Zofran lawsuit

Sorry this will be kinky of long. 3 years ago in May my husband had immediate gall bladder surgery at our local hospital. The surgeon who did it ended up cutting both bile ducts completely off, cut his intestines and cut a main artery in his liver. The next day he sent him home with pain meds. He was in excruciating pain. That evening I took him back to the ER. His bilirubin and white blood count were through the roof. Another surgeon was on call and did a CT scan and saw what had been done and they flew him to the best hospital in KC. He was met there by their liver specialist. He opened him up he was full of toxic bile eating his insides. The surgeons exact words were "This is in the top 5 of the worst botched surgery he's ever seen in his 25 yrs as a surgeon and liver specialist". He said another 5 minutes of curse words. They first had to clean off all the bile inside him. Then they had to figure out how they were going to fix the bile ducts which would happen later. They had to get the infection under control. My hubs had an infection specialist added to the list of doctors trying to save his life. He was in the hospital for 2 months. I had to rent an Air B&B close to the hospital because when he got out he had to stay close to the hospital and recover the best he could for the big major surgery that they still were figuring out the best plan. He had 5 surgeries while in the hospital and in major pain meds. He finally got out to come to the air b&b. He had a home health care set of nurses to try their best to get him as healthy as possible including walking. They didn't want to chance the surgery. The big day came and they had to stretch his colon and attach it to the bile ducts. And a lot of other stuff. We were in KC for 6 months. Everything turned out well thank God. We hired a malpractice attorney in KC to sue the hell out of the quack surgeon. This law firm consists of doctors and lawyers. Come to find out they had already won 3 lawsuits against this surgeon. One for a death of a young woman he did stomach surgery on where they take out most of the stomach tie it off for weight loss. He tied the stomach too tight and she died. The second he did some kind of surgery on a young child, they didn't go into details but the surgeon something fairly simple. That child will never live a normal life again. He botched the surgery. The third was similar to my husbands but he lost his liver and had to have a transplant. My husband does still have a have liver that functions well and the liver grows back in its own. The death was the highest insurance paid out in MO. The other two were large as well. Now they have a 4th! It's been 3 years and finally my husbands deposition is May 14th with the surgeons lawyers and our lawyers. Our attorney said it would take 3-4 hours. My husbands life got back to some what normal. He went back to work and things were good. He's been sleeping in a recliner for 3 years because he can't lay flat. He gets out of breath easily. Well the night before last he started throwing up at 8pm all night through the morning even taking Zofran. His stomach was so enlarged he looked like he was 50 months pregnant. ER gave him fluids and ran test. His white blood count was 18 normal is 10 and under. They knew he had an infection somewhere in his abdominal area. CT Scan revealed his intestines are blocked due to scar tissue and adhesions from all the surgery 3 years ago because of the surgery the quack had done. He's in the hospital. They had to put a tube down his nose to his intestines to drain all the gunk off and hopefully clear out the intestines. He's on morphine every two hours for pain. As of this morning it's still draining. They've done 2 CT Scans one with contrast one without. Another CT Scan in about 5 mins. We haven't seen the surgeon which by the way is a surgeon that I had and the same surgeon that sent him to KC after he saw what was done and he was barely hanging on for life. We've seen him several times just catch up on how he's doing. I do trust him or I'd have him back in KC. By the way the quack surgeon is still practicing and doing surgery! It's very hard to take a license from a doctor we found out. Until his malpractice insurance stops insuring him he can practice all he wants. And what pisses me off is you have no idea what a surgeons background is who's operating on you. It's sick and freaking crazy! I've called the attorney and talked to him and now this is added to the list! I don't know what's going to happen today until we see the doctor. If the gunk doesn't clear up then he'll have to have surgery. I'll keep yall posted but all the prayers would be greatly appreciated. In between down time I'm working on plan for RR. It keeps my mind off the current situation. Thank you so much for reading this and again I'm sorry it's so long but it's real life. Just wanted ya'll to know what real real life I'm going through. I will not go live and ask for subs at $89.99 for more information!!!! I don't even have a damn platform!! I could ask for cash apps and Venmo's for the next "huge, are you joking me, it's insane, I'm ready to talk" update!! We have great insurance fyi. All we need is prayers❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Sorry for any misspelled words or sentences that may not make sense❤️🩷❤️🩷

Recently, I was at a Medicaid rehab in San Francisco. First, I contracted scabies. I think it was because the first night I was there they said they were out of mattress covers and I fell asleep on the bare mattress. Was diagnosed by a doctor and cured of it with prescription medicine. The nurses there and all employees downplayed it. I know I caught it there because I've had scabies before and the itching and bumps and bites appeared within a few days of arrival.
Next. I had a terrible nighttime allergy to what I believe was bed bugs, their feces, or their bites. Saw evidence of bed bugs on the mattresses and in the bedding. I even washed my bedding, made my bed and hours later saw insect feces in the washed bedding.
Anyhow... They would not let me take hydroxyzine, zyrtec, Zofran or prescription steroid creams when I woke up between 1-3 AM with horrible itching and nausea because they said, there was no medical assistant or nurse there.
I'm also bipolar and if I lose sleep it's horrible for my mental health. After 4 or so successive nights of not sleeping, I left the rehab.
I'm in a safer placement now, one which obeys state licensing regulations for medication (no allergy here but I could take as needed medication around the clock), in addition they do bed bug protocol at admit to make sure an infestation doesn't happen here.
At the offending rehab, there was a bed bug zapper but they did not use it for people's clothing at intake.
I guess I feel weird about all of this. I'm a rule follower and to me, keeping prescription medication on my person (not in the nurse's office) was unthinkable. But let's say I had, right? It still meant that I'd be suppressing an allergic response to something, I believe, should not be there, bed bugs and their feces. It seemed the infestation was throughout the property and in a way normalized to the other clients there.
Other clients didn't seem to be very affected, maybe because they didn't have an allergy. But I just don't know, I mean, to me, there are laws that govern residential care facilities and they state we must live free of bed bugs and scabies. The staff there had a dismissive attitude and seemed like they'd rather not deal with what was quite apparent to me.
I've had commercial insurance before and been to private rehabs and let me tell you there would be pandemonium there, threats of lawsuits etc, if it was known that there were bed bug and scabies infestations loose in a private rehab.
What do you think? If you were in my shoes (and lost your source of income as I have, had no home to go to), what would you have done? If you had the allergy I have? If you'd woke up with extreme itching pain and nausea but were not allowed to take prescribed as needed medication?
I just see that my peers there... Didn't really seem to care much, although no one I knew was allergic as I was.
Guess I'm kind of feeling conflicted, on the one hand I feel like maybe I was a little prima Donna, on the other hand, I know that I believe the rehabs should follow state laws with regards to infestation control and medication administration and I felt they were endangering the health, safety and wellbeing of their residents.
Thanks. This aspie has been through hell the last two weeks and I'm just grateful I'm in a much better placement.

Here's a quick synopsis of how everything went down. My wife had a kidney transplant 4 1/2 years ago. She got sick around the end of January. Like 2 days before she got sick, both of our kids got diagnosed with Influenza A. She got sick, so we immediately went to urgent care. They didn't run any tests on her even though we said she was a transplant recipient. They just said she had Influenza A because our kids had it. About 2 weeks later, she started vomiting. We went to urgent car again, because we can never get into our PCP the same day. We told them again that she was a transplant recipient. She was also experiencing shortness of breath this time. They again ran no tests or did blood work. They did a chest x-ray that came back negative. They said he lungs sounded clear as well. They then gave her Zofran a steroid and an inhaler. They said she more than likely had the start of bronchitis. After a few days, she had to do her blood work for her transplant. The lab worked came back that she was suffering kidney failure and they told us to get to their hospital asap. They did a biopsy and it came back that there was no scar tissue and this was a result of an infection. So she was officially diagnosed with Acute Kidney Rejection. She was treated for it, but she was hospitalized for the duration of the treatment, which was 5 days. The hospital is 2 1/2 hours from home. She was in the hospital from Thursday until Wednesday. Her kidney is only operating at 5%, but the doctor is hopeful it will return back to normal functions in the near future. Dialysis is not off the table. Would we have a medical malpractice lawsuit or not?

