The Lincoln Log

Kim Quach, a junior at Abraham Lincoln High School, is currently in the UCSF Medical Center due to a pharmaceutical error.

According to Quach, a doctor at UCSF prescribed the incorrect dosage of medicine for Quach to treat a condition she has. The dosage prescribed was for her to take three pills twice a day, when she was supposed to take one pill twice a day. The incorrect dosage caused her body to catch a virus which disabled her bone marrow from producing red and white blood cells, and blood platelets.

“I’ve been here for about eight weeks,” Quach said.

Quach first noticed that something was wrong when she wasn’t able to stand for longer than a few seconds with out getting dizzy of fainting, and her heart would suddenly beast faster at random moments. When she went to a family doctor, they found that her blood pressure was extremely high, and the pink part of her nails had disappeared, leaving it all white. That was when she was sent to the emergency room on October 13, 2004. Although she has regained her health since being in the Intensive Care Unit, no lawsuits were filed against her doctor, and her insurance company is taking care of all the expenses.

“I don’t remember anything from being in the Intensive Care Unit, But I was told later on that they [the doctors] had to suck out the blood that was in my lungs,” Quach said.

The virus Quach caught also caused pancreastitis and her stomach to bleed, bring her back to the Intensive Care Unit about a month after October 13. Pancreatitis is a condition where the pancreas is inflated and the patient isn’t able to consume an food. Due to Quach’s pancreatitis, nutrient has to be injected into her body.

Quach has since recovered from being in the Intensive Care Unit, and goes through physical therapy everyday to help her walk again. She also does her schoolwork when she feels up for it, but the doctors recommend that she try not to stress over it. When she feels up for doing schoolwork, there is a personal tutor that she can call from the hospital to help her. Whether she passes her classes or not depends on if her teachers think she has learned enough.

“I don’t really know when I’ll be able to come back to school because it depends on how well my body is reacting with the antibiotics they are giving me to treat the virus,” Quach said.

Quach tries to keep a positive attitude throughout this experience. It was awfully painful for her in the beginning, but she is getting better everyday. She thinks that this is a good experience for her because she will know how to treat her future patients, for she aspires to be a dermatologist.

“I really miss school and seeing my friends everyday at school. But I get weekly visits from them, and they keep me updated with what’s going on. Like they told me about Mr. Topham’s belly at the Bell Game Rally,” Quach said laughing.

She really misses her friends and going to school terribly and cries whenever her doctors talk to her about it.