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methamphetamines in my blood stream?

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Posted 1/21/2008 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
I had another brutal attack (perviously I had similar attackes 2 years back, turned out to be Pancreatitas)

Went to the er, was treated like crap as usual, I ignore it now, the jaded little comments and disaproving looks on their fasces.

Im gonna skip how they made my wife cry watching them treat me like a criminal, and I was nice, killing em with kindness.

Anyway, at the end the tested my urine and found methamphetamines in it.

I dont do drugs! period, I never have, I dont drink, I dont smoke, my diet is pristine and my life is crap and the er, once again, made me feel like a criminal. (They actually told me the doctor would not give me pain meds until I took a piss test, this is while I was screaming my lungs out for 2 hours)

Anyway, this is a mistake, anyone got any idea how this happened?

Im taking Pentassa, Entrocort, Zantac, vitamins, fiber, b12 injections, vitamin d pills, had a bone scan last week that they injected me with something for 3 hours before the scan, faintly remember him saying something about radioactive isotopes.

Anway, will talk to my gi about clearing this up, but now Im going to have to battel with member services and god knows how to get that disproved and removed from my record.

Ugh, why does crap like this have to keep happening at the hospital, whay cant I just be treated normaly and have my disease taken seriouls and treated normaly withou being called names and being degraded, blah blah blah.....it gets to ya sometimes

Posted 1/21/2008 3:49 AM (GMT 0)
Blue, do you take anything like Ephedra or anything other than the meds you listed, like any other supplements or anything? I can't imagine why you'd have a false-positive methamphetamine test...and why does the ER treat you with disapproval? What's the history behind that?
Posted 1/21/2008 4:15 AM (GMT 0)
well, they did pump me with dilaudid, adavant and reglan and one other drug unsure of the name as I was busy screaming.....and then I had the urine test, not sure if any of that could effect it.

Been on remicade, gonna start humira,

As for my history with the er, yes there is history, mostly them not wanting to do their job, I assume it is easier to boot a drug seeker then to have to do your job and diagnose.

I looked up info on the web there are to many reasons and meds to list for why you can get a fals positive, but that is not what I am concerned about, Im more concerned with the fact that I was judged instantly without the opportunity to rebut or dispute.

The er has over the last 3 years (Im am not going into detail, to long) accused me of many thing, not just drug seeker, attention getter, liar, phsyco, take your pick......
Posted 1/21/2008 1:59 PM (GMT 0)
So my girlfiend just reminded me that for the last month I have had a head cold and have been taking Vicks cold meds, which by itself doesnt mean much to me, but she said she thought it was one of the false positive items that can mess up the test. I looked and sure enough it and another thing I eat every day (poppyseed vingrette on my salad) can mess up these tests.

Ive had a really hard time the last few months, the hospital has me on the hurry up and wait system, stuck betwwen meds, sick as hell, losing weight every day, starving, the hospital doesnt want me unless its lifethreating, my Doc says "I'll live"...! Duh, but who wants to live like this if you can be more comfortable while waiting for the next round of meds.

Anyway, with the chest pains, arm pain, muscle pain, eye inflamation, inflamation in my blood, "d" 4-5 times a day (enough of the med crap or Ill run out of space :)), my family (nuff said there), my wife, my roomates, my own mind balancing on sanity and somewhere dark, somewhere I work my ass off to avoid....

But I am home bound until a loved one returns and then I burden them with my moaning and complaining and the need for them to help me with things, I dont leave the house ever, the vitamin defieciencies have a grip on my muscles right now and they pull at the slightest movements....

I just want something better then this, I'm entitled (I know everyone else is to, but I'm on a me tirade here :P)

I have worked my ass off for 20 years, finding the right job (my job ( workers comp case here) has flat out said they dont have a position for me to return to), the right friends, the right woman, the right neighborhood.....

And now, I moved in with friends, with my wife, in the back room ( the friends are the best, these guys are very cool) and I cant even leave my own house, like last week, I passed out on the steps outback and when I knew what hapened, I realized I was on the cement patio and both knees and my hands were scraped badly...

Yeah I know I have great things, My wife is everything, The rest is good friends to life filler stuff....

That doesnt help me inside, it gives my no physical peace, I laugh at my pain now, except when Im on the floor of the ER howling at the top of my lungs from abdominal pain only to be made to wait 2 full hours before there was any talk of pain meds (kaiser before you ask)....

then I was told I couldnt get pain meds till they checked my urine, screw it, I shoudnt let this get to me, its always been like this and may always be.