Everyone keeps recommending unisom to me and I don’t want a sleep aid to help with nausea. I WFH and have a 3 year old who is with me all day, there’s no way I can handle being more sleepy than I already am. Zofran is out of the question for me due to lawsuits, which BLOWS because it’s what has worked for me in the past.
I’m borderline having hyperemesis gravidarum. Doesn’t matter what I eat, it all makes a reappearance. Yesterday it was bananas, today it was saltines. We’re suffering, y’all.
Plshalp.

I wrote this as a comment in a different sub, and I wanted to share it here. I'm not intending to stir up controversy. I'm really just motivated by a feminist urge to close the information gap and help women achieve a better quality of life during pregnancy.
I wrote the first version of this in response to a first time mom who was overwhelmed with morning sickness at 4-5 weeks pregnant (she was temping so she knew her ovulation date):

First, there are a lot of degrees of HG that are not diagnosed. The threshold for diagnosis includes counting vomits per day, which is a very crude way to measure illness, esp. since people have varying vomiting reflexes, and you might not vomit much if you don't eat, and other variables. As a result, the line between "morning sickness" and "HG" is basically undefined, and the same treatment applies to both. That's why I say you should proceed under the assumption you have HG - the treatments may help you even if they do not diagnose you.
In addition, this is an area of misogyny in medicine. In general, OBGYNs have a conflict of interest. The same OBGYN is required to treat the fetus and the pregnant person at the same time, and sometimes the needs of the pregnant person require treatments that may affect the fetus. OBGYNs have historically refused highly effective treatment for pregnant people if there is even a rumor of a risk for the fetus. This imbalanced approach is "justified" by the fact that the negative outcomes for pregnant people are often more temporary, less life threatening, and/or have more mental health impacts than physical health impacts. A common example of this is morning sickness or "mild" HG. The negative outcomes of this approach are compounded by the fact that OBGYNs do not take the time to explain their reasoning, the risks they are concerned about, and allow the mother to make their own choices. Doctors undervaluing the wellbeing of pregnant people is of course highly influenced by a history of male doctors treating young female patients in a patriarchal society.
The good news is that due to a huge class action lawsuit against the manufacturer of onadestron, the FDA has now dismissed those risks that were previously suspected to impact the fetus. You can read a summary of that lawsuit and why it resulted in proving the safety of onadestron here: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/gsk-defeats-425-lawsuits-alleging-zofran-causes-birth-defects-2021-06-01
You can read a more scientific paper here evaluating onadestron against other anti-nausea options: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2779055 This is a big deal because there has been a lot of money spent promoting newer anti-nausea meds that are less effective, such as Diclegis, and there's not a lot of funding available to establish the efficacy and safety of generic drugs. This means that hospitals have been convinced to push Diclegis over Onadestron by pharmaceutical reps, even though Diclegis is known to be less effective and have more side effects.
You'll notice these updates are both dated 2021. Doctors don't generally have a strong obligation to update themselves about new research (which comes as a surprise to me, because in my profession, we have an extremely high obligation to be aware of new developments in our field, it's taken very seriously and no one's life is at stake!). Worse, the decision on whether to prescribe anti-nausea medication to pregnant women is usually a matter of hospital policy, which takes even longer to change. Therefore, pregnant women continue to needlessly suffer during an achingly slow process to correct the initial risk assessment that was based on the medical misogyny model of OBGYN practice I outlined earlier.
Many women go through their experience of their first pregnancy having very little understanding (or concerns) about the medical profession, and it is a huge learning curve, which is why I typed all of this out. I'm just an ordinary American who has had a hospital birth and a non-hospital birth (supported by an excellent team of midwives), but unfortunately we don't have a ton of resources to close the information gap. I feel like my contribution is worthwhile until these information gaps are closed by more authoritative sources.

A footnote: Onadestron/Zofran has one uncomfortable side effect, which is constipation. Miralax/propylene glycol should be routinely taken with it. Doctors are often so underinformed about Onadestron/Zofran that they don't properly inform patients about this.

Where to begin. In July I started seeing a weight loss doctor. I'm a 29 year old white female and overweight. The doctor put me on metformin and a shot called ozempic. I lost a decent amount of weight but thats where the issues began. I had diareah daily. And if I ate something fatty, I was in the bathroom. It seemed to be a side affect of those meds but little did I know there was a lawsuit against ozempic for gallbladder issues. Fast forward a month when my weight loss doc increased the shot to 2mg, double what I was taking. I ended up in the hospital for 3 days. Pain in my upper middle stomach, naseau, diareah (bright yellow), and throwing up. When I got out I felt better but I didn't realize I had more problems than I thought Following my hospital stay I started seeing my gastro doctor. We were trying to figure out why I was getting pain. This doctor dismissed the shot as the culprit. By August I was back to normal and had these "flair ups" I'd call them. Every now and then I'd get pain in my upper middle stomach area that would last a day to weeks. Nothing I did different seemed to matter. The gastro set up a endoscopy and when I awoke from the scope they told me there were some red patches of irritation and some abnormal b cells. They did biopsies and for a week I waited. The results came in that I was negative for h pylori, celiac, cancers but the pathologist recommended a repeat scope in 3 months to recheck them cells. So for the following 3 months I tried to pin point things thst set me off. I started getting more frequent pain. My doctor prescribed zofran for the naseau. Every morning I'd wake up and within an hour I was having diareah that is bright yellow. Never had a normal stool in 5 months.
November 16th I had breakfast. As soon as the toast and butter hit my stomach I got so sick to my stomach and pain. It took till the following day for it to subside. The day before Thanksgiving I had curly fries. An hour later I was sick to my stomach with pain. Thanksgiving I was still not feeling well but tried to eat. Once again felt sick to my stomach and pain. That's where the nightmare began. From Thanksgiving to last Tuesday (20 days) I had terrible terrible pain in my stomach, explosive yellow foul smelling diareah, and naseau. I didn't eat solids for 20 days. I went to the er 8 times total for the pain. In the 8 visits they did 8 rounds of bloodwork, 2 CT scans, 3 ultrasounds. They found nothing. I would be given a dose of iv zofran, morphine, and sent home. My gastro doctor was calling omeprazole, pepcid, bentyl, zofran in. I was on 16 pills all day long and nothing was helping. Every doctor would tell me they arent seeing anything and i would break a little more inside. I had a hida scan on the 5th of this month. They found my gallbladder didn't have stones but it was emptying at 31% the 6th I had my repeat endoscopy with a colonoscopy. He did biopsies and said it doesn't look bad inside. He referred me to a surgeon but said I only had a 60% chance my symptoms would go away with surgery. I was willing to try anything. I was in pain. Loosing 20 pounds from not eating. I couldn't eat. I couldn't drink without getting sick to my stomach. I was so weak and my anxiety and depression were winning. I felt hopeless like I'll never eat again. The biopsies were negative for lymphoma and leukemia and anything major. They found nothing in there. I saw the surgeon and had a schedule gallbladder removal for 12/20. The day before my birthday. However that night I was back in the hospital with pain. Now the pain was in my back. They finally admitted me and gave me morphine. I saw the surgeon the next day and we agreed to have it out.
I am now 5 days past my surgery. When I woke up after surgery my right shoulder killed me from the gas. I was sore in my stomach. Moving was terrible. Crying was terrible. The following morning I had eggs and toast. For lunch I had meatloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy, peaches, and sherbert. I cried as I ate. Overwhelmed by the soreness, the path that led me there, and the fact I was eating food. I walked the whole hospital floor the following day and was released home. The ride home was terrible. Every bump was so hard. I couldn't get myself up out of bed on my own.
I ate pretty bland Thursday and Friday. I introduced tuna and watermelon yesterday. Today I had toast with a little jelly, ramen noodles, a small packaged beef stew, fillet steak, plain baked potato, brussle sprouts and diet iced tea . I don't have any pain. No naseau. Just a little gassy and my stomach is gurgling.
I'm eating better than I thought I would. Mornings I have no appetite till around 12 or 1pm. What is really bothering me is my anxiety. It was a stressful issue since July. And since Thanksgiving it was a traumatic experience. I felt hopeless. I started feeling like I just wanted to die to not feel the pain. Post surgery I found that I blocked out a lot of the experience. Like my mind does not want to remember what I was just thru. I been on zoloft for anxiety for years and I haven't had any anxiety since I started it. However I am so bad right now. I feel like I can't relax. My mind feels foggy. I worry about going back to work and being stuck there and getting sick. I wake up in the morning and my heart is racing and I dread going to sleep. Sleeping isnt easy for me. I know this doesn't last forever but I can't shake it. I am scared to be home alone because my anxiety is so bad. I am also light headed a lot. Not sure if its my iron ( which i had issues in the past). Im going to call tomorrow to see if i can get my iron pannel checked. Not eating for 20 days might have done it.. I am calling tomorrow to see if I can get in with a psych to adjust some meds while I recover. Everyone keeps telling me I was just thru a really tough time and it'll get better. And I know it will but I can't seem to just relax. My family doctor added buspar 3 times a day but I forget pill 3 and I feel no different. Has anyone else experienced this? I just want my mind to be clear again and get up feeling well rested and not panicking and go abound my day without being anxious and crying. :( 😞

