Suggestions anybody?

Nurses Recovery

Published

I am posting with the hope that one of you out there knows what my recourse is. I've been on a five year recovery program and am two months from finishing. I have never had a positive urine. Yesterday, the state called and stated I had tested positive for alcohol. This is crazy, as I don't drink, don't want to drink and alcohol was never my drug of choice. The cutoff for the test is 0.0020 and apparently my result was 0.0034. I strictly avoid foods and medications containing alcohol and cannot come up with a scenario where this would even be possible. They tell me I can be suspended for 45 days and that I might have to restart the program if I want to retain my license. I understand if people are skeptical of my claim, but I really didn't drink! I called the lab to request retesting and they stated they could not as the sample was exhausted during the initial testing and our state does not require split specimens. Help!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Pull a pEth test on yourself ASAP. Not sure where you live, but here in Florida we can long onto RequestATest.com and request this test through Labcorp. When the results come back they email them to you. Then you forward to whomever. Don't wait, the closer the pEth is to your positive result date, the better.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you so much Persephone. The toxicologist who monitors my screens suggested the same thing but I am having trouble getting the state to say they will accept the results of this test. They say, "If a test is not called for in your consent order, then we don't order it and we don't have to take it into account." I am quite sure it will be negative and you've given me that little extra drive to get this test, get a lawyer and see if I can't finish up in two months like I'm supposed to. Be well and I appreciate your expertise...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Addiction Medicine, ER, and Psychiatry.

I agree! Pull the pEth test anyway. Have the result ready as a backup just in case. These programs are riduculous in the way they are so punitive. If you are willing to retest, they should allow a retest... supposedly a pEth is more accurate. At least that is what my program (MA-SARP) told us. They pulled it on us for three months and then stopped abruptly without telling us why. If you have nothing to hide, please do the test and protect yourself and your license. We have to stick together! Best of luck!

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks, you're right, we have to stick together. Unfortunately, I know there are nurses out there that have beaten the system but Connecticut is VERY punitive. They do not require a split specimen so I cannot get a retest on the original specimen and it was two full weeks before I was made aware of the positive, so they say an immediate test would not be useful. I got the PEth and and additional urine done yesterday through a different lab and I'm feeling better after talking to my lawyer, but I gotta say that I resent the fact that I have to pay a retainer when I did nothing that I haven't been doing every day for the past four years and ten months. I will be grateful when this is all over and I can breathe easy again.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Addiction Medicine, ER, and Psychiatry.

Massachusetts is extremely punitive. It did not start out that way, but some nurses started getting doing sketchy things (getting lab staff to pee for them) and the program went to hell. Our coordinators resigned and we have no contacts now. I just had three years added to my contract because (for example) the former coordinator did not document that at the start of my program, I took an Allegra-D and tested positive on one of my first tests. She didn't document our conversations or the MROs comments. The new regime reviewed my case and stated I relapsed in 2014 on amphetamines and decided I needed to stick around for a little while longer... Others are getting booted for low creatinines. You can't fight these people. They are horrid. I wish I had documented more.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 3/20/2019 at 4:21 PM, kfhllc said:

I am posting with the hope that one of you out there knows what my recourse is. I've been on a five year recovery program and am two months from finishing. I have never had a positive urine. Yesterday, the state called and stated I had tested positive for alcohol. This is crazy, as I don't drink, don't want to drink and alcohol was never my drug of choice. The cutoff for the test is 0.0020 and apparently my result was 0.0034. I strictly avoid foods and medications containing alcohol and cannot come up with a scenario where this would even be possible. They tell me I can be suspended for 45 days and that I might have to restart the program if I want to retain my license. I understand if people are skeptical of my claim, but I really didn't drink! I called the lab to request retesting and they stated they could not as the sample was exhausted during the initial testing and our state does not require split specimens. Help!

Can i ask what ended up happening with this situation?!

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Update?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment