What to do if you think you received the wrong chemo at one treatment?

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LuluM
LuluM Member Posts: 5
in Breast Cancer #1
I need help deciding what to do. I believe that I received the wrong chemo treatment at my second session. The nurse hung up my second bag and read my name and birthdate. It was correct. She also said that bag took 1 1/2 hours. I said that's odd because last time it took 3 hours. She said probably because it was the first time for me and they let it drip slowly. That sounded logical to me so I let it go. That time I had totally different side effects including black floaters in front of my eyes. Anyway, I documented all of the strange side effects with my doctor at the next visit. My third treatment rolled around and the nurse again brought my second bag out for the IV. This time, like before, she read my name and birthdate, but added that this was my Taxol and it would take 1 1/2 hours. I said wait a minute, I take Taxotere. She said that they sound alike and I was probably mistaken, plus she was the one that ordered it. I said that I was not mistaken and she needed to check my records. After checking she came back and told me I was right and that I would have to wait while they sent to another office for Taxotere. I immediately made an appointment to discuss this with my doctor but he denied that I could have taken the wrong thing. Plus he said that the computer says Taxotere and that he has to go by my records. Now my nurse has been fired. So what's up? Do I need to do something about this? My treatments are over, but have I really had enough? I really need some help with this. I don't like paying for something I didn't get. And I don't like feeling protected when maybe I'm not!

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  • missingtexas
    missingtexas Member Posts: 146
    #2
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    I'm not sure if it makes a
    I'm not sure if it makes a treatment difference if you did have the wrong drug. Maybe you should pose that question "hypothetically, if I did receive one instea of the other, what does that mean for my treatment?" As far as the doc going by what was documented, that is true. When I was a paramedic they always said "if you don't write it down it didn't happen" so if she documented that she gave you the right one, that is what he has to believe. I really hope this all works out!! Hugs!!!
  • laughs_a_lot
    laughs_a_lot Member Posts: 1,368 Member
    #3
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    Not sure
    I certainly would not have been pleased if I were you. However, given that it was only one treatment that got screwed up, I hope any negitive effects would be minimal. I am sure they are covering thier kiesters and that is why the nurse is gone. I wonder if there is a review board that this incident could be brought before. Also did they in turn give an extra treatment of the right drug?
  • jewels5
    jewels5 Member Posts: 57
    #4
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    laughs_a_lot said:

    Not sure
    I certainly would not have been pleased if I were you. However, given that it was only one treatment that got screwed up, I hope any negitive effects would be minimal. I am sure they are covering thier kiesters and that is why the nurse is gone. I wonder if there is a review board that this incident could be brought before. Also did they in turn give an extra treatment of the right drug?

    First of all, (((hugs))) I
    First of all, (((hugs))) I am sorry you have this worry on top of everything you are going through. I would trust that your doctor would correct any mistakes given that he knows the situation, regardless of whether the person was fired. But you have to find peace of mind, so I would keep talking until you feel better about this. Anyone can make a mistake. I was given the wrong amount of steroid for my first treatment and they gave me the amount for Taxol, not Taxotere which I was prescribed. It bothered me that they made a mistake, but they did correct it by weaning it down, and admitted it. Also, there was confusion among the nurses about whether an anti-nausea med was actually in my infusion which bothered me as well, but it was finally resolved. So just going through this experience I believe mistakes can happen but they can also be fixed. I will keep you in my prayers that you had/will have the proper treatment. I know my doctor gave me a choice of which treatment to take so maybe both are fine? Good Luck and take care.

    Julie
  • LuluM
    LuluM Member Posts: 5
    #5
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    jewels5 said:

    First of all, (((hugs))) I
    First of all, (((hugs))) I am sorry you have this worry on top of everything you are going through. I would trust that your doctor would correct any mistakes given that he knows the situation, regardless of whether the person was fired. But you have to find peace of mind, so I would keep talking until you feel better about this. Anyone can make a mistake. I was given the wrong amount of steroid for my first treatment and they gave me the amount for Taxol, not Taxotere which I was prescribed. It bothered me that they made a mistake, but they did correct it by weaning it down, and admitted it. Also, there was confusion among the nurses about whether an anti-nausea med was actually in my infusion which bothered me as well, but it was finally resolved. So just going through this experience I believe mistakes can happen but they can also be fixed. I will keep you in my prayers that you had/will have the proper treatment. I know my doctor gave me a choice of which treatment to take so maybe both are fine? Good Luck and take care.