Hey everyone!
I'm 22 weeks and began vomiting uncontrollably on Thursday evening (I suspect it was gastro). Went to L&D where they recommended IV fluids and Gravol but since I drove there, they suggested I take Zofran intravenously instead... I am now reading about all the lawsuits against this medication due to heart defects, cleft lip and cleft palate, etc. I am someone who doesn't take medication unless necessary, I haven't even used Tylenol during this pregnancy... so something was telling me not to take it but when I asked the doctor she said it was "perfectly safe"... sorry if I'm rambling on, I guess I'm just searching for stories where people took it in their second trimester and baby ended up ok? Or should I be mentally preparing myself for the worst?
TIA! :)

Hey everyone!
I'm 22 weeks and began vomiting uncontrollably on Thursday evening (I suspect it was gastro). Went to L&D where they recommended IV fluids and Gravol but since I drove there, they suggested I take Zofran intravenously instead... I am now reading about all the lawsuits against this medication due to heart defects, cleft lip and cleft palate, etc. I am someone who doesn't take medication unless necessary, I haven't even used Tylenol during this pregnancy... so something was telling me not to take it but when I asked the doctor she said it was "perfectly safe"... sorry if I'm rambling on, I guess I'm just searching for stories where people took it in their second trimester and baby ended up ok? Or should I be mentally preparing myself for the worst?
TIA! :)

During my first pregnancy, I just went to the local hospital (UCSF) for medical care and got shunted to their low risk midwives. I had to wait until I was 11 weeks pregnant for my first appointment. During a call at 8 weeks pregnant I told the nurse that things were going downhill very fast, that I was experiencing a ton of symptoms and that I was struggling. I have a strong vomit suppression reflex so I was only throwing up 2-3 times a day. At my 11 week appointment I told the midwife I was struggling so hard that I was scared I was going to be fired from my (tenured) job due to exhaustion and nausea. Nevertheless, she required me to try a bunch of expensive medications that included sleeping pills for the nausea. I was confused, I didn't know about zofran, I assumed she was giving me advice based on my best interests as a patient. She claimed there were "risks" related to the alternative medications (I have since learned this is a lie). On the day I was 14 weeks pregnant (a Sunday), she called me while I was in petco with my brand new emotional support animal buying a leash, and said she was calling in a zofran prescription. This arbitrary boundary was likely invented by the hospital's lawyers. I started zofran the next morning and it turned off the nausea like a switch.
The day I started zofran I began to feel hope again. It made such a big difference. After this experience, and a few similar ones, I switched to an out of hospital provider. For my second pregnancy, I messaged my new providers to say I was pregnant and they sent in my zofran prescription the same day, at 5 weeks pregnant. I started it the first time I felt bile in my throat at 8 weeks pregnant.
In the meantime I made a complaint to UCSF for failing to prescribe zofran during my first trimester. In late 2021 they said it was still their policy not to prescribe zofran during the first trimester. In the meantime, these two critical developments happened:
1) All the outstanding lawsuits against the manufacturers of zofran were dismissed because there was no basis for the lawsuits due to the fact that no bad outcomes to the fetuses could reasonably be linked to the zofran: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/gsk-defeats-425-lawsuits-alleging-zofran-causes-birth-defects-2021-06-01
2) A metanalysis came out that said there is no evidence that zofran has worse outcomes than other anti-nausea medications when used during the first trimester: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2779055
These are significant recent changes that seem worth discussing with your doctor if you have concerns. Anyway, I just wanted to share that both of my babies were exposed to zofran, from weeks 14-42 and from weeks 8 to 40, and neither of them have a cleft palate or a heart defect. And I will never work with a provider that withholds zofran during the first trimester again.

https://www.lezdotechmed.com/blog/mass-tort/zofran-birth-defect-lawsuits/
Zofran is a drug that was discovered by GlaxoSmithKline in the mid-1980s in London. It is used to treat nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy or surgery. Due to the lack of a birth defect warnings GSK is facing a mass number of Zofran birth defect lawsuits.
Zofranbirthdefectlawsuits

May 6, 2022:
Post 01:
I think I might have throat cancer.
Post 02:
My mom calmed my down. Yes, I have a lump in my throat. But I think it could be acid reflux. Maybe I was burning my esophagus with the nitro cold brew black coffee, exercise, orange juice, seltzer water, and poor diet. I constantly burp up acid into the exact spot that hurts.
May 7, 2022:
Post 01:
Zofran, a medication for nausea, isn't meant to be taken long term, every day, for a decade. Yet that's what my psychopharmacologist prescribed. I wonder if what I'm experiencing has anything to do with that. I stopped that medication earlier this year as well.
Post 02:
I'm afraid my psychopharmacologists mega regimen was killing me.
Post 03:
My psychopharmacologist prescribed zofran to take everyday so I didn't vomit my medication - especially the latuda. I'm wondering if the lump in my throat could be related to taking Zofran everyday for about a decade. Google isn't painting a happy picture when I'm doing research.
Post 04:
This is a legitimate fear. There's lawsuits because these medications were killing the people who were taking it. And I was absent-mindedly and compliately taking it for a decade assuming it wasn't going to kill me. I have a right to be afraid.
Post 05:
I was being forced to take a mega regimen of psychiatric medication and medications for the adverse side effects for over a decade by my mother and psychopharmacologist. Nobody empathized with me or what the medications were doing to my body. Now I'm afraid they've killed me.
Post 06:
My mom thought what I'm describing sounds like acid reflux. And that would make sense because I drink coffee, chocolate milk, orange juice, came off Zofran, and exercise. We'll see what ENT says Wednesday. Hopefully it's not throat cancer.
Post 07:
I noticed the "acid reflux", or whatever the problem with my neck is, gets really bad after I have caffeinated drinks, which also might be highly acidic. It feels like there's a lump, it starts pulsating. Though, I'm addicted to coffee and get bad withdrawal if I abstain from it.