Im going to talk to the admin of my GI department and see if I can somehow get her to cartblanch me at the er, no Im not insinuating I should go before life threatening paitients!, i will gladly wait while they save a life, but I just want to be treated like a HUMAN, ..., CART BLANCH ME FOR HUMAN...

Maybe a paper I can carry in my wallet, aslo notes on my records, with her NAME in BOLD with the words "FIRED" to the next person who accuses me of drug seeking when I only visit the ER twice a year! For christ sake, If I wanted drugs my GI guy will give me all the western med drugs I can ask for, phengren (got 24 patches in my bathroom now), vikodin, on my shelve behind me, diladid (this stuff is nasty) got it here, darvocet anyone, yup here, how bout for the real pain gobs of morphine, anyone.....

All of them just make my head spin and I throw up for days, despite the reaglen, the phenegren.....

I am so sorry about this post, Im just so mad they wouldnt work with me to figure out how meth whatever drugs got in my system, I dont get it, how could I have meth in me, Im not high, not now, not yesterday, not in 20 years!

I'm off, this to shall pass

peace and love my friends hear from near and afar

Post Edited (Blue Velvyt) : 1/21/2008 7:05:07 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/21/2008 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Blue Velvyt what Kaiser do you go to? I am in San Diego and also have Kaiser and have never had in problems with the ER or the hospital for that matter. And I have had Kaiser for over 26 years. I agree I do have to wait a while between appts sometimes, but my care has never been as bad as you seem to have it. When I go in to the ER its either for dyhydration or blockage symptoms, which I am sure that is what drives you to the ER also. You are right in contacting member services. Especially when you know for fact your not a illegal drug user. And I have heard people have gotten false test results from eating poppy seeds muffins before too. I have had to report a doctor to member services before, because I had a bad pediatrician that said my daughter only had a cold, when she really had bronchial pneumonia. He was censured (or something like that) and I was given a new pediatrician who turned out to be the best. Just curious which Kaiser hospital you go to.
Posted 1/21/2008 5:28 PM (GMT 0)

Poppy Seed will give a false positive for opiates.  You had the right to ask them to repeat the test with a new sample to be on the safe side instead of taking that test as the final report.  I know hindsight is 20/20. It also can be a lab error.

Here is your list for false positives...........are you in any of these categories?

Amphetamines - Substances or Conditions which can cause false positives
Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, propylephedrine, phenylephrine, or desoxyephedrine
(Nyquil, Contact, Sudafed, Allerest, Tavist-D, Dimetapp, etc)
Phenegan-D, Robitussin Cold and Flu, Vicks Nyquil
Over-the-counter diet aids with phenylpropanolamine (Dexatrim, Accutrim)
Over-the-counter nasal sprays (Vicks inhaler, Afrin)
Asthma medications (Marax, Bronkaid tablets, Primatine Tablets)
Prescription medications (Amfepramone, Cathne, Etafediabe, Morazone,phendimetrazine, phenmetrazine, benzphetamine, fenfluramine, dexfenfluramine,dexdenfluramine,Redux, mephentermine, Mesocarb, methoxyphenamine, phentermine,amineptine, Pholedrine, hydroymethamphetamine, Dexedrine, amifepramone, clobenzorex,fenproyorex, mefenorex, fenelylline, Didrex, dextroamphetamine, methphenidate, Ritalin,pemoline, Cylert, selegiline, Deprenyl, Eldepryl, Famprofazone) Kidney infection, kidney disease, Liver disease, diabetes

Sorry you had to go through this nasty experience. Take care.
Kitt

Posted 1/21/2008 10:48 PM (GMT 0)
Blue velvet do you have a liver enzyme deficiency? Cholenestrase deficiency would explain why the pain meds mess you up and why you might test positive for meth when you took ephedra a long time ago.
Posted 1/21/2008 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the ideas...

My kaiser is in Sacramento on morse ave, and in the beginning they were ok to me, over the last three years a terrible thing has happened, the more I go in there without them actually finding something obvious, the more they think Im a nut, despite being diagnosed.

Even though my Gi, rheumy, primary have all conclusivley found more then enough evidence for the er to give me the benifit of the doubt.

