Why I'm a jackass

[BuffaloPills]

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Maybe someone can learn from my mistake or at least increase awareness a little.

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a mexican patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

I know the golden rule "never recap a needle"...well the sharps container was out of reach and I had a line a patients waiting for shots so I used the technique I was taught if recapping the needle was a necessicity...lay the cap on the table and scoop the cap up with the needle, after which i attempted to fasten the cap on the needle and the needle went throught the plastic cap and into my thumb like a hot knife through butter. FML

I went to the ER got a tetanus shot and combivir... the patient and I had blood drawn and tested for Hep B/C and HIV. The results came back today both negative for everything. bullet dodged.

So in conclusion I'm a jackass

Although my liver function tests came back normal, the lab test showed hyperbilirubinemia related to gilbert's disease, known to be protective against CAD, ha

 

[eightball]

no, you are a jackass for starting a pointless thread.

 

[p-rog]

Yeah, you totally should have lied to us and told us you're now HIV positive. That would have made this thread have some bite!

 

[BuffaloPills]

thanks for reading, go bills

 

[Praziquantel86]

Why did a Mexican guy go to North Carolina for a flu shot?

EDIT: You're lucky you didn't come back HIV positive...if you're a Bills fan then God is really hating on you this week. He must have been distracted.

 

[ValeRx]

Bullet dodged??? Correct me if I'm wrong but it can take years for a positive HIV test to show.

 

[tackett26]

Why did a Mexican guy go to North Carolina for a flu shot?

EDIT: You're lucky you didn't come back HIV positive...if you're a Bills fan then God is really hating on you this week. He must have been distracted.

NC has a huge hispanic population. In fact the first patient I ever took care of as a pharmacy student was a hispanic male who spoke no English. North Carolina is a very interesting state to practice / learn in.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

Why is the fact that the patient is Mexican even relevant to the situation?

 

[confettiflyer]

Bullet dodged??? Correct me if I'm wrong but it can take years for a positive HIV test to show.

Nope. 6 months, unless there's some new test technology out there.

 

[tackett26]

Why is the fact that the patient is Mexican even relevant to the situation?

It isn't particularly. I don't think he means anything against the patient. A lot of times I think our hispanic patients have trouble getting access to the same level of care as our other patients. The other thing is it is sometimes hard to develop the pharmacist patient relationship with them because of the language barrier. I'm always afraid there is going to result in a communication error.

That being said all patients come with their own challenges. Some of these are fairly common within groups along ethnic or racial lines while other issues can be unique to a particular individual. I guess I'm just saying you always have to be aware of your patient as an individual and of your patients collectively.

 

[littlefred]

Good point SpirivaSunrise.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

It isn't particularly. I don't think he means anything against the patient. A lot of times I think our hispanic patients have trouble getting access to the same level of care as our other patients. The other thing is it is sometimes hard to develop the pharmacist patient relationship with them because of the language barrier. I'm always afraid there is going to result in a communication error.

That being said all patients come with their own challenges. Some of these are fairly common within groups along ethnic or racial lines while other issues can be unique to a particular individual. I guess I'm just saying you always have to be aware of your patient as an individual and of your patients collectively.

Oh, I know they didn't necessarily mean anything derogatory. And I'm not trying to be condescending. I just wanted to make the point that it doesn't contribute to the scenario. However, I know some people read the statement and their views changed instantly when the ethnicity of the patient came up (even unconsciously).

For example, would it change if:

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a canadian patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a german patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a korean patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

 

[BuffaloPills]

-because mexico can be considered a third world country with less than optimal healthcare. he
lived in mexico, recent to NC

-the patient could not have been more considerate and understanding to the situation. he immediately put himself in my shoes and agreed to get tested. I really appreciated his cooperativeness, he could have just left and said it was my problem. he was a stand up guy.

-that is true, HIV seroconversion can take up to 6 and even 12 months in some patients. however since he was negative now and the likelihood of contracting HIV from an HIV+ needlestick is 0.3% and I started prophylactic treatment within hours of the accident (which reduces infection up 80%)...im gonna say bullet dodged.

 

[type b pharmD]

Oh, I know they didn't necessarily mean anything derogatory. And I'm not trying to be condescending. I just wanted to make the point that it doesn't contribute to the scenario. However, I know some people read the statement and their views changed instantly when the ethnicity of the patient came up (even unconsciously).

For example, would it change if:

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a canadian patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a german patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a korean patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

He may have been implying he dodged a bullet because since it happened with a mexican patient, he had a lower risk of contracting HIV , since hispanics show the lowest rate of HIV infection among US ethnic groups.

Although when accounting for bias due to health care utilization the numbers may come out different.

 

[BuffaloPills]

yea what he said

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

yea what he said

??

You just said ethnicity became part of the conversation due to third world/sub-optimal healthcare.

