I went in for a particle hysterectomy in November 2007. The surgery was pretty intense. When I woke up from surgery I was informed that my GYN had to do a radical hysterectomy. I was bummed out, but I was dealing with it. I had some minor complication during my hospitalization and spend 4 days as an inpatient. Upon discharge I was sent home with pain medication. After a day or so, the pain was horrable. The pain medication wasnt helping and it was making me sick to my stomach. I also have gastroparesis (I am not diabetic. In fact I am hypoglycemic). Anyways I started having issue's with the gastroparesis. My GYN switched my pain medication. That pain medication worked for a couple of week's, then I was right back to the vomitting and sharp stomach pains. So between my GYN and GI md they switched my pain medication again. I went back to work a bit over 3 weeks post-op. I never took my pain medication while at work. I was not doing direct patient care, due to post-op limitations.

Well December came and went, along with January. It wasn't until Mid-February that I figured out that I was having a problem coming off the pain medications (my medications where Rx's from my MD's) I never took medications from patients. I have no clue what to do, or who to turn to. So after talking everything over with my husband, we decided to contact a De-tox clinic that was not in our area. I had already started going through withdrawls.
After talking with the De-tox clinic and addiction specialist we scheduled an appointment and after shortly I was started on Subutex. I can't remember my starting dose, but it was a tamping dose. I was on the Subutex until the end of April begining of May. During my last couple of days on the Subutex I ended up going through some mean-nasty withdrawls. Bad enough that I ended up in the hosptial. Lesson learned from that. I am not a canidate for Subutex.

I was taken to the hospital which I work at. I was admitted to the ICU, where I spent 2 days - then transferred to a step down unit. The unit/bed I was transferred just happen to be 2 room's away from my director. Well shortly after I arrived to my new room, here comes my director. My husband and I trying to be open and honest with her told her everything that had been going on. Lesson learned from that. Don't trust people you cant throw.

I was discharged from the hosptial, I took a couple of weeks off and I was cleared by my GYN and Addiction Specialist to return to work with no restrictions. Life was going foward pretty smoothly. My father ended up having open heart surgery (without any sign's of problems) in October. I am the only child and everything kinda got tossed on my lap. No problem. Im dealing with everything and I have a great support system at home. My father has some complications, and I had to make some life choices for him, But I was trying to keep my chin up as high as I could. Things where going so-so. I wasn't my normal bouncey self, but who could really blame me? I had a lot on my shoulder's at the time. Well things started to turn around with my dad and after 20 days in the hospital I finally got to take him home. Yeah! My Nurse Manager and Director both knew what was going on in my personal life. I never took anytime off from work during his 20 day hospitalization. I went to see him on my time and my time only. Things were stressful at home, but I was dealing with it. I wasn't bring my home issues to work. I still wasn't my bouncey self. I was wiped out emotional and physically still. But I was slowly getting back to my bouncey self.

November 1st came and that was the start of my nightmare.

I was called into the Director's office. As I sat there in front of my Director and Nurse Manager wondering what in the world is going on. I was never expecting what came next.

My Nurse Manger told me that she has placed a call to the IPN program on my behalf. My jaw hit the floor. I asked her what is the reasoning behind this and this is the list of things she told me.

#1 - Behavior Changes

#2 - One of the newer nurse's seen me wearing a Fentanyl Patch. (I do wear a patch it's my HRT - Climara) My NM is aware of this patch, as we talked about what happen and what was I going to do for HRT after I had my hysterectomy.

#3 - The same new nurse said she seen me "Poppin' Pill's" during morning report. (I take a Multi-Vit, Calcium & B-complex every morning after I eat breakfast, due to my gastroparsis). Again, my NM is aware of these also as she has seen me taken them before.

#4 - I medicate my patients too much. (They never checked the pt's order's that were being medicated)

#5 - Again the same new nurse said I asked her to waste a Dilaudid PCA and asked her to sign for zero remaining when this nurse knew in fact there was 30ml's remaining. (Our hospital Dilaudid PCA are 20ml-Dilaudid to 100ml-Saline) So it's impossible for the PCA to have 30ml's in it.

After I got hit with thses 5 things. My 1st response was to my NM when I told her that I wear a HRT patch and take vitamins daily and that she knew it. And to Drug test me. The room was silence. I think my Director seen Jimmy Hoff's ghost run through the room. Then I commented on how our Dilaudid PCA come. Again complete silents. Neither one of them could say anything to me.

So after a short period of silence. I was handed a scrap piece of paper with a phone number for the IPN intake officer and instructions to call this person by the following week. Then I was told that I would be sent home.

I have a copy of our hospital's Policy & Procedures and they where NOT FOLLOWED at all.

There was no drug screen of any type done. (Even though I offered).

I called the IPN intake officer and she treated me like trash. She sent me paper's to sign. While the paperwork from the IPN was being mailed to me I spoke with an attorney and my addiction specialist about everything that is going on.

The attorney wanted me to quit my job. That isn't really an option. I feel if I quit, I am basically admitting I was using when I wasnt. Plus I feel if I was to apply for another job and with held my current situation that I would end up getting dismissed or fired for not telling them everything up front.
My addiction specialist doesnt think the IPN is nessecary (he also does the eval's for the IPN program).


Sooooo...

What kind of leg to I have to stand on?

Has anyone else ever been in an situation like this or know of someone who has? What was the outcome?

My employer has NOTHING but she said, he said information.

I just feel like I am in a dammed / dammed situation. I hated to sign the IPN paperwork, but if I didn't they would report me to the DOH and State.

Im still in shock that with just one call you can totally screw up someone's life and not have any proof to back it up.

Any input will be helpful at this point.

Thanks for Reading this Long Story.

SP

[lilsunny]

I understand all to well what you are going through, though I was dealing with depression and not the drug issues, I too was confronted by my manager and informed that I was going to be reported because of changes in character and for things another nurse reported that was not true... they did not follow procedure either and never did they call the other nurse in for a one on one information gathering session...

I felt I was backed into a corner and jumped through all the hoops that was required. I am in the TPAPN program in Texas and seeing a therapist like a good girl... yea that is me...

What I did found out through the therapist was the following:

1. The manager that I was under at that time did not follow procedure and failed to show me my personel file with all the accusations.

2. After going to the human resources and getting a copy of everything in my file... Shocked not... I had more pluses, and only her complaint in my practice. (She told me that I had several complaints...)

3. I came to find out that my Therapist to my surprise and luck was a member of the TPAPN and is helping me clear my name... though I still have to stay in the program.

I was encourage by her to take my story to the state workforce commission.... They listen and took the copies I had and took the case.

I am not wanting financial payback... but just my file cleaned and my reputation cleared.

So if you can contact the workforce commission and tell them your story, you have nothing to lose.... if they think your manager failed to follow proceedures that the hospital has in place to protect the employees and the public.

I wish you luck...