Diseases Talk

Last December my doctor and I decided it was time for me to undergo a colonoscopy as a routine preventative care measure. I was 66 at that time, in excellent health, but had never had a colonoscopy. Unfortunately, for me, I was scheduled for the endoscopy center here in Nevada that since then has been in the national news. Over 40,000 patients here in Nevada have been exposed to Hepatitis B and C and possibly HIV, several cases of Hepatitis, have been linked back to this particular endoscopy center. At the time I was scheduled to have my procedure, December 2007, none of this had been made public.More...

Recently I received a letter indicating that I needed to be tested for this life threatening disease. It takes several weeks to get results from your blood tests because of the volume of people that need to be tested. I had so many questions running through my mind; Have I unknowingly acquired a potentially fatal disease or lifelong serious illness? Am I a victim of gross negligence by the medical professionals that treated me? Not only is this a constant worry, but each time there is a news broadcast or article in the paper, and there is one almost everyday, it just fuels my anxiety and makes me angrier. To make matters worse when I met with my primary physician, I was told since my colonoscopy was so recent, I would have to be tested again in June. It seems I will have to wait even longer before I know I am totally free of any life threatening disease. There is an incubation period for Hepatitis B and C when the tests may not show positive during that time period, therefore you need to be tested again in 6 months.

I am devastated, fearful and very very angry at the doctors and nurses who allowed this to happen. These are individuals who are supposed to be the caretakers of our health, prevent disease and use good judgment when dealing with health issues and the public welfare. These doctors and nurses carried out unsafe practices, jeopardized thousands of people and risked public safety. Someone should have blown the whistle and put a stop to this a long time ago. The nurses involved indicated they were ordered to engage in the dangerous practice of reusing syringes and single-dose medicine vials. Nurses as well as doctors take an oath to prevent disease whenever they can and have a special obligation to the welfare of the public. I fault them as much as the doctors involved. Knowing or even fearing they might lose their job if they reported these practices is inexcusable. Are they all without a conscience, integrity and lack good judgment? They certainly did not treat their patients to their best ability or live up to the oath they took. They were only concerned about saving their jobs. Obviously the oath they took means nothing to them.

Eight to ten thousand deaths occur each year resulting from the complications of Hepatitis C. Eighty percent of affected people can become chronically infected and risk serious long term disease. Hepatitis C can cause serious liver damage, cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. There is no cure for this disease. Not knowing if I am infected for sure is the biggest concern right now. Who to trust when I do need medical help and advise is another worry I need to deal with. No matter how important it is to have a colonoscopy, fear itself could keep me from having another one. I work very hard at living a healthy lifestyle, getting proper exercise and maintaining my weight through good nutrition. Now all my hard work is in jeopardy. There is no good reason anyone should have to risk death or a life-long chronic disease when getting a routine medical procedure to check for colon cancer. This entire travesty is absolutely outrageous and certainly uncalled for!