 

[pinkpillowzz]

your not a jackass. your a *******. it think it takes 3 (to 6?) months to get a detectable viral load for HIV. i think 3 months. get tested again in 3 months. and i don't know why you would need to recap; was it an emergency for u to do so?

 

[ethyl]

your not a jackass. your a *******. it think it takes 3 (to 6?) months to get a detectable viral load for HIV. i think 3 months. get tested again in 3 months. and i don't know why you would need to recap; was it an emergency for u to do so?

"You're not a jackass. You're a *******." -5 points

C-
Please see me at the end of class.

 

[Doctor M]

Why did a Mexican guy go to North Carolina for a flu shot?

EDIT: You're lucky you didn't come back HIV positive...if you're a Bills fan then God is really hating on you this week. He must have been distracted.

Can we just not bring up the Bills....ever...i lived through Norwood all the way up to the last Bowl they went to...heart breaking...

 

[naseuy]

Where is all this bitchery coming from?

 

[Doctor M]

Where is all this bitchery coming from?

My guess the bitchery is coming due to the fact that there is still is 2 1/2 months left in the semster...I know i would be bitchy...

 

[BuffaloPills]

s

your not a jackass. your a *******. it think it takes 3 (to 6?) months to get a detectable viral load for HIV. i think 3 months. get tested again in 3 months. and i don't know why you would need to recap; was it an emergency for u to do so?

testing for seroconversion is not measuring the viral load, it is measuring the antibodies produced from serum in contact with the HIV antigen. <80copies/ml is considered an undetectable viral load but antibodies are still present and still HIV+. and yes, 99% of patients seroconvert within 6 months, however some patients have a delayed repsonse and seroconvert much later hence the "and even 12 months in some patients"

You just said ethnicity became part of the conversation due to third world/sub-optimal healthcare.

did i really?

 

[ForcedEntry]

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a canadian patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract

Damned Canadians!

 

[meister]

It takes 3-4 weeks for HIV antibodies to show up in most people. You can test for HIV gag gene at 10-12 days post-exposure though. Hope that's what you did!

Hepatitis C antibodies take 10-15 weeks to show up in most people. HepC is what you really should be worried about.

I have to assume that you have been vaccinated against hepatitis B.

 

[BuffaloPills]

the patient i gave the flu shot to tested negative for hepB/C and HIV, so the only way possible for me to become infected would be if his lab results were false negatives meaning he contracted hep C and HIV within the last 3 months and has yet to seroconvert.

after having had a lengthy awkward conversation with the patient regarding his lifestyle in the last 3 months i would say the above scenario is highly unlikely leaning towards impossible.

you are right i am vaccinated against hep B, showing a positive titer.

 

[p-rog]

after having had a lengthy awkward conversation with the patient regarding his lifestyle in the last 3 months i would say the above scenario is highly unlikely leaning towards impossible.

Kinda of like when I donate blood to the red cross and they ask me if I've recently had gay sex w/ a prostitute and/or shared heroin needles with them?

 

[J ROD]

Just stay behind the counter....no needles there!!!

Also, how hard did you try to put the cap on? I work IV and I never have come close to driving a needle through a cap. Tone it down!! It goes on pretty easy.....🙄

 

[nafcillin]

Why is the fact that the patient is Mexican even relevant to the situation?

that makes him a jackass.

 

[Sparda29]

Can we just not bring up the Bills....ever...i lived through Norwood all the way up to the last Bowl they went to...heart breaking...

Hey, at least you guys were AFC Champions 4 years in a row. My Jets haven't gone there since 1969 when we won it, hopefully Mark Sanchez can pull it off this year.

This sucks, the teams I am a fan of, have not won a championship while I was alive except for the NY Rangers.

 

[StaviZFingerZ]

I'm a jackass and a sexist because I blasted both male and female pharmacists in the "DOP" thread! 👍

 

[meister]

He described him as Mexican because Americans are forever hung-up on race and ethnicity even if they are arbitrary.

 

[type b pharmD]

He described him as Mexican because Americans are forever hung-up on race and ethnicity even if they are arbitrary.

as it turns out HIV infection rates significantly differ between ethnicities, making them relevant in this discussion.

 

[Quiksilver]

Go Bills! Go Sabres!

 

[meister]

as it turns out HIV infection rates significantly differ between ethnicities, making them relevant in this discussion.

Yes I'm sure if he had stabbed himself in the finger with a needle after administering it to a white dude he wouldn't have been distraught at all.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Wow, the cattiness in this thread just makes my day! 😀

 

[meister]

Wow, the cattiness in this thread just makes my day! 😀

Lol, I'm not trying to incite anyone, but maybe I came off that way. Oh well.

 

[bigpharmD]

Maybe someone can learn from my mistake or at least increase awareness a little.

