Okay.. This is a rant.. ER big mess up.. Please read all...

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So last night at 11:13 pm I was given INAPSINE
(droperidol)for pain and then at 12:45 am was told I could go home. I was asked if I was okay to drive but here is the thing... This is right from RXList.com

WARNING

Cases of QT prolongation and/or torsade de pointes have been reported in patients receiving Inapsine (droperidol) at doses at or below recommended doses. Some cases have occurred in patients with no known risk factors for QT prolongation and some cases have been fatal.

Due to its potential for serious proarrhythmic effects and death, INAPSINE (droperidol) should be reserved for use in the treatment of patients who fail to show an acceptable response to other adequate treatments, either because of insufficient effectiveness or the inability to achieve an effective dose due to intolerable adverse effects from those drugs (see WARNINGS, ADVERSE REACTIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS, and PRECAUTIONS).

***DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION***
Dosage should be individualized. Some of the factors to be considered in determining the dose are age, body weight, physical status, underlying pathological condition, use of other drugs, type of anesthesia to be used, and the surgical procedure involved.***


None of this was said to me. I was never told what I was given. I called and talked to the on-call PA-C at the main hospital and was told that someone is in a lot of trouble and that an administrator would be reaching out to me tomorrow.

My mom is going to reach out as well and my dad even suggested that I talk to our family lawyer tomorrow over this.

I never felt as bad as I did. I felt like stone. I had to tell myself to breathe and I was left to believe I was okay to drive home. Needless to say there is going to be something done about this.

 

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I certainly would follow up on this.

 

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As usual you are overcoming obstacles and have the right guidance and support. Scary that drug.

How is your head ache? Are you getting relief?

 

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As usual you are overcoming obstacles and have the right guidance and support. Scary that drug.

How is your head ache? Are you getting relief?

I am taking Tylenol... My mom thinks I may have whacked my head on my bedpost in my sleep... (My bed used to be the bottom of a bunk bed so)


But yea someone is in trouble over this.. And my mom is like "Next time call 911 and go back to the ER if you feel like that"

Point taken.

 

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If I were you I'd talk to your family lawyer. I don't know about this medicine or what it's supposed to do. It sounds like something that is given when everything else has failed. And if that administrator doesn't call then please follow up and call them! You deserve some real answers!

 

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Sorry but your mom thought you whacked your head and got a headache or whacked it after on the drug?
Something more for the legal aspect if the latter and you are injured

 

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Sorry but your mom thought you whacked your head and got a headache or whacked it after on the drug?
Something more for the legal aspect if the latter and you are injured

May, My mom thought that I whacked my head in my sleep and that is what caused the headache in the first place. Still, they should not have given me what they did. Just in the last few hours reading online I found that it is 1) a last resort drug 2) given to make people pass out 3) if given at higher doses, people have to be intubated for it because you quite breathing on it. and that is how I felt. It was like I had to tell myself to breathe or I wouldn't. It was actually scary now looking back on it.

 

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Someone really messed up big time. Hopefully your recovering is making good progress. Keep us posted on updates.

 

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I am happy to hear that you didn't crash driving yourself home

 

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Again, Just reading up on what this drug was for, and wow... Yea someone really messed up big time.

From MedicineNet.com

Warning: Infrequent, but sometimes fatal heart problems (arrhythmias such as torsades) have occurred with droperidol use at or even below recommended doses. Droperidol use should be restricted to those in whom other drugs have failed to work well, or caused serious side effects. It should not be used in people with known or suspected heart problems (QTc prolongation).

Use: This medication is a tranquilizer. It is used in medical and diagnostic procedures to reduce nausea and vomiting.

So again.. I was given a tranquilizer and told I was good to drive home just an hour later... Yep, not okay.

 

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Talk to the lawyer!

 

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Fl Guy, reading your further takes on this it's clear that they had absolutely no business giving that drug to you, especially if they said you were okay to drive home!!!! If anything they should have admitted you at least for observation. You do have a case; get the records for your ER visit and by all means talk to a lawyer ASAP!!!!
And ask why they gave you a "last resort" drug and sent you home.
But I hope today the effects of that drug have worn off and that you're now more alert.