Crohns, crohic pancreatitas, fatty liver, stomach erosion, inflamation all throughout my body(hurting every part of me to varying degrees)

As for meds. just the usual stuff. the pentassa, the entrocort, the zantac, centrum, fiber.

My diet for the last 3 weeks has been soley salad and yogurt, although, the night of my hospital run (4 am) it was my roomates birthday, I stole a couple spoons of frosting off the cake and ate 2 very small pieces of pizzza, yeah stupid I know, but it was there and I could not control ny willpower.

I also ran out of fiber pills last week and just got them back today.

I do know that my gi guy said with my pancreas and liver problems they were not functioning as well as they could ( he had a much better explanation)

You have given me alot of starting points to talk with my GI about the false test, I very much appreciate it.

I just want to be taken seriously when Im in screaming pain. I can take family or friends not believeing the severity of my illness, but not the ER, I need them to believe and trust me, it hurts me a great deal when I see their faces, the disgust of having to work on a "drug seeker" is painfully obvious.

Thank you all for all your support and I am very sorry about all this whining :)

Posted 1/22/2008 1:35 AM (GMT 0)

Blue Velvyt said...
well, they did pump me with dilaudid, adavant and reglan and one other drug unsure of the name as I was busy screaming.....and then I had the urine test, not sure if any of that could effect it.

......

Blue,

I am little confused, I thought you said first that they wouldn't give you anything until you took the test, then you said they gave you dilaudid before the test?

sounds like a bad time to me. Mayeb you should try finding a different ER. IF you can change your medical group to a differnt hospital, maybe antoher place would treat you more humanely.

Final tip, when you don't get what you want, use the 'house' phone and ask to talk to the on-staff administrator. They don't like getting calls from the ER and we recently had a newstory posting on here that recommended that tip.
Posted 1/22/2008 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
Glad Bag,

When I first went in, after 1 hour they put me on a gourney, still screaming, they told me I couldnt have meds till I piss tested for them, I tried and could not pee through the pain, they decided to give me one dilaudid shot and reaglan then, I was able to pee shortly after, they gave me another shot of dilaudid later and the other drugs before getting the results of the piss test, They were extremley upset with my screaming.

They kept asking me to not scream be cause it was disturbing the other paitients. I felt awful I bit my hand for hours, I didnt know how to stop screaming to help other people rest better.

I assume they gave me the meds to shut me up. So at first they wouldnt give them, but for some reason (gotta be the sreaming) they caved and gave them to me around the second hour being there.

I was in a tad bit of pain, so the details can be a little fuzzy, but I am a veteran, pain or no pain, I tend to remeber things that happen in the er, I have a little bit of experience with er's, as do we all :).

Your point is well taken about switching hospitals, its a little trickier then that, Im in a workers comp case, this disease is under that umbrella. Switching hospitals takes multiple doctors, multiple lawyers and a lot of posturing and paperwork from the defense paperwork to get it done. Im not saying I wouldnt do it or dont want to, I am saying that being this sick it is almost impossible to go to a meeting room with lawyers for a few hours and "chat" things out with them. Thank you for bringing up something so obvious as switching hospitals, I really dont know why that option never occured to me.

I will definitely be calling me lawyer this week and at least get the option to switch lined up. That way at least if I have to it will be common knowledge and Ill know what is entailed in making the switch.

Where to go though? Here we have Mercy, uc davis, sutter and kaiser. Is there a website or somewhere that rates hospitals for a variety of things? Ill do a search myself online as well.

Thanks again
Posted 1/22/2008 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
Blue Velvyt,
Lord, sorry to hear about all of the troubles...wow, I mean it. I don't know anything about why you would get a false positive I just wanted to say that I agree with what you said...when are people going to take our pain seriously? Why does everyone just seem to think CD is just a belly ache?? If it was only a stomach ache I would take some Pepto and be fine, but it's very, very different from that...nobody understands what it feels like to have a partially obstructed intestine caused by so much darned inflammation. I sometimes (I'm sorry to say) wish that everyone would have to suffer with an obstructed instestines for a half hour just so people would be able to relate and have some darned empathy. And if one more person relates their IBS to my Crohn's disease I might just freak out on someone...seriously! Hey people all over the world-Crohn's disease is not Irritable Bowel Syndrome...not even close! I just have to remind myself that anyone in my life that truly cares about me actually does research to familiarize themselves with my condition so they can understand and help me better...and everyone else that thinks I have a "tummy ache" or IBS can just kiss it!
Sorry, that's my rant for the night...haha.
Good luck Blue Velvyt, I hope you get some relief soon!
Posted 1/22/2008 2:35 AM (GMT 0)
mcleaver

