I went to Dr. Agrawal for pain relief injections which provided little or no relief. The last injection an epidural in January 2023. No relief but three days after the injection, the pain at the injection spot increased and that continued over the next several weeks. DR. Agrawal told me she had never seen anything like this. When the pain became do severe that I couldn't come in for an MRI, my wife called the Dr. and she prescribed a heavy-duty pain medication. I went in for the MRI which she reviewed but with no other followup. When looked at by other orthopedic and pain doctors later, they all agreed that it showed an infection precisely where the injection was given. Dr. Agrawal referred my to a rheumotoligist at Rush. This doctor looked at the MRI and examined the injection spot which was red and swollen and she had me direct-addmitted to Rush on the spot. I was there for seven days being examined by three newe residents. Two of them concluded that they couldn't find anything after ordering a biopsy that was adjacent to the infection site. The third, an orthopedic surgeon said there were clear signs of an infection but he was overruled and eventuallyy concurred with their finding. He actually brought us the MRI taken there and indicated to us the extent of the infection. The doctor overseeing this group was not a specialist in anything related to the problem, and had us sent on our merry way with a prescription to fill for pain relief which took two hours to find because it was not a standard type. After another couple of weeks of excruciating pain continuously despite the pain pills plus Trylenol, plus Ibuprofen, I called my primary care physician at Northwestern Medical group. She had me come immediately and then referred me to orthopedia pain specialist who took another MRI. When the results came in they both called me that evening and told me to go to the ER at NW immediately, where I was immediately admitted. There a biopsy was performed in the correct spot and shortly thereafter, when the specific bacteria was indentified (Pseudomonas A), treatment of three half-hour infusions of antibiotic were administered. I was then transferred to a rehab facility where I stayed for six weeks receiving three infustion per day. Within on day or two of the first infusions, the horrendous pain began to subside. read more
