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Patients left scrambling after disgraced dentist goes into hiding
DENVER — It is a tough time right now for more than 8,000 people in metro Denver who have potentially been exposed to HIV and hepatitis by a suspended dentist.
The Colorado Health Department urges each former patient of Dr. Stephen Stein to seek tests for the diseases because of “unsafe injection practices” at his two offices.
Now, thousands of people are waiting for the results that could forever change their lives.
“Being a single mom, how could he do this to me? How could he do this to me? I don’t understand,” questions a Highlands Ranch mother who did not want to be identified.
She is afraid an HIV test she took Thursday will come back positive.
She won’t know for a week.
“It’s going to be hell. It’s going to be hard on me. What if it comes back positive and I have to tell my kids?”
Dr. Stein pulled out the mother’s tooth two years ago at his Highlands Ranch practice.
He used an intravenous device during the procedure.
It’s those needles and syringes the state health department says Stein re-used over and over—sometimes days at a time.
“I want to know why I have to worry about this all my life. This is going to be an ongoing battle. I will have to face this all my life now,” says the frightened mother.
Her family doctor says she’ll have to be re-tested every two years.
But Dr. David Colhn with Denver Health says that’s incorrect.
He says two consecutive tests are enough, if you are not in a high-risk category for the diseases, including intravenous drug users and those having unprotected sex.
“After six months (of exposure), if they acquired HIV, hepatitis b or hepatitis c, tests would be positive by now,” says Dr. Colhn. He says the antibodies for the infections show up on tests after six weeks. In very rare cases, it takes six months.
He suspects there’s relatively low risk of contracting HIV or the hepatitis infection from what happened in Stein’s office.
But only tests will bear that out.
He says negative results should bring peace of mind.
“They don’t have to worry there’s some infection that wasn’t detected. If they have the test and its negative, that’s all people have to be concerned about,” he says.
Dr. Colhn says Denver Health and some other clinics offer a rapid HIV test, in which results are available within 30 minutes. And those tests are often free or low-cost.
In Colorado, about 430 people a year are diagnosed with HIV.
Dr. Colhn says because of medical advances that vast majority will not develop AIDS.
http://kdvr.com/2012/07/14/former-patient-of-disgraced-dentist-worried-about-future/
The sad part is that no charges have been filled in this case and he is still only under investigation, it started as a prescription fraud case, for more indepth coverage follow the link and watch the video
The Colorado Health Department urges each former patient of Dr. Stephen Stein to seek tests for the diseases because of “unsafe injection practices” at his two offices.
Now, thousands of people are waiting for the results that could forever change their lives.
“Being a single mom, how could he do this to me? How could he do this to me? I don’t understand,” questions a Highlands Ranch mother who did not want to be identified.
She is afraid an HIV test she took Thursday will come back positive.
She won’t know for a week.
“It’s going to be hell. It’s going to be hard on me. What if it comes back positive and I have to tell my kids?”
Dr. Stein pulled out the mother’s tooth two years ago at his Highlands Ranch practice.
He used an intravenous device during the procedure.
It’s those needles and syringes the state health department says Stein re-used over and over—sometimes days at a time.
“I want to know why I have to worry about this all my life. This is going to be an ongoing battle. I will have to face this all my life now,” says the frightened mother.
Her family doctor says she’ll have to be re-tested every two years.
But Dr. David Colhn with Denver Health says that’s incorrect.
He says two consecutive tests are enough, if you are not in a high-risk category for the diseases, including intravenous drug users and those having unprotected sex.
“After six months (of exposure), if they acquired HIV, hepatitis b or hepatitis c, tests would be positive by now,” says Dr. Colhn. He says the antibodies for the infections show up on tests after six weeks. In very rare cases, it takes six months.
He suspects there’s relatively low risk of contracting HIV or the hepatitis infection from what happened in Stein’s office.
But only tests will bear that out.
He says negative results should bring peace of mind.
“They don’t have to worry there’s some infection that wasn’t detected. If they have the test and its negative, that’s all people have to be concerned about,” he says.
Dr. Colhn says Denver Health and some other clinics offer a rapid HIV test, in which results are available within 30 minutes. And those tests are often free or low-cost.
In Colorado, about 430 people a year are diagnosed with HIV.
Dr. Colhn says because of medical advances that vast majority will not develop AIDS.
http://kdvr.com/2012/07/14/former-patient-of-disgraced-dentist-worried-about-future/
The sad part is that no charges have been filled in this case and he is still only under investigation, it started as a prescription fraud case, for more indepth coverage follow the link and watch the video
"He suspects there’s relatively low risk of contracting HIV or the hepatitis infection from what happened in Stein’s office. "
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Interesting how he says there is a low risk of contracting one of those diseases through getting an intravenous stick from a contaminated needle. Yet, the health dept. tells the public that even one time shooting street drugs or snorting cocaine is high risk.
They cannot both be right.
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Interesting how he says there is a low risk of contracting one of those diseases through getting an intravenous stick from a contaminated needle. Yet, the health dept. tells the public that even one time shooting street drugs or snorting cocaine is high risk.
They cannot both be right.
"Dr. Colhn says because of medical advances that vast majority will not develop AIDS. "
Now, wouldn't that make you feel better, knowing you had HIV but thanks to advances it may not become AIDS ????( but then again, it might.)
These comments truly are insulting to everyone's intelligence.
Now, wouldn't that make you feel better, knowing you had HIV but thanks to advances it may not become AIDS ????( but then again, it might.)
These comments truly are insulting to everyone's intelligence.
You know me, if I'm going to waste the energy to type it...it's gonna be the truth (as far as my mind is concerned anyways ;)
Pure idiocy. Is Dr. Colhn trying to keep panic at bay or just assuming that we are all morons?
I agree Stein has to pay... at the very least he is a public nuisance. It was not a one time error this was ongoing -negligence at best.
All those years I was bleeding at the dentist with my hep. c, I hope to God, my dentist was more careful for the sake of all those people that followed. Really scary.
I agree Stein has to pay... at the very least he is a public nuisance. It was not a one time error this was ongoing -negligence at best.
All those years I was bleeding at the dentist with my hep. c, I hope to God, my dentist was more careful for the sake of all those people that followed. Really scary.
How do you really feel???
You crack me up. You tell it like it is. Priceless! Thanks for starting my week off with a bang!
☻/ღ˚ •。* ♥ ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* °♥ ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。
/▌*˛˚ღ •˚ ˚…just sprinkling a little Love on your page. ~♥~˚ ✰* ★
/ \ ˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ
Hector
You crack me up. You tell it like it is. Priceless! Thanks for starting my week off with a bang!
☻/ღ˚ •。* ♥ ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* °♥ ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。
/▌*˛˚ღ •˚ ˚…just sprinkling a little Love on your page. ~♥~˚ ✰* ★
/ \ ˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ
Hector
That is exactly what i was thinking how do you know it's a low risk anyways it only takes one persons blood for Gods sake!!!!!!!!!
They better make a law to put him in jail I dont care. He needs to pay!
They better make a law to put him in jail I dont care. He needs to pay!
"He suspects there’s relatively low risk of contracting HIV or the hepatitis infection from what happened in Stein’s office. "
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He suspects......HA I bet he wouldn't be saying that if he was a patient of this Dr. Stein quack!
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He suspects......HA I bet he wouldn't be saying that if he was a patient of this Dr. Stein quack!
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