I *hate* this test, I freaking HATE it!

[Guest guest]

Florida lost another really good nurse this week. A woman in my IPN

group flunked her EtG. Her " crime " ? Eating a cup of Haagen Daaz ice

cream. She only discovered it had rum in it after consuming a cup: her

son - who has multiple allergies - wanted some, so she checked the

label carefully. The ice cream didn't even have a suspicious name like

" Rum Raisin " or " Pina Colada " : it was " Creamy Coconut " or some such

concoction.

Of course, IPN sent her to one of their pet " addictionologists " , who'd

never heard of the SAMHSA report, and still believes in that frigging

" gold standard " myth. The woman even volunteered to submit to a hair

test, which was negative. The result: she's been refrained from

practice, and has to start the fool program over again. She's

consequently lost her job, and like me has NO idea when she'll be

allowed to practice nursing again.

Did I mention that this woman is six months pregnant? And that her

husband is stationed in Iraq? And that her five year old is a Special

Needs child who requires round the clock care? And that she's been

clean and sober for almost six years, and was due to " graduate " ? And

that alcohol was never her problem to begin with?

No one from IPN even asked the facilitator - who's known this woman

for years - or anyone else who knows her for their opinion. We would

all have said " Forget it. She's sober. The test sucks " . Instead they

took the word of some guy who spoke with her for half an hour, and

wasn't even aware the EtG is flawed.

After weighing her options, my friend decided to surrender her license

and seek another career. As she put it " There's no guarantee this

won't happen again " . She's still young enough to find another way of

making a living that won't put her through this kind of grief. She

seems resigned to leaving nursing.

And I'm so #@!*ing mad I could spit.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Guest guest]

I also found out today that one of our members in my IPN group tested

positive for ETG. She did not drink. She never had a problem with

drinking, etc. She was also at a point of potential " graduation " from

the evil IPN. Now she'll have to do the eval too and refrain from

work... possibly lose her job. She has no idea how she got a positive

and is rightfully upset. I was so mad too. I am one of three people

in the group that is ETG tested. The odds are not good if 1 out of 3

of us has already falsely tested positive. Other people in my group

and my facilitator have always looked at me as an " angry, bitter "

young woman about the whole ETG test. They're keeping their mouth

shut now. And as I elaborated on the errors and many false positives

that this test produces, my facilitator had the nerve to patronize me

and say... " oh, that's just not true " . I told her how I had read many

articles and learned a lot from my online group. I, having a BS in

micro/molecular biology and a MPH in communicable diseases... as well

as a stupid BSN am just a silly little incompetent idiot. Shame on

all these moronic condescending people that try to put fear and have

control over our lives. I'm sick of it.

>

> Florida lost another really good nurse this week. A woman in my IPN

> group flunked her EtG. Her " crime " ? Eating a cup of Haagen Daaz ice

> cream. She only discovered it had rum in it after consuming a cup:

her

> son - who has multiple allergies - wanted some, so she checked the

> label carefully. The ice cream didn't even have a suspicious name

like

> " Rum Raisin " or " Pina Colada " : it was " Creamy Coconut " or some such

> concoction.

>

> Of course, IPN sent her to one of their pet " addictionologists " ,

who'd

> never heard of the SAMHSA report, and still believes in that

frigging

> " gold standard " myth. The woman even volunteered to submit to a hair

> test, which was negative. The result: she's been refrained from

> practice, and has to start the fool program over again. She's

> consequently lost her job, and like me has NO idea when she'll be

> allowed to practice nursing again.

>

> Did I mention that this woman is six months pregnant? And that her

> husband is stationed in Iraq? And that her five year old is a

Special

> Needs child who requires round the clock care? And that she's been

> clean and sober for almost six years, and was due to " graduate " ? And

> that alcohol was never her problem to begin with?

>

> No one from IPN even asked the facilitator - who's known this woman

> for years - or anyone else who knows her for their opinion. We would

> all have said " Forget it. She's sober. The test sucks " . Instead they

> took the word of some guy who spoke with her for half an hour, and

> wasn't even aware the EtG is flawed.

>

> After weighing her options, my friend decided to surrender her

license

> and seek another career. As she put it " There's no guarantee this

> won't happen again " . She's still young enough to find another way of

> making a living that won't put her through this kind of grief. She

> seems resigned to leaving nursing.

>

> And I'm so #@!*ing mad I could spit.

>

> Thanks for letting me vent.

>