I’ll try to explain as thoroughly as possible but without rambling.
I had a port implanted on my left chest due to gastroparesis and other autoimmune conditions, so that I could receive hydration infusions (saline), iv zofran, and iv protonix. It was my 3rd port (first 2 failed due to fibrin sheath), and I’d successfully cared for these ports over the last 6 years without any infections.
Around 3/4 I began to feel a little unwell with a mild temperature (around 99.5). Not too unusual with autoimmune conditions. However, on 3/6 that temperature had risen to around 100-100.2, I had sharp pains in my chest on the left side and in the center, as well as in the left side of my neck sometimes (it travelled), chest pressure, and shortness of breath that was only relieved by laying on my left side, as well as just feeling tired and flu like. However, there was no redness, swelling, or warmth around my port nor was it tender to touch. I decided to go my local (very small) ER despite knowing it wasn’t the best quality place, given poor past experiences. I assumed they could at least manage to do bloodwork and other tests for infection and rule out any cardiac issues. At this hospital, they did a chest ct scan without contrast, surprisingly didn’t not do an ekg, but did do a cbc, cmp, and blood cultures from one peripheral vein. The physician said that everything looked fine, but that it was his opinion I had cellulitis around my port and sent me home with a prescription for oral cephalexin.
I honestly did not take his opinion seriously since I assumed that any physician with any medical knowledge would know that infection around a port would require iv antibiotics as well as probable removal of the port and would need to be overseen by an infectious disease physician, which this hospital apparently does not have, and therefore would require my being transferred to a facility that does. So I went home and had a telehealth appointment with my primary care physician the next day (3/7) to request he review the results of my tests. He said the chest ct showed some mild pericardial effusion, and had suspected I had pericarditis. Given I had covid a few weeks before (tested positive 1/31), we figured that was a real possibility. He said he would leave an order for an ekg for me to do when I could, but requested I go back to a better quality ER if I was not better within a few days or if any of my symptoms got worse.
I woke up on 3/8 with a fever around 102.4, and by the afternoon I was more delirious and had a fever of 104. My shortness of breath and overall well-being was worse and I was obviously declining. I kept refusing to go anywhere in my delirium and just requesting Tylenol. My husband gave me a dose, and once my temperature went down and I was able to think clearly, we immediately made arrangements for our children and packed our bags. The only thing that delayed us anymore was an issue with our vehicle, but in the early hours on 3/9, after spiking a fever of 104.7 (and again being given Tylenol to bring it down), we got in our car and drove 2.5 hours to an ER at a large university hospital.
At this hospital, I was immediately given an ekg and placed in a room. More bloodwork was done, including cultures from both a peripheral vein and my port, as well as tests for cardiac markers and thmrobosis markers, etc. I was also given an X-ray and another chest Ct scan (because my d-dimer and ptt was very high), this time with contrast. While there, my fever went back up to 103.7, and the new ct scan showed a pulmonary embolism, so I was immediately admitted for suspicion of septicemia.
My blood cultures from the first er ultimately came back negative (after 5 days of no growth), but the cultures at this hospital showed staphylococcus aureus almost immediately. I was being treated with iv antibiotics before the cultures even came back, but that allowed them to switch to a more specific antibiotic for the bacteria. The infectious disease doctors tried to contact the first hospital I visited, that’s when we learned they did not have an infectious disease specialist themselves. The doctor was floored that my possibility of infection around my port was not taken more seriously. The infection is what caused my embolism, which now will take 3-6 months of treatment before it resolves. I fortunately did not have any heart involvement, so the sepsis itself was able to be treated by removing my port and being given IV antibiotics for about 5 weeks. I initially spent 10 days in the hospital, but did have to rerun on 4/3 due to neutropenic fever as a result of the antibiotic suppressing my bone marrow. Switching the antibiotic resolved the issue and I was discharged after another 3 days in the hospital.
Should I consider a malpractice suit or reporting the physician who sent me home without proper treatment? The infectious disease specialist did say that had iv antibiotics been started at that point early on, sepsis could have been avoided, and with proper supervision, I may not have suffered so much. The delay in adequate care caused sepsis, as well as the blood clot, though it’s not possible to know if it had already formed or if it had worsened since the chest ct scan that first physician did was without contrast, so the clot couldn’t have been seen if it did already exist. But I do now have an even further reduced physical ability due to the clot causing shortness of breath and discomfort, which I am told to expect to endure for the 3-6 months, as well as an exacerbation of my other autoimmune conditions due to the stress and trauma to my body. If you were in my position, would you consider a malpractice lawsuit? Would I even meet the requirements legally to win one? Or should I consider reporting the physician, and who would I report them to? Perhaps the hospital as well for not having a policy or procedure in place for such situations? Should I just start with a discussion with the hospital? Any advice is appreciated!

I just wanted to start a running thread because I think the number of sick children from these bacterias is vastly misrepresented from what I’ve been seeing on Reddit and Facebook.
My son is on Alimentum. He got sick in mid-December. He had severe diarrhea, projectile vomiting, very little appetite, and dehydration. He had to go to the ER and they gave him fluids and Zofran. He got sick again in early January but it was projectile vomiting only, then he had no appetite for 4 days. I no longer have those cans, but all the cans we currently have are recalled. We are also in one of the states where there are reports of sick babies.
I’m frustrated the first ill child was reported in September and it took 4 months to issue a recall. Article here: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/18/fda-infant-formula-illness-four-months-before-recall-00010226
It surely seems like there needs to be a class action lawsuit. Please comment if your child was sick between September and now with their symptoms. I think it would be helpful.

Hey
Backstory:
I think i went to an amateur. This dude thought I was a drug addict because I was on a heavy benzodiazepine taper. I was not addicted in a way that I ever tried to abuse it. Long story short it was malpractice from my primary care doctor and I won the lawsuit.
The ketamine doctor took a urine sample to make sure I didn't have ketamine in my system. I should have known this was dumb because the nurse basically said this doesn't happen to all.
The withdrawal gave me a fucking brain tumor (yeah that can actually happen) and I get migraines. I take kratom every now and then to help. I don't want to ask to opiates nor take strong ones.
End of back story:
I walked into the clinic that was scheduled for the infusion at flippen 8am. Headphones around my neck, eyemask in my pocket, and my mom taking some work off.
The younger dude came in and said "oh i wish they told you the urine test results". Uh what? "there is something called kratom in your system" "yeah i take that for the headaches! I don't want to ask doctors for hard opiates" "well, it could cause something called serotonin syndrome." "uh, I don't think it works like that. It is super mild and I take a dose and type that doesn't even get a buzz." "well that is experimental, I don't think it is safe to do this. Try coming back in 2 weeks to try again." "well in 2 weeks I lose my good insurance that has an HSA card. It allows for this to be 40 percent cheaper. I want to take the risk. I will bet my life it won't cause serotonin syndrome. They give this to drug addicts in ambulances ya know?" "but this is experimental so I want to be safe." "I am very disappointed in this." "how often are these headaches." "Enough to be in this room!!!!!" "try magnesium glycinate" "oh i take that and other forms every day!" "..." "I also take..." *rattle off many other supplements "well come back in 2 weeks and we will see"
The dude didn't even bring up the gabapentin that was in my system that comes up as a high interaction with ketamine.
What do you guys think of this? My mom and therapist think it was a blessing that I don't go to some amateur that hasn't even done this for a year.
He also said he doesn't give Zofran and just decreases the dose. That doesn't match the science of giving Zofran to allow for the higher doses.
What ya guys think?