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a mexican patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

I know the golden rule "never recap a needle"...well the sharps container was out of reach and I had a line a patients waiting for shots so I used the technique I was taught if recapping the needle was a necessicity...lay the cap on the table and scoop the cap up with the needle, after which i attempted to fasten the cap on the needle and the needle went throught the plastic cap and into my thumb like a hot knife through butter. FML

I went to the ER got a tetanus shot and combivir... the patient and I had blood drawn and tested for Hep B/C and HIV. The results came back today both negative for everything. bullet dodged.

So in conclusion I'm a jackass

Although my liver function tests came back normal, the lab test showed hyperbilirubinemia related to gilbert's disease, known to be protective against CAD, ha

I have this too, but it is from too much beer

 

[UBCmicrobi]

Why the hell was the sharps bucket out of reach???? Even with a retractable syringe you should have a sharps bucket within reach IMO.

 

[DrWrong]

I'd just like to know what exactly went through your mind when you jerked your finger away from the needle and realized you pricked yourself?

 

[Old Timer]

Almost every case study I had described the patient by sex and by race. An 82 y/o WM w/ history of ________ presented with ____________. As long as you use race as a descriptive term I have no problem. Once you extrapolate it out to behavior based on race then you have a problem. I for example am a 50+ y/o white guy. So what. It's not the words, it's what you do with them...

 

[WVUPharm2007]

If was a person from New Jersey, I'd have just cut the whole damn arm off...better safe than the crazy hybrid HIV/Ebola stuff you get from Trenton people...

 

[JackBeanstalk]

Still better than getting stuck in Baltimore, where they have the highest IV heroin use in the nation. Its common sight for one of these folks to nod off in the corner of the street, hence the coined phrase the "baltimore bow".

 

[KHE]

Go Bills! Go Sabres!

I stumbled on this thread searching for some unrelated information but this posting caught my eye....

I live in CT now but I'm born and raised in Niagara Falls so I too say GO SABRES!!!!!

The Bills I pretty much gave up on in 1999 but I still cheer for them!

But my Sabres......mmmmmm........hopefully before I die.

 

[eightball]

I stumbled on this thread searching for some unrelated information but this posting caught my eye....

I live in CT now but I'm born and raised in Niagara Falls so I too say GO SABRES!!!!!

The Bills I pretty much gave up on in 1999 but I still cheer for them!

But my Sabres......mmmmmm........hopefully before I die.

never before have I seen such a loyal fan base for two teams that know really well how to lose (Bills and Sabres). And tonight, Buffalo Bulls joined the club with a painstaking loss to Ohio.

 

[Quiksilver]

never before have I seen such a loyal fan base for two teams that know really well how to lose (Bills and Sabres). And tonight, Buffalo Bulls joined the club with a painstaking loss to Ohio.

such is the life of a buffalo sports fan.

 

[RxMTM]

Why did a Mexican guy go to North Carolina for a flu shot?

EDIT: You're lucky you didn't come back HIV positive...if you're a Bills fan then God is really hating on you this week. He must have been distracted.

Why do people go places? Why do you go to the store? to buy food. Why do you go to school? to learn. Black, asian, mexican, what is the difference?

 

[RxMTM]

Maybe someone can learn from my mistake or at least increase awareness a little.

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a mexican patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

I know the golden rule "never recap a needle"...well the sharps container was out of reach and I had a line a patients waiting for shots so I used the technique I was taught if recapping the needle was a necessicity...lay the cap on the table and scoop the cap up with the needle, after which i attempted to fasten the cap on the needle and the needle went throught the plastic cap and into my thumb like a hot knife through butter. FML

I went to the ER got a tetanus shot and combivir... the patient and I had blood drawn and tested for Hep B/C and HIV. The results came back today both negative for everything. bullet dodged.

So in conclusion I'm a jackass

Although my liver function tests came back normal, the lab test showed hyperbilirubinemia related to gilbert's disease, known to be protective against CAD, ha

Forgot your Blood Borne Pathogens?

 

[Quiksilver]

Forgot your Blood Borne Pathogens?

You've never made a mistake before in your life right?


We had a surgical oncology fellow stab needle-stick himself while performing on a multi-drug resistant HIV positive individual...
So if he can make that mistake, so can a pharmacy student. Don't be such a douche.

 

[TXPharmDStudent]

I was adminstering a flu shot over the weekend to a mexican patient with a retractable syringe and after giving the shot the needle did not retract.

I know it's been mentioned but what does saying he's mexican add to the conversation? Do mexicans have better injecting skin or something I'm not aware of?

 

[Quiksilver]

I know it's been mentioned but what does saying he's mexican add to the conversation? Do mexicans have better injecting skin or something I'm not aware of?

Have you ever heard a patient presentation, ethnicity is always presented as well as if they have recently come from a foreign place.

you people really need to stop being so sensitive about this stuff.