Thank You, very much.
Posted 1/22/2008 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Mcleaver,
My neice has severe, severe IBS. I worry that it is undiagnosed Crohn's but for now there is no evidence of it. She lives with TERRIBLE pain...much worse than me with my verified Crohn's, and believe me, I get pretty miserable sometimes. My point is just that I wish that just like you don't want others to judge our pain, we should be be careful of judging others. I love my neice like my own child...she is not faking it!
Posted 1/22/2008 3:37 AM (GMT 0)
you can still have the test reran - the lab should still have of specimen held, and you should also file a complaint with your Dr.s and also the hospital directors. The ER folk need a wake up and smell the lawsuit call after the Doc's and bosses get finished they should be calling you MR.
I'll bet that they are so smug and feel high & mighty, your not the only one treated sub-human by them so all the complaints made is the only way to get things changed. we used to call it a John Wayne complex for new cops - they made thru training passed the test and can carry a side arm and 'they' 'are' the law!!!!! Till they get thier socks rocked.....
time to do some sock rocking.......
Posted 1/22/2008 3:52 AM (GMT 0)
Just curious, if you can't answer my question because of your pending litigation, that is fine. How exactly does your crohns fall under a workers comp claim? If we don't know the cause of the disease how can your employer be responsible for causing the condition? Just curious.
Posted 1/22/2008 4:14 AM (GMT 0)

Velvyt, hey there my friend.  I see you received  some good info from members and I hope you do let your Dr. and the Hospital Administration know about your concerns. If I may suggest to anyone who is filing a complaint or concern, please document the time, date and names of the staff involved in the incident.  Keep your comments factual and quotations of exactly what was said hold up much better than blanket statements. That will make it much easier to review your concern and make Administration take your letter more serious.  Keep a copy for yourself. Send the letter registered mail so you have documentation that you sent it.

If you do not hear anything within a reasonable time frame, follow up by calling the administrator or his/her designee. Most hospitals want to handle complaints and to attempt to improve the care that is being provided. The facilities are governed by State and Federal Guidelines. Administrators would rather handle their issues internally then answer to outside governing bodies.

May the next visit to the hospital or ER never happen but if you should have to go, I pray you are treated with great empathy and quick pain relief.  Respect is a given, everyone deserves respect.

Bless you, Kitt

Posted 1/22/2008 4:17 AM (GMT 0)

Kitt,

Thank you so much for the advice, I will be doing everything in my power to be treated human, but I dont want it to turn into something crazy, ie me against the hospital. I just want it to be more of a partnership in the ER like it is in the GI department when I see my real Doc.  It is my experience that sometimes the best of intentions (fill in the rest)..... you know what I mean. I just prey that the GI department covers my back on this as after three years of er nightmares, I hope to just be taken seriously. When I discuss it with MY Gi this week on the 25th, I will be as serious as possible, as friendly as possible, calm and collected, present the facts, not my emotions and hope for the best.

I know I read on here that one person just wished he could get fluids Iv'd to his system in the ER cause he feels better then, I agree, I feel better on fluid IV as well. I, however never feel thirsty at home, I try to force myself to drink water ( all I drink except juice from my juicer) but I just feel sick when I drink a bunch of fluid.

Fitzy,

I have asked the same question since the beginning...

I broke a disc in my back in april, 2005, not a candidate for surgery, lots of nerve damage up and down my spine and down my left leg, 3 months later, massive stomach and abominal problems....

What happened was an independent doctor (the first year), stated in a report that the constant nerve damage was causing ulcers and erosion in my stomach and intestines (really summing up here, I am not even close to a doctor)

My own GI guy at Kaiser was "assigned" to be my workers comp doctor, he concurred with the independent doctor stating that even though crohns in popular theory is gentic based that any of many modifiers could trigger crohns to activate.

My GI said the nerve damage in my body is constantly shocking my system and then went on about how it is possible it has triggered the crohns, Once my lawyer read that report he tossed it to the defence, the defence depositioned both doctors and the doctors stood with their original ideas.

Hence workers comp ( major summing up here)

Go figure, small favors eh (or in this case large favors) Dont think for a second I dont thank God every day that my work is covering my medical expenses, to try to even imagine what it would be like....

