Any advice?

[tpc]

Hi all.
I'm not a nurse. My wife is.
In 5 months it will mark her 4 years of being clean. She will no longer have to test or anything else to keep her license. For the past 1.5 years she's been nursing at the county health department. She loves her job and her employers truly love her. She's such a hard worker going above and beyond what they expected.

A few days ago the board called her and told her she tested positive for Ultram. She was devastated. They told her to stop working and that if she wanted the B sample run she could. But in all honesty, they said, the B samples never come back clean. We are racking our brains trying to figure out how this came to be. She has never (in her knowledge) taking any prescribed drugs without a doctors orders. She is totally clean. But the Nursing Board's hands are tied. They cannot accept any other test - hair or otherwise. They will only go by what they have in possession.

I have grilled her on what may have happened. She tells me she has not taken anything. She also says I have every reason not to believe her because of her past. But I do believe her. She has worked so hard. She has done so much to make things right after her first, and only, mistake.

Can anyone give us any advice on this false positive test? We are planning to run the B sample but feel that it will not help. I feel so bad for her. She is a mess. I love her and hate to see her in this situation without trying to help in any way I can. Please. If you know anything that we can do or should do tell us.

[dlf2007]

The only advice I could offer is to just sit tight and hope the follow up test will be negative...false positives have been known to occur. Was a split sample done? The reason I ask is because if the first sample is positive, they retest with the second (split sample). Please keep us posted and I'll keep your wife in my thoughts. My biggest fear is that I too will test positive for something when I know I'm clean.

[hppygr8ful]

There are some cases wher people who were taking paxil have teted positive for ultram. if you wife is taking any antidepressants this may be a factor.

hppy

[tpc]

She is taking an antidepressant but they were aware of it prior to the test. The week before she tested and it was clean. Then this one and there was evidence of ultram. And yes there was a split sample taken. We are so devastated. She is a mess right now and my heart is broken seeing her like this. She has done everything to stay clean for almost 4 years now. This happened right at the time she would have cleaned her records and the testing would have stopped. I hope the board takes this into account and all the positive monthly updates her supervisor has written to them.

[hppygr8ful]

In my extensive experience dealing with the California Board, a lot will depend on the mood/attitude of the people managing your wife's case. Most view the incidence of False positives as anecdotal or immpossible at best. With just 4 months to go on my Diversion contract I had a False positve Etg and was taken off work for 10 days while they tested and retested me before they would concede that it was probably a false result. In the end I finished my diversion program as scheduled. What I always say is that these are the challanges we (In recovery) face. If God brought you to it He'll get you through it. This too shall pass and all that.

Tell you wife to hang in there and keep doing the next indicated step. I will keep her in my prayers.

Hppy

[tpc]

In my extensive experience dealing with the California Board, a lot will depend on the mood/attitude of the people managing your wife's case. Most view the incidence of False positives as anecdotal or immpossible at best. With just 4 months to go on my Diversion contract I had a False positve Etg and was taken off work for 10 days while they tested and retested me before they would concede that it was probably a false result. In the end I finished my diversion program as scheduled. What I always say is that these are the challanges we (In recovery) face. If God brought you to it He'll get you through it. This too shall pass and all that.

Tell you wife to hang in there and keep doing the next indicated step. I will keep her in my prayers.

Hppy

Thank you so much. I believe it really does lie on the board's mood. My wife has been a hard worker and has had no incidents prior to this. She is solid. Please keep praying for us - her especially. This job means so much to her. She loves it and the people she works for. My heart was heavy this morning. I knew she wished she was getting up to go to work. She misses it.

We are still waiting on the B sample and then what the board decides.

[tpc]

The 'B' sample came back the same. We are waiting for the Nursing Board to tell us what they have decided.

We're praying for a miracle. My wife just doesn't understand. All that time (4 years) of being clean, working hard, doing what was right, then this.

I guess this can be a warning for all. Send in ALL OTC meds you are taking, DO NOT take even the most identifiable OTC pain meds from anyone. Even your family. Be more cautious than ever. Or you may find yourself in our situation.

The good thing that has come out of this so far. I have grown closer to her. I see just how good she is as a wife, mother, and employee. She has received cards and phone calls from her coworkers telling her how much she is missed. She misses being at work. She absolutely loved her job. She has told me many times even during tough days that this was the best job she has had. She's a people person. She has a great attitude and a genuine care for each patient. I'm hoping for the best.

[tpc]

She lost her license. She lost her job. She is devastated. And it pains me to see her this way.

It hurts to know that she didn't take anything (knowingly) that could have caused the positive test results. She was taking Comtrex the week before when she had a real bad cold. That was it. Two weeks before that her results were clean. And, ironically, she was called to take another drug screen yesterday right before the nursing board called to revoke her license. I'd like to know how they came back. She knew to stay clean because she loved her job so. She has been tested a lot. So I just can't imagine why she would do something intentionally to botch any test that would be taken.

Anyway. Thank you all for praying for us. Continue to do so. We will be in a huge mess for the next few months trying to pay bills and put food on the table. But we've done it before when it happened the first time. I guess we can do it again.

[dlf2007]

I'm so sorry to hear about the license loss. I wish there was some recourse for you. Maybe another opportunity will surface, something even better than nursing. It's so cliche' but true, "when one door closes, another door opens". I'll pray for you both. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

[CRNAspa]

She lost her license. She lost her job. She is devastated. And it pains me to see her this way.

It hurts to know that she didn't take anything (knowingly) that could have caused the positive test results. She was taking Comtrex the week before when she had a real bad cold. That was it. Two weeks before that her results were clean. And, ironically, she was called to take another drug screen yesterday right before the nursing board called to revoke her license. I'd like to know how they came back. She knew to stay clean because she loved her job so. She has been tested a lot. So I just can't imagine why she would do something intentionally to botch any test that would be taken.

Anyway. Thank you all for praying for us. Continue to do so. We will be in a huge mess for the next few months trying to pay bills and put food on the table. But we've done it before when it happened the first time. I guess we can do it again.

Why won't they allow hair to be tested?

You might want to consider having her hair tested. If the results come back negative for the time period they say her urine was positive for the Ultram, you might have a strong case for over-turn of the nursing board's decision.

Here's a link to FAQ about hair testing
Omega Laboratories - Hair Testing FAQ

Jack