Phizer: The criminal fine was $1.3 billion, and the additional $1 billion was for civil allegations under the False Claims Act. Pfizer falsely promoted Bextra, antipsychotic drug Geodon, antibiotic Zyvox, and antiepileptic Lyrica. The company was also accused of paying kickbacks related to these drugs and submitting false claims to government health care programs based on uses that weren’t medically accepted.
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Johnson & Johnson: Criminal fines and forfeiture totaled $485 million, and civil settlements amounted to $1.72 billion.
In the early 2000s, Risperdal was approved to treat schizophrenia. However, the company’s sales representatives were promoting the drug to physicians as a treatment for elderly dementia patients for anxiety, agitation, depression, hostility, and confusion. There were also allegations that Risperdal was marketed for other unapproved uses, such as prescription to children and individuals with mental disabilities.
Invega and Natrecor were also included in these lawsuits as having been illegally marketed for off-label and unapproved uses.
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Abbott: Criminal fines in this action were $700 million and civil settlements were $800 million. Abbott promoted Depakote as a drug to control agitation and aggression in elderly dementia patients, and for schizophrenia. The FDA hadn’t approved the drug for either of these uses. For 8 years, the manufacturer marketed Depakote for this purpose in nursing homes, even though there wasn’t any evidence that the drug was safe and effective when used that way.
In fact, the FDA had approved Depakote for epileptic seizures, bipolar mania, and migraine treatment. The manufacturer had actually discontinued clinical trials of Depakote for dementia treatment in 1999 because of adverse events, yet they still continued to market it publicly.
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Eli Lilly: Promoted antipsychotic drug Zyprexa for uses outside the FDA’s approval, which resulted in criminal fines of $515 million and civil settlements of $800 million.
The FDA approved olanzapine in 1996 for treating psychotic disorders. It was later approved for treatment of manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and then for short-term treatment of schizophrenia. It was not approved for treatment of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.
However, Eli Lilly was marketing Zyprexa to primary care physicians even though it wasn’t a drug intended for the primary care market. As a result, physicians were prescribing it for patients of all ages for anxiety, irritability, depression, nausea, Alzheimer’s, and other issues.
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Merck: The assessed penalties related to sales of Vioxx were $321,636,000 in criminal fines, $426,389,000 in civil settlements, and $201,975,000 distributed to Medicaid states.
The criminal component to the case related to Merck promoting Vioxx for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis when it wasn’t approved by the FDA for that use.
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Amgen: introduced Aranesp for uses and at dosage levels that the FDA specifically didn’t approve because there wasn’t enough evidence to establish its safety. Amgen introduced the drug for oncology and nephrology physicians to prescribe to patients with anemia from chronic kidney disease or chemotherapy. The doses were larger and less frequently administered than what the FDA had approved.
Amgen also promoted Aranesp for cancer patients with anemia but who weren’t receiving chemotherapy, which was not an FDA-approved use. In fact, the FDA had determined that using it in that manner could cause an increased risk of death.
Amgen paid a criminal fine of $136 million and criminal forfeiture of $14 million. It paid $612 million to the federal government and $24.8 million to the states as its civil settlements.
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AstraZeneca: Seroquel is an antipsychotic drug manufactured by AstraZeneca that was approved in 1997 by the FDA for treatment of psychotic disorders. In 2000, that approval was proposed to be narrowed to short-term treatment of schizophrenia only. In 2004, it was narrowed to short-term treatment of acute manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder. It was later approved for bipolar depression.
However, during this time, the manufacturer was marketing the drug for additional uses like treatment of aggression, Alzheimer’s, anger management, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar maintenance, dementia, depression, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleeplessness — even though the FDA hadn’t approved Seroquel for those uses.
In addition, AstraZeneca paid kickbacks to doctors for authoring articles about the drug being used in ways that weren’t approved.
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GlaxoSmithKline: Holds the dubious distinction of being forced to pay the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history. The criminal fine was $956,814,400 with a forfeiture of $43,185,600. $2 billion was paid to resolve civil liabilities under the False Claims Act.
The penalties are related to deceptive marketing, including off-label promotion and kickbacks, and failure to report safety data.
GSK agreed to pay based on:

• Promoting Paxil, Wellbutrin, Advair, Lamictal, and Zofran for off-label and non-covered uses, in addition to paying kickbacks to physicians for prescribing those drugs.
• Giving kickbacks to physicians for prescribing Imitrex, Lotronex, Flovent, and Valtrex.
• Making false and misleading statements about Avandia’s safety.
• False reporting to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.

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They are caught deliberating abusing patients, using drugs unapproved, or at dangerous levels, or are campaigning these drugs to those they do not even apply to. And all they do is pay a small percentage every time.
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This is the same Health Care System praised by Hundreds of Millions of Americans, who do not know what their true intentions are.
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Whether Health Care, or Government, the only intentions these huge corporations have is incentives.
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They have created a virus and sold the cure.