    Julie

    Thanks, Julie. I will see
    Thanks, Julie. I will see the doctor in two weeks and I am going to talk to him again about it. I know mistakes happen. My daughter is a nurse and we've talked about it. I just want to be sure that I'm doing the right thing. I'm glad you are doing fine. It's a long road uphill, isn't it?
  • LuluM
    LuluM Member Posts: 5
    #6
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    laughs_a_lot said:

    Not sure
    I certainly would not have been pleased if I were you. However, given that it was only one treatment that got screwed up, I hope any negitive effects would be minimal. I am sure they are covering thier kiesters and that is why the nurse is gone. I wonder if there is a review board that this incident could be brought before. Also did they in turn give an extra treatment of the right drug?

    They have not admitted that
    They have not admitted that I had the wrong drug. I just know that my nurse is fired and I also know that I almost received the wrong drug last time too. Soooo.... Thanks for helping me ponder this! Everything seems to be uphill, doesn't it. Best of luck to you.
  • LuluM
    LuluM Member Posts: 5
    #7
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    laughs_a_lot said:

    Not sure
    I certainly would not have been pleased if I were you. However, given that it was only one treatment that got screwed up, I hope any negitive effects would be minimal. I am sure they are covering thier kiesters and that is why the nurse is gone. I wonder if there is a review board that this incident could be brought before. Also did they in turn give an extra treatment of the right drug?

    They have not admitted that
    They have not admitted that I had the wrong drug. I just know that my nurse is fired and I also know that I almost received the wrong drug last time too. Soooo.... Thanks for helping me ponder this! Everything seems to be uphill, doesn't it. Best of luck to you.
  • LuluM
    LuluM Member Posts: 5
    #8
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    jewels5 said:

    First of all, (((hugs))) I
    First of all, (((hugs))) I am sorry you have this worry on top of everything you are going through. I would trust that your doctor would correct any mistakes given that he knows the situation, regardless of whether the person was fired. But you have to find peace of mind, so I would keep talking until you feel better about this. Anyone can make a mistake. I was given the wrong amount of steroid for my first treatment and they gave me the amount for Taxol, not Taxotere which I was prescribed. It bothered me that they made a mistake, but they did correct it by weaning it down, and admitted it. Also, there was confusion among the nurses about whether an anti-nausea med was actually in my infusion which bothered me as well, but it was finally resolved. So just going through this experience I believe mistakes can happen but they can also be fixed. I will keep you in my prayers that you had/will have the proper treatment. I know my doctor gave me a choice of which treatment to take so maybe both are fine? Good Luck and take care.

    Julie

    Thank you for answering. I
    Thank you for answering. I am still thinking all of this over - just don't know quite what to do. I think the Taxol comes in 1/3 doses. So if I did receive Taxol, I did not receive my full treatment. However, I have been so sick this time that I do not think that I could do it one more time. I'm ready to get well! Thanks again. Best of luck to you.
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #9
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    At the Center I went to it
    At the Center I went to it was in the computer and when you got in your cubicle they called the pharmacy for your meds. RN picked them up and came to your cubicle and another RN came in with a print out and your name and info was verified with you, then both RN's verified the meds (pills and IV bags). So there were many checks and balances.
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #10
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    LuluM said:

    Thanks, Julie. I will see
    Thanks, Julie. I will see the doctor in two weeks and I am going to talk to him again about it. I know mistakes happen. My daughter is a nurse and we've talked about it. I just want to be sure that I'm doing the right thing. I'm glad you are doing fine. It's a long road uphill, isn't it?

    Yes, talk to your oncologist
    Yes, talk to your oncologist about this. And, if you don't want to wait the 2 weeks, call him now. I can understand your concern.


    Hugs, Jan
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #11
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    LuluM said:

    They have not admitted that
    They have not admitted that I had the wrong drug. I just know that my nurse is fired and I also know that I almost received the wrong drug last time too. Soooo.... Thanks for helping me ponder this! Everything seems to be uphill, doesn't it. Best of luck to you.

    If your nurse is fired, that
    If your nurse is fired, that is kind of scary. Good luck to you and sending you a big hug too!


    Diane
  • Lynn Smith
    Lynn Smith Member Posts: 1,264 Member
    #12
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    Rague said:

    At the Center I went to it
    At the Center I went to it was in the computer and when you got in your cubicle they called the pharmacy for your meds. RN picked them up and came to your cubicle and another RN came in with a print out and your name and info was verified with you, then both RN's verified the meds (pills and IV bags). So there were many checks and balances.

    If they fired the nurse
    If they fired the nurse must have been a HUGE mistake and should never happened. I had a delay in treatment and I did what I could to get help.Things happened within hours.Not days or almost a month. Now I see a new doctor.

