I just had a positive test for Alcohol. I didn't drink.
I'm almost 3 years in to a 5 year contract in Fl's IPN.
I'm not a delicate flower. I didn't dissolve into tears, I was LIVID. Immediately upon hearing what she had to say, I asked for a pEth test. I was told 'no' and that the protocol for a positive etoh is to test specimen B of the split screen and go for an eval. I have NEVER in my entire LIFE tested positive for alcohol. Alcohol is just not my thing and never was.
I told her I would think about it and hung up on her! Immediately I got my own order for a pEth test and self urine tested, just for overkill. I have support systems in place and discussed all of this with my group, we met the same night for our regular weekly group. I kept raging and got a lot of good feedback on how to keep this in perspective and to remember that it was my actions that put me here. That helped me, because despite how angry I am, staying in a 'victim' spot is never a good choice for me.
I've been at this long enough so that although I do carry a degree of guilt and shame, I don't let it keep me from standing up for myself when I truly feel something is not right. One of the suggestions I got from my group was to go ahead and have the split screen tested. I was operating with the notion that if I hadn't drank, it must be contamination. And if they retested, would they use a second specimen to try and hang me. Then I learned about 'incidental' exposure. And I had taken Apple Cider Vinegar for joint pain and inflammation. There is no ALCOHOL listed on the label. A friend of mine in group had tested positive for etoh in treatment from red wine vinegar. I contacted my case manager who always very kind ( she's not the one I hung up on ) and deposited the additional $55 dollars in Affinity to cover the cost of the split screen. Spent $249 in less than 24 hours attempting to prove my innocence.
I was told later to do any test I wanted, no test result from this point on was going to negate a positive etoh. Which is fine. I'm not looking to negate the positive, I'm looking to establish a 'look back' through a pEth so that the time the specimen was submitted is surrounded by other days, before and after. If I didn't act then, that time would elapse and it would be easier for them to try and say I'm drinking. And, I'm in the process of setting up the eval. They will request a hair test, another pEth, fingernail and urine. That is all a ok. I am one of the fortunate that can withstand the cost of anything they throw at me. And I'm convinced that's what it takes.
I had an email war going. I asked them why it took 8 days to report a positive urine? Weren't they supposed to be protecting the public from me? I asked them what has my urine been doing for 8 days, fermenting? After that last message, I was given THAT day only to retest the rescreen. I didn't get the message till 6pm. So, I missed the window. What was my urine doing for 8 days? Why did it take them so long to notify a nurse who had a positive for etoh? I could've been on an 8 day bender! I wasn't, but that's beside the point. And, they wanted to retest the same urine. Something is weird about this.
I'm in the process of setting up the eval. I started calling THAT day, the person in my area has yet to return my phone call. So, I'll probably have to go a city away. It's impossible to do this stuff quickly. Then, once I get an appointment, I have to give IPN 72 business hours to fax the info to the person I selected. SO glad I had that pEth test done myself, mind you. Time is ticking away... Time to let them look back during the time the positive screen was collected.
Can you think of anything else I can do to be proactive? I do not mind being tested, I do not mind another evaluation. But I would be devastated if I lost my time in monitoring. I would like to say here that the person who is my full time case manager is very kind. Just the battle axe who covered for her on her day off was not and I gave as well as I got. The way I see it is, I'm required to comply. There is nothing in my contract that implies I'm a whipping boy. So, I stood up for myself and I always come out swinging.
Damned if I know, Cats. They put the disclaimer up after I paid and had the blood drawn. And the office manager of requestatest admitted that, so at least that's something. If she had denied that portion I would've gone into orbit AGAIN. I still don't know what the split screen results are, they've had that urine since April 10th. I guess my blood is frozen?
The lady was very nice, which goes a long way. If IPN would've been nice I still would've run all the tests and fought, but I would have been in a better mental space. I was in tears, I did not want to go to another IPN group without test results to support my claims. Everyone is L@@KING at me and I don't like to be L@@KED at, lol!!!!
I sent the letter to evaluator and IPN, the office manager said she'd speak with them if they thought I was lying. I went to IPN group, even though I just wanted to crawl under a rock. I told them I wasn't talking about this anymore until I had lab results, because talk is cheap. They were supportive, I'm glad I went because I'm a tough cookie and that makes me happy.