I am putting a TL;DR at the very bottom so you can get an idea about this post and decide if you want to read/offer advice but it by no means has enough detail to give you the full picture and I implore you to read the full thing before offering advice as to have the whole picture rather than a glimpse. Thank you in advance!
So my mother is convinced I have a potential lawsuit but I am completely oblivious to this type of thing and am afraid of such a drastic step and what it could mean for me at my company. But I figured getting some honest advice here could help. I’ll try to give as much detail as I possibly can without identifying anything too specific and if I leave anything you think necessary out please feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to get the answers to you. This just came to a head today and I don’t know what to do.
For the record I am currently between 22 and 23 weeks pregnant. I work full time at a big name gas station from which I currently live across the street from. I’ve been there for about a year now. I currently do not have a license due to health complications in my past but have finally been cleared by doctors as of last year to be allowed to drive again and was planning on taking my drivers test in 2 weeks. I live in Michigan so if there is anything to do with state laws or if it helps in anyway there’s that.
Back in February I found out I was 5 weeks pregnant- shortly after I began to have the typical symptoms (vomiting, nausea, tired etc). No obgyns in my area would accept me because of a previous medical condition I had that “may make me high risk”. (Their words not mine. They wouldn’t even look at my baby and say I am high risk. Just that I might be.) oh well whatever not the point. The only place that would accept me had a wait list of a few weeks. Bigger hospital though and they accept high risk pregnancies so if the local obgyns were right about me being high risk I would be okay and not get turned away again. Fast forward a few miserable weeks I finally get my appointment. All is fine, baby is perfectly healthy and I am prescribed zofran to help with the nausea. It’s like night and day. I can function for multiple hours without fearing running for the restroom to puke. BUT it’s not a cure all.
About 3-4 days into taking the pills I inevitably do puke again. Just once. But I was immediately pulled over by my boss and told that there had been multiple complaints about me taking these “breaks” to puke. This was the first I’d heard of it. Everyone was nice to my face and seemed understanding. It wasn’t like I was taking my phone in there or spending 5-10 minutes each time. I literally would puke, wash my hands and come back to work with a mint in my mouth. I asked him if he hadn’t noticed my recent improvement. That over the past few days I hadn’t needed a single break because of my prescription and that this was the first incident I’d had at work since seeing my obgyn. He brushed it off and said “if you’re unable to do your job you will be put on leave. I already have two of your coworkers complaining and people above me talking about this”. I was upset that this was the first I was hearing of it but seeing as I had my zofran now I decided to take it in stride and assured him that barring an emergency I wouldn’t be taking nearly as many “breaks” as I had been in the previous weeks. All seemed well but there was a growing tension as I got bigger.
About 3 or 4 weeks ago I began having extreme dizzy spells. They wouldn’t last very long but they were enough to make my vision change. I was scared for my life at one point because I had no idea what was causing these sudden changes. I did my best to push through and complete my tasks but I admit I would often offer to clean the bathrooms so that I’d have a moment to breath and let it pass. Nonetheless though I made sure I performed all of the requested tasks and did not let these dizzy spells stop me from doing my job. At my next appointment I asked my doctor about it and she said it was most likely due to my blood vessels loosening and opening up to allow more blood flow to my baby. Completely normal but she said it was important that during these times I sit down as fast as possible in a chair specifically. No sitting or squatting on the ground as that can only serve to exacerbate my problem. I immediately informed my boss of this as I assumed it would be important to know given I was essentially asking for the multiple breaks again. But I should be clear: these dizzy spells usually only hit me a few times in the morning (so far the max count has been 4 times between the hours of 6 am and 11am all lasting approx 2-3 minutes each) and MAYBE once or twice in the afternoon. But typically it only hits me in the morning so I’m good outside of those few moments.
He told me that if I wanted this to be respected (aka if I want to avoid getting in trouble) I had to get a doctors note saying so. Specifically he said he needed a restrictions list from my obgyn. Not a recommendation list or a sick note: a restrictions list. I agreed to get this on paper if that’s what was needed. So I waited until my next appointment (about 1-2 weeks ago - found out the gender and all that woo) and then explained to my obgyn what was said. She agreed to give me a restrictions list. On this list she wrote that I am not to lift anything heavier than 20 lbs, am to avoid climbing in the later months (so essentially as my belly gets bigger and my balance is thrown off avoid ladders when possible), and am allowed to sit for 10 minutes every 2 hours when needed (to help with the dizzy spells). She explained to me that this was primarily so that I can still work and function but if I need the break I have the note to back me up. I was then scheduled to come back in 3 weeks from that date which is pretty common for ‘Mother’s to be’ so I’m told. No biggie.
The very same day I turned in the restrictions note to my boss on my way home. He THEN (and only then) gave me the leave of absence paperwork. He informed me that I had to get it filled out, signed, and returned within 10 days in order to stay working with the restriction list. I asked why he didn’t tell me sooner? My next appointment wasn’t for 3 weeks! How can he ask for a restrictions list and not give me the other document I apparently need to work WITH the restrictions list?? He didn’t really respond to this just said it had to be done if I wanted to continue working there. (For the record- the paper he gave me was the form you usually take to your doctor when you have been ON medical leave and would like to come back to work. Basically saying you’re fit to function at your work place.)
In fear of being put on medical leave I called the hospital hoping to set up an earlier appointment ASAP - but seeing as just the intake appointment took weeks on end before there was an opening I wasn’t very hopeful. The lady on the phone explained that there was nothing open like I thought but after I explained my situation to her she claimed what was happening was ridiculous and told me if I faxed it over to the OBGYNs office she’d see to it that it was filled out and sent back as soon as possible. I was relieved and extremely thankful. I myself didn’t have access to a fax machine so I went to my local library and faxed it to the number she gave me - writing on a small piece of paper sent with it where to then send it to (my Companies HR as my store location doesn’t have a working fax machine and I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to send things back and forth in a library. I assume not but social anxiety kept me from asking the librarian in fear of looking stupid).
So it’s sent off and I show the confirmation paperwork to my boss to tell him that I sent it to my OBGYN. He seems fine with this and all is well so I’m just sitting there crossing my fingers that the lady on the phone would keep her word and make sure my obgyn saw the paper. I continue to work as scheduled over the course of the next week and a half. No problems to speak of. Everything was going well.
That brings me to today. My shift was supposed to be 7-2 tomorrow. I have my uniform ready to go and everything. My boss just texted me telling me not to come in. His exact text was:
BBonboard, just got email from HR. They are placing you on Leave from the doctors note they received. If your restrictions change let us know. So you don’t have to come in tomorrow. Thanks.
I immediately responded
What?? But I thought so long as my doctor signed the paper saying I was okay to work I’d be okay!! I can’t NOT work! I can’t afford to!! Is there someone I can call to talk to and try to get this sorted out? You guys needed the restrictions paper, I got you that; then you needed the paper saying I was still good to work, I got that too! What more can I do??
To which he said
You would have to get the restrictions changed by the doctor. Send to HR. Sam’s number is 1112223333 ask for Sam. He makes the decisions based on the doctors restrictions. (**Names and numbers changed for obvious reasons).
The whole POINT of me getting the restrictions paper was so that I could sit down when these dizzy spells hit! They were for my health during my pregnancy. It wasn’t like I was sitting down 24/7 by any means. In fact since turning in the letter I’ve worked about 8-10 shifts and during them I’ve taken about 3 extra breaks total. Not per shift. TOTAL. Typically lasting again about 2-3 minutes. I am a whole mix of emotions. I can’t understand why this is happening.
At first my boyfriend thought it was because of the restrictions against lifting - but that can’t be true as I have a previous doctors note saying I can’t lift anything above 25lbs from my chiropractor as I had a major back injury a couple months ago. I was asked to have it on paper. I got it. No one blinked I was still allowed to work. I just can’t change 1 trash can inside (typically filled with used coffee grounds and trash so it gets really heavy really fast) and the outside trash bins. But I am the first to volunteer to take care of the other trash cans so no one can say “I’m avoiding the trash” (I’ve been ultraparanoid about my work ethic since finding out that my coworkers have been complaining behind my back. So I’ve been super cautious to either have my hand in or at least offevolunteer to help with any and every task I can). Either way there is nothing in the store with that 5lb difference, let alone something with that 5 lb difference that would suddenly mean I can’t function as a whole at my job. I’m a cashier for Pete sakes. I fill cup dispensers, stock cigarettes, make coffee and take people’s money.
The only “new” restriction is truly the ladder which again doesn’t pertain to my job all that much. I’m tall enough to reach the cups on the upper shelf when they need restocking so unlike some of my coworkers I don’t need a ladder for that - the only other space you use a ladder in is the cooler (which I still help out in, I just can’t do the very top shelf. But I will also add this is typically handled by my boss. We constantly see him disappear to the cooler. It’s a joke amongst us. So it’s not like even if I couldn’t participate in the cooler - which again I could - that it would be a complete downfall) and if you need to get something off of the freezecooler storage in which you use a taller ladder. I’ve been on that thing ONCE in the year I’ve been with this company. That’s how little we use it.
All this to say I have just essentially been kicked out of my job for the time being. They haven’t “fired” me persay but they will not schedule me until one of the following happens
A) I give birth to my child in 3 and 1/2 months.
—This would be bad as I need the income from my job to pay my rent/mortgage - we JUST got a house so we could move out of our one bedroom apartment and have more space for us and our child. Our payments begin next month. With me working we could EASILY afford the payments, but without it I’m not entirely sure how well we would manage... it’s not like we would LOSE the house but I wasn’t planning to leave work until I gave birth; any and all income we had coming in we were saving. So suddenly not having my income is putting us in an extreme financial strain that we never saw coming given the circumstances and what my boss was telling me.
B) I get the restrictions taken away/changed.
—This would be bad (and is my main conflict) as I was told I would get in trouble for taking the few breaks I have been without the note, but according to my boss I am not allowed to work with the note either. I don’t want to put my health at risk when I need it, but I also don’t want to lose my job. I’m perfectly capable of working and doing my job - it’s that extra 2-3 minutes that this whole thing started over.. I don’t know what’s worse. Getting in trouble and getting write-ups over an “unexcused” break or losing my income over a completely justified break.
C) convince them that I am have always been a completely capable hard worker and that this restrictions list is ONLY for when I need it. The only reason I got the restrictions list was because I was told I could not sit down when I needed to without one- It doesn’t mean I HAVE to sit down for EXACTLY 10 minutes EVERY 2 hours on the dot. But I was told I needed it to avoid getting in trouble, now I feel like I’m in worse trouble than I could’ve been before....
So my main questions are what are my options? Does this count as discrimination against a pregnant woman? Can I get my short term disability pay through my company until this is sorted? Or can I file for unemployment pay?
These questions mainly stem from what my mothers saying... but she’s always been a bit brash and I’m worried about making a step that isn’t thought through. She insists that work places need to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant women (I.e. me sitting down for 2-3 minutes when I really need to) so long as I can function at my actual job otherwise. It’s not as though I’m asking for a constant chair, just the ability to say “hey I need a second” when I genuinely need it. She said that if worst comes to worst I can file under unemployment but if I’m still TECHNICALLY an employee- just one who isn’t being scheduled for 3 and 1/2 months - would I still count?
One concern was how my job description states I have to be able to lift 50 lbs- which I was concerned for at first but as I already mentioned no one blinked when I brought in a note saying for the time being I can only lift 25 and below. On my typical day to day the heaviest thing I’ve lifted was a box of cookies. So it’s not often I even have the opportunity to test that 25 lb boundary. I can’t imagine 5 lbs more made the world spin into a tizzy...
My boyfriend wants me to collect my short term disability pay through my company for the time being but he makes it sound like I could do that AND unemployment which I don’t even know if they could go together or if I qualify for either technically...
As far as the lawsuit goes I don’t know if I truly have a case of discrimination or not. I’m afraid of confrontation- I don’t like being pushy or fighting. I simply want to keep my head down and do my job - but now that push has come to shove if I truly have a case I would take the steps to peruse it as I haven’t many other options.
I’m just scared and not sure what do to given the circumstances. I’m completely caught off guard as I was under the impression that in order to have my health taken seriously I needed a doctors note to verify it which made sense. Then I was under the impression that so long as my doctor filled out the form saying I was good to work with my restrictions I’d be okay. Again that made sense (even if I though my boss had horrid timing with giving me the paper only AFTER I gave him the restrictions paper he requested). I’ve done everything I can think of and now with all this falling on my shoulders I’m completely lost about what my options are. I’ll be getting my license (🤞🏻) in two weeks so I could technically start looking for a second job to pass the time then... but I’m not sure if there’s anything near by in my small town. I’d have to find something that’s on the same route and time as my boyfriends work as he’s the only one with a car (I just walk across the street to get to my current job).
Any advice or knowledge on this subject is wanted and welcome. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to read this and help me. Best of luck to you 🍀
TL;DR: boss claims I can’t have a few extra breaks when I have bad dizzy spells due to pregnancy without a doctors note saying such. I got him the restrictions note he asked for. He then gave me a form saying that I had to have that completed in 10 days saying I could work WITH the restrictions on the first note he requested or I would not be allowed to work. I got that to him as well. Now I’ve been put on medical leave regardless and I am at a loss of what to do. Family says I have a potential lawsuit and can file for short term disability through work/unemployment but I want to know what my options are as a whole on top of whether or not I truly could sue my company.

