February 16th
2008
10:28 PM
Kenalog Warning! Please think twice before letting Anyone inject this drug into you!! I am a new nurse, I had only been working as a nurse for 4 months on May 31st of 2007 last year when I let my NP of 7 years give me a Kenalog injection to my Left elbow for severe tennis elbow brought on my 16 hour days of charting by hand as a new nurse. As with any drug, we should always be on guard and informed, and I feel twice as dumb for being a nurse and letting this happen, but I was so busy and in demand that immobilization of my dominant arm at the time simply was not an option to my employer.
By October of 2007 I had a literal "crater" in my elbow. I went to an ortho doctor and when he walked into the room he looked at me and said I was the worst case he had ever seen. I still didn't believe him until he sent me for xrays and an MRI. I have NO fat left on my elbow. I have total muscle necrosis and wasting away. Basically the Kenalog shot ate away all but 2millimeters of my elbow muscle and the xrays showed so much inflammation and irritation that the doctor was afraid that the bone had become infected as well. So I had to endure a bone biopsy of the elbow 3 weeks ago before he would even agree to do the elbow muscle transfer which I have to have done this Friday.
I was a new nurse and did not even get to work for a year on the floor before loosing full use of my arm and being forced to give up my nursing job. This elbow muscle transfer requires 3-6 weeks of immobilization, then 4-6 months of physical therapy, then another 4-6 months before you can expect your arm to be back to pre-surgery condition.
Basically I can not work as a nurse for a year, and will not be able to type, write, sign my name, use my cell phone, drive a car, wash my hair, or even pull up my own pants after I go into surgery this coming Friday.
And no, Doctors can Not be sued for an improperly delivered Kenalog injection if the intention was good and the shot was in the right place and did not hit the bone. I have been turned down by 3 lawyers.
Please be careful and try physical therapy, ice and immobilization first!
July 1th
2008
7:13 AM
I agree Kenalog has a lot of adverse reactions, being a nurse myself, I suffer from pollen, ragweed, mold, dust mites I can go on and on, and have swollen eyes and wheeze/sob almost on a daily basis from asthma and allergies all yr around, am tired all the time ... I have a heart murmur so I cant take the fast acting inhalers, I also suffer from panic disorder, have 2 benign lung nodules on my left upper lung as of today, still in my 2 yr for the sit back and see if it grows follow up with cat scans every 6 month's, my 19 yr old son passed away from a brain bleed in 06, and am still working in nursing where I want to help out other's, it has changed my thought process to live life to the fullest , try not to dwell on the petty things in life, and yeah every single drug that helps us in one way or another has a side-effect, don't pitty me , just think about this , or at least this is how I get by, I sit and weigh my options, would i rather have sweaty palms, rapid heart rate, tired a lot of the time, mod joint pain, period irr and pit in my butt leg and foot cramps day and night a few, h/a's rather than to, sneeze 24/7, have nasty swollen eyes that burn and hurt to the point I cant see, or not be able to take in one deep breathe and feel like im breathing through a straw, yeah you may not like this post, but to all the people who do not have a whole lot of medical knowledge, I ask you to do your research, don't beg the lawyers to take it off the market, thats what I call petty in my case Kenalog is a godsend!.. have the smarts before you go in, after all they are just Dr's not GOD..we should all re-evaluate what is a priority in our lives, since the death of my son in 06 I have, but please note people , its not the Dr's faults , we need to know what we are taking and have all the info before we take it whether it be the internet, a PDR, they are free to read in the library as well in every doctor office just ask to see one (that might through them into shock making them think your having a part in your health as well), a local pharmacist, because lets face it this world is becoming a fast paced, whirlwind circus and in the end, we all just cant sit back and blame the busy Dr's. I will say one thing though, Kudos to all the Nurses in this world, if it were not for us, now where would the Dr's be :P ..so make the best out of life, we never know whats around the corner, but most of all remember EVERY single drug has a side-effect every one of them, we must realize that we have to take the good with the bad..been there still doing it... take chare of your life, be informed, or get the info, you can do everyone of you! Just food for thought.
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