I will keep you posted when anything new comes up. For now, I'm in suspended animation. My brain is on overdrive and I can't do a thing about it.
This is insane. There is no way they do not have the split screen back yet. I think I would be down in Austin (where TX monitors are) with an attorney, demanding the results! For them to drag this out for this long is criminal. I think making you pay for an evaluation prior to having your split come back is criminal as well. As for the Peth results, for that amount of money, the lab should hold up their end. Ridiculous all around. It is like there is no common sense involved here.
Just checked requestatest before I signed on, no results yet. I am down to checking it twice a day, morning and evening. Before I was checking compulsively, which was horrible. I went into IPN for Opiates. I now have positive alcohol test worries and obsessive-cumpulsive flares, insomnia, anxiety, food aversion ( I don't know what I ate to cause this. ). God, I'm upset.
That's awesome!! I can't wait to see what the evaluator and CM say.
I'm still growing up ( at 49 :-/ ) it was so hard not to send a copy of that result with an emoji. But, I managed.
Sending it to my CM is going to be harder. I think I'll have to include, "You were willing to ruin my life over a UDS."
Remember all, a UDS is a cost effective way to prove you are NOT doing something. It is an unreliable method to prove you ARE doing something. If you know you didn't do anything wrong and come up positive for alcohol, have a PEth pulled immediately. It just may save your bacon.
I don't know what to do about other 'positives' and I hope I never find out. Lord knows that we in Florida do not get the courtesy of a call from an MRO. But, I think I might just have to look into it, for peace of mind. My God, I'm going to go cry now.
I'm sooooo happy for you! I've been lurking and been waiting to hear back about your results! I've also been praying that everything will work out for you! It looks like you may be one step closer to being vindicated. Unfortunately we all have all seen the horror that can play out with this monitoring crap! It's guilty until proven innocent...what HORSE S**T!!!!! And I'm sure that with the extra $$$ expended and the requirement to get another "assessment" (what a joke that is), you will probably still have to do extra "whatever" to clear your name despite clean results that you paid for to do extra tests (this really makes me angry). So so so very sad !!!! I really wish I had the resources to just get out of nursing, and have a normal life. This kind of crap really makes me wish I NEVER went into nursing. In school, there was the mentality of "nurses eat their young".......well, now it seems that "nurses eat everyone" especially if they are in monitoring. ....My 2 daughters were thinking about going into nursing, but I have completely shoved them out of healthcare as a career because of this stupid **** monitoring crap. What a waste.....they could have both been such assets to the profession.
My PEth from requestatest/Labcorp just loaded. NEGATIVE! BAAM!
Stay tuned, I will post more as I know more.
That's freaking awesome!!!
I only hope that they don't continue to pull poo on you and claim it as not admissible because THEY did not order it. It sounds stupid, even though it was done at the same dang lab they use. Still, it's not an absurdity I would put past these people. Especially after this, nothing surprises me.
I only hope that they don't continue to pull poo on you and claim it as not admissible because THEY did not order it. It sounds stupid, even though it was done at the same dang lab they use. Still, it's not an absurdity I would put past these people. Especially after this, nothing surprises me.
Anything is possible, I'm in uncharted waters. I'm hopeful that since the evaluator asked for these results specifically that that may hold some sway.
emoji. But, I managed.
Persephone Paige, ADN
1 Article; 696 Posts
Damned if I know, Cats. They put the disclaimer up after I paid and had the blood drawn. And the office manager of requestatest admitted that, so at least that's something. If she had denied that portion I would've gone into orbit AGAIN. I still don't know what the split screen results are, they've had that urine since April 10th. I guess my blood is frozen?
The lady was very nice, which goes a long way. If IPN would've been nice I still would've run all the tests and fought, but I would have been in a better mental space. I was in tears, I did not want to go to another IPN group without test results to support my claims. Everyone is L@@KING at me and I don't like to be L@@KED at, lol!!!!
I sent the letter to evaluator and IPN, the office manager said she'd speak with them if they thought I was lying. I went to IPN group, even though I just wanted to crawl under a rock. I told them I wasn't talking about this anymore until I had lab results, because talk is cheap. They were supportive, I'm glad I went because I'm a tough cookie and that makes me happy.
I will keep you posted when anything new comes up. For now, I'm in suspended animation. My brain is on overdrive and I can't do a thing about it.