This year has sucked so hard in so many ways, at this moment I am super stressed not even sure where to start. I am a lurker, sometimes commenter, not often a poster, especially not about anything personal but I have to get this out or I will snap. Please forgive excessive use of commas and any other spelling, grammar, or formatting errors because I ramble and tend to type like I talk. I apologize if it is hard to follow and for the cursing. Trigger Warnings for miscarriage and swearing (sorry if I did that wrong). This is going to get long... sorry for that too. TLDR at the bottom
Backstory: I was pregnant in 2016 and it was extremely rough and short lived. I miscarried in Nov 2016 around the time of a friend's death so that entire time for me was just a shitshow. For the most part I was able to grieve and move on, I still think about it, but I don't dwell on it. Cue to the end of 2017. I am working two jobs, my husband was working one (that I convinced him to leave because it was causing him some stress related issues and we were GOOD at the time), our daughter is kicking ass in school, our dogs (we have four long stories there) are getting more attention and treats than we have been able to do, we're finally in a position to start getting ahead after years of keeping afloat. Irma hit, hurt us a bit but we're overall good, we have damage to repair but it could have been worse. Got a much needed new (used) car, going to build up our credit to move, got signed up with health insurance and fix the place we're currently in for my father in law. Also I have always had stomach issues, puking is nothing to me, I self medicate with marijuana for that and a couple other things. We are adulting hard at this point, 2018 is potentially looking PRETTY FREAKING AMAZING.
The jobs that I worked were physically demanding and I enjoyed that. I was fit as fuck, and loved it (sexy arms). The first job in which I worked in a shop doing finish work and other tasks as needed I had been at for three years, I loved doing something different everyday, and I was damn good at my job. The only concern I ever really had were the chemicals I came in contact with, yes I took precautions, but I am a firm believer of Smurfy's Law, anything that can fuck me over... will (ESPECIALLY NOW) so I was always waiting for the other boot to drop in the form of some disease mentioned on one of those mass lawsuit commercials. My second job was part time cashiestocker a couple hours nights after the shop and full weekend shifts. Everything is working out amazing, it's great... WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
January: I start getting sick.. a lot. It's pissing me off because I'm missing work and I hate being sick. In the back of my mind I start thinking "what if you're pregnant?" then I remind myself "nah other people are sick at this time you're probably catching germs from customers at the store." For a number of reasons our method of birth control has been tracking my period, it worked well for years over ten of them, the two times (2016 and now) that it's failed us I was becoming more social so I believe my body was trying to sync up with others at the time and betrayed me. To no one reading's surprise I WAS PREGNANT after having a couple tests came back negative my hcg level was FINALLY high enough to be like "hey guess what..." due October 4th
February: My work at the shop has been severely affected I cannot work 40 hours because I'm sick constantly, I have to quit/am terminated. At least I still have one job, and my husband has a job starting March, ok it's fine. IT WAS NOT FINE! I start bleeding one shift at work, and after how sick I have been I realize this pregnancy is progressing the exact same way as the one in 2016 did. Oh joy.. this is going to be FUN -_- The next day I filled out government assistance forms because shit's getting real, I'm down one job and hubby doesn't start yet, last month was a struggle (it all sucked), and visit an ER. Lo and behold, I have a 5cm subchorionic hemorrhage and the baby is fine... (mmkay but it was last time too, fool me once body mhmm). I go home, still getting incredibly sick and now expecting to miscarry at any time (because this pregnancy was following 2016 almost to the T). Surprise dear reader, I do not miscarry (yet, knock on wood). I eventually make it to the OB where I get the WONDERFUL diagnosis of hyperemesis gravida, for those unfamiliar with the term it's super morning sickness... think morning sickness on steroids sent to ruin your life. I'm told it will stop at 16 weeks, then later 22 weeks. Eventually I am no longer able to keep working my job at the store because even sitting behind the cash register I am retching into the garbage can while trying to check people out. It wasn't a pretty sight. I take unpaid medical leave because I hadn't been there but a couple months (they are holding my position for me to go back a month after I have my baby, it means so much to me I can't even express the appreciation I have towards them for working with me on this that has been one of my few silver linings/glass half fulls) and am still on it.
March: Husband starts work while I am relegated to the couch with a puke bucket that I take with me everywhere. And by everywhere I mean the only other three places I go, my bed, the bathroom, or the hospital. I can't even do housework because being upright is NOT HAPPENING, so my poor husband is having to do work AND maintain the house (he's so fucking wonderful I DO NOT deserve him) That month I had three hospital trips to get rehydrated and at one of those I was able to upgrade my bucket (another silver lining?). I have been prescribed ALL of the antinausea meds (not ACTUALLY all but a fucking lot... and in several different forms) and some times they work. Throughout all of this somehow I'm alive, feel like I'm dying though, and the baby is still there. I am still skeptical of this pregnancy going the distance, and the violence of my vomiting does NOTHING to allay this fear, in fact it only makes me more certain that I am going to miscarry. My younger sister who is also pregnant (she's got twins though) and having her own issues comes down to our state for support since all of her family is here (silver lining I get to see my sister, nephew and impending nephews?)
April: HG ramps up... but I'm stubborn. I have SO MANY medications to take for this.. so I do. Well, I got to the point where I was trying to suck on ice cubes for relief but any water that melted to my stomach came right the fuck back up. OK HOSPITAL TIME. Here my happy ass goes in thinking I'm just going to get a bag or two of fluids which will give me some relief and I might even be able to get some food in me (what what?). HAHA NOPE, hello week long hospital stay before my birthday. Some levels were off and my heart needed to be monitored and I was still having trouble keeping food down. I managed to get out the day before my birthday, and go back to my couch with arrangements made for a home health nurse to come by. I wound up getting IV fluids and Zofran pump set up by the home health agency which as annoying as it was (the pump) it was relief. My husband and daughter have been AMAZING throughout all of this keep in mind. Towards the end of the month, the pump is kicking ass, I have knots all over my abdomen, and constipation is a bitch BUT I'M NOT PUKING (at least not constantly) and there are windows where I can eat. Come late April I can be upright more, I can walk around more, I CAN EVEN DO SOME FUCKING DISHES yesssssss. End of April, my little sister goes into labor, thanks to the pump I can make it to be there for her, which I am forever grateful for since her delivery experience was a horror show and I cannot believe there aren't multiple lawsuits in that situation for her.
May: Twin nephews born I get to play with babies and help transport my sis to see them in the NICU. Not near as sick as I have been, still not that great, BUT THINGS ARE LOOKING UP. I'm able to return the pump and take my phenergan to manage. We got some home repairs done thanks to some organizations offering assistance outside of FEMA.
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June/July: Sister goes back up north with herd of adorable nephews (all doing well). It gets stupid hot, I still get sick daily but there's a window of "this isn't so bad... what can I eat that will stay down?" that is the thing I look forward to daily. Morning sickness is now mainly in the mornings. Cool, I CAN WORK WITH THIS. THEN AT THE END OF JULY... rain, a lot, so much rain our local roads flood. There's an accident with a fatality and THAT prompts some digging of ditches on SOME of the roads, but not the one I was on after picking up my daughter from a friends. It's got a lake sitting on it so I have to detour down another road. Ok no problem, the growth on the sides of this road is ridiculous and I just passed an idiot that was half in my lane, so let's slow down to about 30 mph instead of the 40 mph posted because I don't want to hit an idiot like that around a curve or on a hill. ENTER THE FUCK YOUR CAR BUCK... This asshole deer jump out of the weeds, where he had obviously been lying in wait, in front of my car, LOOKED AT MY CAR, and made the decision to try to slide over the hood like some Dukes of Hazzard bullshit. Worked out better for the deer than my car, heard him laughing as he hopped off. So we file our claim and start waiting.
August/September: Just as hot as the previous months, and more rain. We eventually get our car back, good insurance shitty shop. After a major storm our house starts exhibiting some electrical issues which were a concern but are now a PRIORITY concern. We were in the living room and a popping noise starting coming from under our floor and then everything shut off. We flipped all our breakers off and left the house in the middle of the night for fear of burning up in the middle of the night and went to my mother's for the week (she and my stepdad were working out of town so there was room). My dad is an "electrician" (I AM NOT IMPRESSED but it is how he is employed when he chooses to work) and offered to look at it for us. Okay, you fucked up a breaker install before by putting the old one back in and throwing away my new one but that's an honest mistake here's another chance. There were some bad wires and breakers that he cut and replaced, and we had power back. ALL IS GOOD....NOPE. We were lulled into a false sense of security about the house for a week. The next weekend my friend came to visit and it started raining (not too terrible at that time but it got a bit worse later) but the floor started popping again, I kicked my friend out and she took my daughter with her (she was going to go anyways to play with a pack of pups) and about 15 minutes after they left, everything shut off again. I went back and flipped all the breakers, left the house to be able to reach my husband, and then I went to pick up some self medication because that and phenergan are about the only things that work at this point. As I'm heading out I drive back past my house to make sure it's not burned down I notice other people have no power, oh a tree fell on the line right by my house. Ah surely that is why we have no power, and they are repairing it now, it'll be up at 10 pm. Sure enough, the power is restored by 10 pm, my husband and I turn our breakers back on and feel relief. FOR ALL OF 15 MINUTES. It wasn't the fucking branch or the downed line affecting us, I was pretty sure but was trying to remain hopeful... then the popping started, and there was a really big shudder. From the hallway I hear my husband yelling for me to get out of the house there is smoke coming out from under it. OH SHIT.... OKAY I'M OUT... we flipped the breakers AGAIN, and evacuated the house, called 911 and waited. Despite the fact I can hit the fire station with a rock from my yard, they were out on a call so in the time waiting for them whatever was smoking smoldered out (thank you earlier rain) and the firemen told us that flipping our breakers off probably saved our house from burning and that not a lot of people know to do that (or have that opportunity?). We are not comfortable returning and trying to fix the wiring until we can move some stuff out in case there is a fire. We are currently at my mother's tiny 2/1 house with my "little" brother, but it hasn't been too bad because my mother and stepfather have been working out of town, and my daughter has been able to leave on the weekends when they get home, so it's just my swollen pregnant ass sharing the pullout couch with my husband. However, my mom can only handle so much, she doesn't like to be bothered and THIS is a bother, I know I will pay for this at a later time most likely but for the time being this is our lifesaver. Also, the CHERRY ON THIS SHIT SUNDAE, care to venture any guesses??? In the week of false security regarding the wiring in the house, my husband was in a car accident that totaled our car (stupid bitch ran a stop sign in front of him and he hit her on his way to work...YOU CAN LITERALLY STAND AT THE ACCIDENT INTERSECTION, THROW A BASEBALL AND HIT THE PARKING LOT, is how fucking close he was) and then LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER, DRIVING MY MOM'S CAR he got rear ended at a stop light going into work early to make up hours for missing the previous day. So we are currently out two jobs, a car, and a home, nothing set up for tiny human that could drop AT ANY TIME, I'm know I'm testing positive for THC when I deliver and may potentially have DCF contacted regarding that, BUT we're okay, our dogs are ok, baby's ok (no abnormal tests,I have been open with my OB about my marijuana use during my pregnancy, and he on pace to be bigger than his sister was) and we'll figure something out. I DON'T KNOW WHAT, but something. If there are edits to make I will do it later, and if I remember anything good or bad I might add it, typing it all out has helped, not sure if this belongs here or in a vent sub, but this was more therapeutic than I expected. I don't like bitching to my husband too much because I know he is just as stressed and frustrated as I am, if not more so about everything, and it's not gonna make him feel any better. After struggling to get this posted I am remembering so many other issues but they seem small in the grand scheme of things. **SOME GLASS HALF FULL/SILVER LINING** My group of friends from high school threw me a tiny surprise shower that was basically diapers and gift cards because I had no clue what I needed and am getting a lot of hand me downs (not that I have anywhere to put these things lol) and my husband's co-workers did the same for him.. it's so sweet I cry (I cry a lot here recently but that's a good cry).**Bonus shit nugget: back in January I went to a girls night with my group of high school friends, I NEVER drink at these.... I drank at this one not a lot because I'm not a drinker but -_- I've been stressing that shit for the year too, like maybe the HG was the karma for drinking.
TLDR: Was positioned to get ahead and GET SHIT DONE in 2018 jump to now currently have no job, car or safe house, with a baby due next month. FUN STUFF.

