Former hospital worker accused of transmitting hepatitis C

[buffetoflies]

I feel the most for those that this 'person' stole drugs from to feed his addiction. That must have been agony for quite a few people.

Sucks to be anyone who might have been affected, but the affects of hep c are over a long period of years. The guy that was on CNN from NH was older and considering the important life changing effects happen in the 3rd decade, he might not be around for that if he is in the small % that might develop cancer/cirrhosis.

Also, I agree that it makes a lot of difference what he's referred to as. I don't think he is a psycho/socio path. Most definitely an addict though. His drug addiction drove him to take it, and to do so he needed the needles. Perhaps he felt he needed to put his used needles back to kick suspicion at bay.

 

[Filly]

He's going to plea. I don't understand legal jargon.





http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-hepatitis-c-case-20130812,0,6439647.story


Prayers for all the poor souls this man infected who are no doubt losing sleep and worrying.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Wow,
Although I never had contact with this "unusual person", I did have an incident in the hospital, just hours after surgery where I was in excruciating agony and it seemed that the morphine drip was nothing more than water for all it did. I had a huge tube stuck thru my back and into my kidney and I was in incredible pain and my pulse was over 130. The night nurse coldly said "I'm not waking the doctor up just because you are being a baby. Go to sleep and you won't be in pain". Then she left.

By morning my pulse skyrocketed to 140 and my morning nurse (a different one) flew down the hall and got me a triple dose. Now I'm wondering if that night nurse took my meds cuz I was in excruciating pain which was validated by my vital signs and she was refusing to do a thing and avoided me. I just saw evil in her eyes. I still have nightmares about that happening again cuz there was nothing I could do about it. I was at her mercy.

This guy needs to be put away forever. He has zero compassion for human life. He was willing to infect people with a disease and leave them in pain just so he could get high. Words are not enough!!!!

I'm so sorry for what you experienced. Please know that as a patient, you are not at any nurses mercy. You have a right to pain control. If this ever happens to you again, ask for the charge nurse. If a Dr. doesn't want to be woken in the middle of the night.....he/she should have been a dermatologist. And calling you a baby???? I'm speechless! That's a form of verbal abuse. I hope after the terrible treatment you were given, you filed a complaint. Again, as an RN, I'm so sorry for how you were treated.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Allegedly, he was taking fentanyl filled syringes, injecting himself, and filling the syringes with saline. That's how the patients allegedly were infected with hepatitis C.

There is no way he should have gotten his hands on fentanyl. Ours is locked in a dispenser that only dispenses what is ordered for a particular patient and only after scanning a licensed individuals finger print. This particular hospital must have very lax standards!

 

[SwampMama]

I'm so sorry for what you experienced. Please know that as a patient, you are not at any nurses mercy. You have a right to pain control. If this ever happens to you again, ask for the charge nurse. If a Dr. doesn't want to be woken in the middle of the night.....he/she should have been a dermatologist. And calling you a baby???? I'm speechless! That's a form of verbal abuse. I hope after the terrible treatment you were given, you filed a complaint. Again, as an RN, I'm so sorry for how you were treated.

Thanks so much for your kind words. It mean a lot and I have so much appreciation for nurses because they are so often overworked and have such overwhelming duties. I had a home heath nurse (after a massive infection an abscess from a different surgery) who tended to me each day for weeks, took so much of her own time and she honestly saved my life when a doctor majorly screwed up and got me to another doctor. I finally found her after a decade and was able to send her a note and tell her how incredibly awesome that she was and how much I appreciated her enormous efforts on my part.