    Wrong meds NOT good.I remember being given the wrong antibiotic for a bladder infection.I kept getting sicker and sicker.Threw up everday for a month.Finally I became dehydrated and vitamin depleted.I needed high potency vitamins afer that and in the hospital for a month.What the problem was all I needed was amoixcillin and not the most expensive and best med but plain ole amoxcillin.I should have sued.A culture Wasn't done in all those weeks.Should have been done right away. SENSELESS!!!!

    It was serious and that is why the nurse got fired after her mistake on you.

    Lynn Smith
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #13
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    Lynn Smith said:

    If they fired the nurse
    If they fired the nurse must have been a HUGE mistake and should never happened. I had a delay in treatment and I did what I could to get help.Things happened within hours.Not days or almost a month. Now I see a new doctor.

    Wrong meds NOT good.I remember being given the wrong antibiotic for a bladder infection.I kept getting sicker and sicker.Threw up everday for a month.Finally I became dehydrated and vitamin depleted.I needed high potency vitamins afer that and in the hospital for a month.What the problem was all I needed was amoixcillin and not the most expensive and best med but plain ole amoxcillin.I should have sued.A culture Wasn't done in all those weeks.Should have been done right away. SENSELESS!!!!

    It was serious and that is why the nurse got fired after her mistake on you.

    Lynn Smith

    WOW!
    As I understand it Taxol & Taxotere are similar but . . .

    My first Taxotere took a long time because they started slow and gradually increased the drip as they monitored for reaction. They did that the next time too. The third time around a different nurse set the drip wide open. That's the only time I had a bad reaction. When I mentioned it at my next visit and the drip was the only difference they showed it down again. Could this be what happened? Just asking! The fact that the nurse was fired does make one rethink things though doesn't it. Hope all turns out okay.
  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #14
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    laughs_a_lot said:

    Not sure
    I certainly would not have been pleased if I were you. However, given that it was only one treatment that got screwed up, I hope any negitive effects would be minimal. I am sure they are covering thier kiesters and that is why the nurse is gone. I wonder if there is a review board that this incident could be brought before. Also did they in turn give an extra treatment of the right drug?

    I think that it would be
    I think that it would be horrible if they really did give you the wrong treatment. I pray that they didn't. How are you doing now?


    Hugs, Debby
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #15
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    missingtexas said:

    I'm not sure if it makes a
    I'm not sure if it makes a treatment difference if you did have the wrong drug. Maybe you should pose that question "hypothetically, if I did receive one instea of the other, what does that mean for my treatment?" As far as the doc going by what was documented, that is true. When I was a paramedic they always said "if you don't write it down it didn't happen" so if she documented that she gave you the right one, that is what he has to believe. I really hope this all works out!! Hugs!!!

    Great suggestion!!!
    Where is that darn 'like' button when you need it???? *smile*

    Hugs, Kathi
  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
    #16
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    skipper54 said:

    WOW!
    As I understand it Taxol & Taxotere are similar but . . .

    My first Taxotere took a long time because they started slow and gradually increased the drip as they monitored for reaction. They did that the next time too. The third time around a different nurse set the drip wide open. That's the only time I had a bad reaction. When I mentioned it at my next visit and the drip was the only difference they showed it down again. Could this be what happened? Just asking! The fact that the nurse was fired does make one rethink things though doesn't it. Hope all turns out okay.

    Mine was my doctor's mistake!
    My last chemo was supposed to be a reduced dose. For some reason, as the nurse was reading off the label to me, I asked if it was a reduced dose. She said no. I said it was supposed to be. So she goes and talks to the doc whose excuse was that she thought I was having chemo the next day and was going to change the order that afternoon. I really doubt it. I think she screwed up and totally forgot. I did get the reduced dose, but it was an ordeal. For me, it emphasized that I really need to be on top of everything because people at all levels make mistakes. I'm only one of thousands of patients that walk through those doors every day.

    About your potential Taxol/Taxotere mixup, I think the only way you can be certain is to check with the pharmacy and see what they put up for you that infusion cycle. There's got to be records of what was ordered and what was dispensed, regardless of what was written in your chart.

    Can't change what happened, but your oncologist should admit it if a mistake was made and reassure you about what it means to your protocol. You have a right to know. I bet s/he has checked and knows the answer already. Why don't you ask if he's gotten to the bottom of his and if he gives you the same song and dance, ask him to check with the pharmacy to see what was dispensed for you on that date.

    Suzanne

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