Hey everyone. So the last few months have been insane. I'm back in school full time and working full time. The wife is currently pregnant again. She has had hyperemesis gravidarum fairly severely since about week 2 and we are currently on week 17. 3 ER vists, loads of different treatment tactics from Zofran, to steroids, and even acupuncture. Things are beginning to settle down on that end but it was tough. My car has broken down 3 times, and caught fire once in the last 2 months. The fire as due to an auto shop removing a part of my engine during a "courtesy check" and leaving it atop my engine. Now I'm pending a lawsuit with the automotive place I took it to. And all this is just the icing on the cake. Literally bill after bill, issue after issue is coming up and I'm about to go insane. Thank the Lord and medicine for good anxiety medication. Any prayer would be much appreciated.

Edit: Thanks for the replies everyone, it seems being a medical issue, it will be best to find someone local to do anything with this.
There are several websites that have lists setup against the original makers of Zofran, as well as many of the companies that came after them, including companies that are creating the generic named drug. The medication was never approved by the FDA to be used in pregnant women, yet was marketed by physicians to be given to pregnant mothers for hyperemesis.
Several of these websites say that if they lawsuit is settled, we can receive compensation for the medical expenses, costs relating to the treatment, as well as pain and suffering for the infant.
When we were first given it, the doctor was hesitant to prescribe it to us because of the pending lawsuit, but said that he didn't believe that the lawsuit had any grounds so he was okay still giving it. We ended up switching OBGYN's because we moved, and the new OB was upset that she was taken the ondansteron and immedeitly switched us to a new drug made specifically for pregnant women. (This drug worked amazingly and she was able to stop the ondansteron right away.)
Other than the hyperemsis there were no complications in the pregnancy or birth.
To the question, are these websites legitimate signing up for the lawsuits? There's a few of them, how do I know which is real? Should I just find a local attorney and see if he can refer me somewhere.
I'm not too concerned about the costs for the first year as he gets medi-cal for the first year, but after that, I'll be paying with my own insurance. The specialist is also about a 90 hour drive from our home too.
Sorry for the long winded posts, it is hard to put thoughts onto paper.
Edit: The current suit is against the pharmaceutical company. I would like to go after them and not the original doctor because it seems like we may have a higher success rate in a class action settlement or suit than going one on one against a specific MD.

A new study suggests that Zofran — an anti-nausea drug often prescribed to pregnant women with morning sickness — isn’t tied to an increased risk of birth defects. Previous research has linked the drug to an increased risk of heart defects and cleft palate among babies exposed to Zofran in utero.
That’s currently the root of some extensive litigation, with manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline facing more than 200 lawsuits claiming the drug caused birth defects among children. The study arrives at a time when those lawsuits are in the discovery phase, when both parties have to provide their best evidence for their argument.
In this study, researchers looked at over 1,000 pregnancies in the US in which the mother took Zofran. The authors found no significant difference among heart defect and cleft palate rates between those women and women who hadn’t taken the drug during pregnancy.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27151373

I'm still fairly new to this sub, but I'm not sure if this has been discussed before.
Question: What is your take on Zofran? If you've taken it or are taking it do you feel comfortable taking it? Should I even worry about the lawsuits against it?