 

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Glad your ok meaning didnt get into an accident or even pulled over for traffic stop. I mean in either situation you couldve been charged with ovi aka dui and vehichle towed and impounded , along with loosing your drivers licens. not to mention being arrested and jailed then all of the legal fees and fines.

yeah your deffineitly lucky it very well couldve been alot worse but wasnt. you should like a few folks posted speak to your atterny. make sure you tell your legal council about driving while intoxicated even though it wasnt your fault i.e a ER mistake that couldve caused bad things to happen.

 

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I don't know whether you were able to bring someone else with you to the ER, but it's always good to have someone who can advocate for you. Even if they're not allowed in due to Covid, you could have someone speak with the ER team over the phone while you're still there to ask what is being done and why.

 

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So, small update. No call from the hospital today (They do say that it takes 24 hours). If I don't get called tomorrow I will be calling them.


Boasammy, I was trying to wait to tell one of my parents could take me but that was not advisable due to them traveling from Florida.

I do have all the records and I am printing them out now so nothing can be edited.


As far as talking to a lawyer, that will be done if nothing comes of this mess up. My goal is to hear from the hospital and then decide the next step. Trust me, This mess-up will not go unpunished. I have family that works at the hospital that I can reach out to as well as every doctor and nurse that saw me on file.

Again this is not okay and I not only put myself at risk because I drove home, but also others. And again, no one said anything to me about what I was given. It took looking on my online file to find it. The fact is that the hospital messed up and I think that they know it due to not getting called back today.

My family lawyer is essentially my parent's lawyer but work with my family for three decades and knows me well. If he thinks that I have a reason to get a lawyer then he will tell me who to call. Tomorrow my parents will be at his office for something anyway so my mom is going to bring up what happened to him and see what he thinks.

I will keep you'll posted with updates and thank you all for your advice here.

 

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Its so scary to not know what med you were given in an emergency. This happened to me as well but without the danger you were put in.

 

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Hi FlGuy,
It looks like you've got your plan well thought out and good for you for printing out your records and having the names of everyone who treated you. And follow through with your family lawyer because he needs to know what is going on even if you plan to wait to hear from the hospital first before deciding on calling a lawyer. And go ahead and reach out to any family members who work at the hospital so your case can reach as many ears as possible at this time.
But I have one question: Do you remember whether or not you asked the ER doctor or a nurse exactly what medicine you were given?? I know that with this type of circumstance you may not remember everything and it's also possible you just weren't able to ask for one reason or another. Being a patient in the ER can be confusing at best and is always an extremely stressful occasion. Or do you remember asking "why are you giving me this medicine? What is it supposed to do?"
I can understand that there are times when you have no one available to drive you to the ER but I think the lesson here is if at all possible, have someone go with you and have that someone talk to the doctor and ask for follow-up instructions as well as ask what medication is being given or what other action needs to be taken now. And the other big lesson is to always try to ask the doctor "what are you giving me? What are the side effects?" Doctors should all be ready to voluntarily give that information and making sure you understand, especially if the patient is being discharged and arrived there unaccompanied.
I hope this helps and that you have answers forthcoming soon.

 

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Since you weren’t harmed in a way that caused damage or financial loss, I don’t think an attorney will help you much. I googled “where do I take a Hospitol emergency room complaint.” I was very surprised at the results. They were specific to my state. Try it and see what you get. Good luck to you.

 

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Okay, small update. No one from the hospital called me. My mom and sister are calling them on Monday. My sister reached out to my cousin who works at the hospital and got a lot of information.

1) She got the best person to call 2) She knows who to call if that does not go anywhere.

For me, I am very, if I am okay then just make sure it never happens again, but not my mommy bear or older sister. Then what someone held to accountably.

My cousin would not say if the drug was bad and given wrong, (Not here monkey so not her circus type thing). She is upset because they did not really take care of why I was there. So, I am still in pain. Head still not right, and no clue why.

All in all, Monday will be busy. Call PCP, Call Hospital, and call anybody else that needs to know what is going on.