Walgreens Pharmacy Ripoff Pharmacist Accuses Disabled Woman of Trafficking Morphine Hueytown Alabama

I would first like to give you some background on my health condition. In 12/1998, I underwent surgery to remove a sarcoma from my left chest wall. In removing this tumor, they had to remove four of my left ribs, part of my left lung, part of my sternum and reconstruction of my diaphragm. I have been on different treatments with medications ever since this surgery. They had to also remove all the muscle and tissue across my chest wall undernest my breast and then they packed Goretex mesh in to my chest and glued the skin flap over the Goretex mesh. I live in pain and depression every day.

Before this surgery, I rarely took a Tylenol. I had three children, I worked a fulltime job, kept the house clean and organized, cooked at least one large meal with meat and vegetables on the weekends, participated in dance recitals and helping run a dance studio so my daughter could get free lessons and recital outfits.

Now, I am just a big hunk of nothing trying to survive for the sake of my children and hoping to see them all living and prospering on their own. I used the Walgreens pharmacy in Hueytown, Alabama. I live in Sylvan Springs, AL which is about 10-15 miles away but we have no stores or pharmacies in Sylvan Springs. You can check your records and verify that I probably started using this Walgreens in 1/2005.

I never had any problems with anyone in the pharmacy. There was an African-American lady in the pharmacy who wore black rimmed glasses and I know her only because she was there during mornings when I would come back from the doctor and we would stop there to fill my prescriptions. If I was in extreme pain, she was very kind and tried to fill my medication as fast as possible so I could take some. After she left, I would ask the clerk about her and nobody could even tell me her name or if she went to work at another Walgreens.

After she no longer worked there, I really didn't know anyone. There was always someone different at the registers and I usually just went through the drive through and picked up refills. When I would on the inside of the store, there would be such mass confusion going on with the people behind the counter trying to find or straighten out a problem with someone's medications. I just paid and got my bag and left there quickly.

I was being treated for my condition by Dr. Timothy (((ROR REDACTED FULL NAME))) at the Kirklin Clinic in Birmingham, AL due the pain and difficulty I was having with everything they took out of my body. After 6/2005, I lost my health insurance. Dr. --- gave me prescriptions to supposedly help me withdraw from Oxycontin. On 9/29/2005, he gave me prescriptions with a note on how to take the medication. The instructions were to take Oxycontin 40mg twice a day for two weeks, then move to Oxycontin 20mg until gone and then move to Oxycontin 10mg. His note also said to use Clonidine patches for help with any withdrawal symptoms.

His plan was not very good since I was in the emergency room every week and was admitted to Brookwood Hospital in Birmingham, AL on 10/16/2005 where I was put in their Intensive Care Unit because my breathing was shallow, I was dehydrated and my blood pressure was extremely low. The doctor there said it was as if I was in a state of someone who had underwent anesthesia or a coma. My records for Walgreens shows that I received Oxycontin 40mg from Walgreens on 9/29/2005 which was the last day I saw Dr. Ness. Then, I received Oxycontin 20mg on 10/8/2005 and the last entry says I received Oxycodone/APAP 5/325mg on 10/22/2005. That is the last entry on my record with Walgreens. Who got or what happened to my prescription for Oxycontin 10mg I do not know.

My family is in the process of filing suit against Dr. --- because he had one time before prescribed the Clonidine patch for me and I did not use it because my gynecologist told me that with my problems of anemia and low blood pressure that I should not use these patches. I tried these patches in 10/2005 and I ended up in intensive care and Dr. --- could not be found to answer to the question of why he insisted I use the patch since this situation had come up before and I would not use the patch.

Well, now for my complaint. I was going out of my driveway on 6/20/2006 around 12:00 P.M. when a Jefferson County Sheriff car pulled in front of me. I got out of my vehicle and they proceeded to shove me in the backseat of their car. I told them I needed to take care of the vehicle and to tell my husband what was going on. They left with me in the back of the patrol car with my vehicle left running in the driveway, doors open with my wallet and purse laying on the seat. They said I was being arrested for attempting to traffick morphine.

I was put in a holding tank with 10 other women who had either been arrested that day or brought from the Birmingham City Jail to appear for court. There was one bench to sit on and a pad threw on the floor for people to sit on. This items accommodated seating for six people if you squeezed up real tight. There was one toilet in the room where you had to walk around and over people to use the restroom and there was no door or curtain you could pull to do your business on the toilet in privacy. I stayed in that room for almost 8 hours still not knowing why I was there or who had made this allegation against me.

When I got home the evening of 6/28/2006, it was too late to even call someone to try to find out what was going on. On 6/29/2005, my husband made some phone calls and was told that the pharmacist at the Walgreens in Hueytown on had said I came there on 10/25/2005 with a prescription that was not valid. She said she knew me and knew what I looked like. I don't know anything about her knowing me but I know I don't know her and if I received medication on 10/22/2005, I definitely would not be back in there on 10/25/2005 because I had no insurance and no money. I have not been to this Walgreens since 10/22/2005.

On 10/31/2005, I saw a doctor at Cooper Green Hospital which is a hospital for low income people without insurance. They base their fees on how much money a household has coming in. I have been disabled since 2/2000 and my husband has not worked since 9/10/2004. We have two teenagers at home. So, my little disability check doesn't go very far. After seeing the doctor at Cooper Green Hospital on 10/31/2005, she wrote my prescriptions using almost the same medications Dr. --- used except for a couple that she said were too dangerous to take with the other things I was taking.

I filled my prescriptions at the Cooper Green Outpatient Pharmacy at a price I could afford and have used the Cooper Green Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy ever since then. It may be crowded and slow but at least you don't have someone accusing you of "trafficking" or anything else. I do not know who this pharmacist is trying to impress. My husband used to be a police officer and I know they always liked together with girls from the area stores, gas stations, or whatever for some extramarital fun.

DEFINITION OF TRAFFICKING: Sales or distribution of controlled substances may be charged in cases where a transfer of drugs for money or other valuables can be proved, either through the use of informant evidence, an undercover sting operation or detailed surveillance of a suspected dealer's interactions with others. The offense of trafficking generally involves sales of illicit drugs on a continuous basis as a form of business activity. These violations also can be prosecuted at the local, state or federal level.

I am not able to traffick any drugs and any drugs I get I need for my health problems and definitely cannot afford to give or sell them to someone else. My children have watched me go through problems with my heart and mental problems where I took food out of the freezer and put books in the freezer and told them to hurry up and get ready because we are fixing to leave to go to the beach (which is about six hours away from our home).

They tell me about these things that I have done and I do not remember doing them and at first I thought they were joking when they would talk about these things. I stay at home in my house. I do not go out and socialize with people. I barely take my gown off and put clothes on. I cannot wear a bra because of all the damage they did to my chest wall. All I want is peace and the chance to be with my children a few more years.

This occasion that happened on 6/28/2005 affected me greatly and it has not ended because they have said I will have to go to court sometime later this summer. We were told to call them in 7-10 days to find out when the court date will be. I know I will never set foot in a Walgreens again even if it is just to buy a roll of toilet paper. (Also, I do not have a cardholder or member I.D. so I obviously was not very important as a customer to Walgreens.)

Karla
Sylvan Springs, Alabama