Im so flustered right now imagining myself with no money, no job and being sick that I cant even tell you how I feel about it. I know there are plenty of you on here that dont have to imagine that, you live it and it makes me sad. very sad.

I read on here all the time about job problems, and money problems, I cry at some if not all of those posts. I wish I were Bill Gates, I would throw money at all of us till we at the very least became stable (if that spossible) Only Im broke, on 60% pay, I know that may be better then some, but it still sucks.

Glad to go into more detail if it helps anyone else out, lord knows all I got is time :)


Post Edited (Blue Velvyt) : 1/21/2008 9:31:23 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/22/2008 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
Well Blue that explains it to me re Kaiser.  I have heard that the northern Calif Kaiser's aren't that good.  I even think they were sanctioned or something like that for problems with transplants.  I go to the ER myself at the Southern Calif Kaiser and have always gotten good care in the ER.  And I go to the ER at least 2-3 times a year usually.  I even recongnize alot of the on calll docs and nurses that work the ER.  HA!  Sorry for all the difficulties you are going thru and sure hope things look up for you soon. Oh and another question, is that the only Kaiser hospital in the area?  I am in San Diego and we only have one hospital here.  Just curious.

Posted 1/22/2008 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
Wow Blue- as a law student I find your story so interesting and as a Crohns patient I find it amazing. I am sorry that you are unable to get back to work but glad that you have an income and coverage. I hope you get better care in the near future.
Posted 1/22/2008 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
blue velvyt, I too am sorry for everything you are going through. I once had a bad experience wtih an ER and i complained to the manager who apologized and assured me that if I ever had a problem I should let her know. She had a meeting with the staff and basically reminded them that "nursing" involves being compassionate to those who are suffering.

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but have you written a letter to the manager of the ER, or someone in a lead position at the hospital who can actually take your complaint into consideration for an ER improvement?

Best wishes.
Posted 1/22/2008 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
I have a question about the false positive. I go to a pain clinic and tested positive once. But, the doctor I see, said "don't worry, we trust you". I guess I didn't fit their typical profile. Which is fine with me, except that I worry that if I ever test positive again, they won't be so nice and just trust me. After reading this post, I'm pretty sure I've confirmed what I always believed. I had a cold at the time and was downing sudafed.

So, those of you who are more knowledgeable - How long does the sudafed stay in your system? I have been battling sinus infections for the last few months and I am afraid that I should stop taking ALL cold meds in case I have to be tested when I go for my appointment at the end of the week.

Every since the false positive I have stayed away from anything that might contain poppy seed, but I've always just avoided any cold meds the morning of my appointments, now I'm wondering if I should stop longer.
Posted 1/22/2008 9:01 PM (GMT 0)

Hey there, this is Kitt........There is no simple answer as to how long drugs will remain in your system, since the answer is influenced by the specific drug half-life, and the amount of drug ingested. Sudafed is effective for up to 12-16 hours but how fast it clears your system I do not know. I am sure someone else may have the answer to that.

Posted 1/23/2008 8:55 AM (GMT 0)
bluV, i wondered the same as glad bag about the discrepancy in what you described and also, how did your GIRLFRIEND now about your cold medicines, but you WIFE did not? gee, hope evrything works out.
Posted 1/23/2008 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
Ha! Randy, I caught the g/f - wife thing too lol!!

Blue, I learned that most state's worker's comp laws do not require you to prove fault (that was the whole point of establishing workers comp- avoiding litigation) So if they already determined you were eligible based on one injury and that injury is contributing to the crohns then it makes sense that they are lumped together.

Zanne- I had reoccuring sinus infections and my doc had me quit the cold meds and quit the antibiotics and just use a steroid nasal spray (I think flonase). It took a little while and it did the trick. I can't handle pseduonephrine (makes me batty) so I took the Sudafed that is sold over the counter minus the magic drug that would cause your drug test to be positive. The Sudafed you don't have to ask the pharmicist for would be more likely to be safe. See if you can get the nasal spray from your doc. It worked wonders for me.
Posted 1/25/2008 5:05 AM (GMT 0)

"Anyway, at the end the tested my urine and found methamphetamines in it."

"well, they did pump me with dilaudid, adavant and reglan and one other drug unsure of the name as I was busy screaming.....and then I had the urine test, not sure if any of that could effect it."

DILAUDID (hydromorphone hydrochloride), a hydrogenated ketone of morphine, is an opioid analgesic.

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