One year left!!!

Nurses Recovery

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365 days plus however long it takes the powers to be to remove me from the system. Anyone out there on TPAPN step down or final year without step down. Do the drug tests decrease? I'd like to start paying on the debt this whole Affair has caused.

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I'm on my final two of months in TPAPN. I never got an official step down letter, but I have noticed my testing has slightly decreased. At first it was 2-3 times a month, but now in my last year it's been 1-2 per month. Not a huge change but then I'm lucky in that I was not tested as often as other people seem to be even in the beginning. My "schedule" seemed to be a fairly steady pattern of every other week, for 2 years. Yeah there were occasional extras thrown in there, once was two days in a row!! But now for the last year it's been about every 3 weeks, so that works out to once one month then twice in the following month.

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That sounds about like what my pattern is. Boy, even one less test a month I've been experiencing since March has been wonderful. Congratulations to you. Does time seem to be slowing down for you now that you're getting so close?

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By the way, as soon as I hit 1 year remaining, I emailed my case manager to ask about changes for the last year. I also wanted to confirm my end date and make sure there was nothing I had to do at the end to finish up. He told me about not having to log my NA/AA meetings anymore, and we agreed I didn't need to contact my advocate anymore. He said there is no process that I need to do to "apply" for completion. I told him I would be making plans to travel soon after my end date and he said it shouldn't be a problem. That's probably why I didn't get a step down letter since we discussed it by email. He never specifically mentioned decrease in testing frequency, but as I mentioned above, mine has decreased a little bit.

I must have been writing at the same time as you, so I didn't see your question! To answer that, yes time def seems to be going slower as I get closer!! But I'm trying to keep myself really busy, and that helps time pass. Still, I'm obsessed with crossing off days on the calendar and constantly checking my countdown app!! 63 days!

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Today is the day I email her, waking up to test today is my kick in the butt to do so. Only pet peeves I have with TPAPN these day aside from the monetary aspect, is having to test before or just after getting a previous test result. I resent not having a day or three to just not worry about false positives. I kind of figured that time would slow the last year. The first year it seemed as if time was suspended. The second, I just blinked and the year was gone. The third I figured would be like the first but not quite so bad.

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I have until end of October! When I started my fourth and final year I talked to Casemanager and was told I would have 18 screens the last year. I have 5.5 months left and 5 of the 18 screens left. I am so ready!

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October is coming soon. Big congratulations!!!!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Women's Health, LTC.

Congratulations to all of you getting close!

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I'm in 3rd year TPAPN, and yes it is a step down year for me. My case manager informed me after about a month. No more AA logs, less UA's, I actually went 38 days without a UA, NICE! congrats to you.

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