TRANSLOC 3D

Description of Event or Problem

FOR A DIAGNOSIS OF BILATERAL SACROILIAC (SI) JOINT DYSFUNCTION, I UNDERWENT A TRANS-LOC PROCEDURE TO THE RIGHT SI JOINT FUSION VIA TRANS-LOC PROCEDURE ON (B)(6) 2025 BY DR. (B)(6). THE IMMEDIATE POST-OPERATIVE PERIOD WAS UNBEARABLY PAINFUL, BUT I WAS ABLE TO BE DISCHARGED HOME AFTER RECEIVING HIGH DOSES OF OPIOIDS. IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS, I EXPERIENCED A SHARPLY PAINFUL "DIGGING" SENSATION AT THE SURGICAL SITE, WHICH PASSED AFTER A FEW DAYS, BUT RETURNED INTERMITTENTLY THEREAFTER. ON (B)(6) 2025: AFTER SITTING FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, ABRUPT ONSET OF STABBING PAIN TO RIGHT KNEE, WITH PROGRESSIVE INABILITY TO BEAR WEIGHT ON THE RIGHT LEG. ON (B)(6) 2025, I UNDERWENT LEFT SI TRANS-LOC; AND ALSO, INJECTION OF THE PAINFUL RIGHT SI AREA WHICH YIELDED PARTIAL RELIEF. (B)(6) 2025: FOLLOWING A NON-RETURNED VOICEMAIL MESSAGE AND THEN A DENIED REQUEST TO BE SEEN IN THE OFFICE EARLIER IN THE WEEK, I WENT TO (B)(6) HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT DUE TO INABILITY TO STRAIGHTEN OR BEAR WEIGHT ON MY RIGHT LEG. A CT SCAN WITH CONTRAST SUGGESTED NERVE ROOT IRRITATION FROM SI FUSION HARDWARE. I WAS TREATED WITH INTRAVENOUS DECADRON AND GIVEN A PRESCRIPTION FOR A HIGH-DOSE STEROID TAPER. ON (B)(6) 2025, I CALLED DR. (B)(6)'S OFFICE FOR INTENSIFIED, CRIPPLING PAIN IN MY RIGHT LEG. I WAS NOT PERMITTED TO SPEAK WITH (B)(6), THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA); MY REQUEST TO BE SEEN IN THE OFFICE WAS DECLINED, AND I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MY SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT OF (B)(6) 2025. ON (B)(6) 2025 I WAS NOTIFIED BY THE OFFICE NURSE, (B)(6), THAT (B)(6), PA, HAD ORDERED PREDNISONE 50MG X5 DAY; I INFORMED (B)(6) THAT THIS WAS THE SAME PRESCRIPTION THAT (B)(6) HAD PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN, AND THAT HE HAD ORDERED THE SAME PRIOR TO MY EMERGENCY VISIT. (B)(6), STATED, "(B)(6) CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR PAIN MANAGEMENT...THIS IS ALL HE IS COMFORTABLE ORDERING UNTIL YOUR APPOINTMENT". WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A BRIEF APPEARANCE BY DR. (B)(6) AT MY FIRST POST-OPERATIVE APPOINTMENT, I WAS SEEN ONLY BY THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, (B)(6), UNTIL (B)(6) 2025, WHEN AN APPOINTMENT WITH DR. (B)(6) WAS MADE AT MY INSISTENCE. DR. (B)(6) OPINED THAT THE RIGHT LEG DEFORMITY, SWELLING, PAIN AND INABILITY TO BEAR WEIGHT ON THE RIGHT LEG WAS DUE TO A LUMBAR SPINE ABNORMALITY, AND THAT THE SI FUSION HARDWARE HAD BEEN PROPERLY PLACED; HE ORDERED A LUMBAR MRI, WHICH WAS DONE ON (B)(6) 2025 AND REVEALED NO ACUTE CHANGES. ON (B)(6) 2025, A RIGHT L5-S1 EPIDURAL STEROID INJECTION ADMINISTERED BY DR. (B)(6) INITIALLY YIELDED GREATER THAN FIFTY PERCENT PAIN REDUCTION (LEVEL 8 TO LEVEL 3) AT THE SITE. AS OF (B)(6) 2025, I EXPERIENCED NUMBNESS IN BOTH LEGS, RIGHT GREATER THAN LEFT, PAIN IN THE BILATERAL LOWER BACK/HIP AREAS WITH WEIGHT-BEARING, AND THE LENGTH OF THE RIGHT LEG, FOCUSED AROUND THE MEDIAL ASPECT OF THE KNEE; AND SYMPTOMS INCREASE AFTER SITTING FOR MORE THAN ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES, AS THEY DID WITH AT THE ONSET ON (B)(6) 2025. SELF-TREATMENT WITH DMSO GEL YIELDED RAPID REDUCTION IN THE NUMBNESS BUT HAD NO EFFECT ON THE PAIN. DR. (B)(6) ADMINISTERED MULTIPLE INJECTIONS: ONE TO THE LUMBAR SPINE WHICH HAD NO EFFECT, AND THE REMAINDER TO L5-S1, WITH VARIABLE DEGREES OF PAIN RELIEF. DR, (B)(6) OPINED THAT MY PAIN PATTERN WAS L5-S1, BUT HE CONSULTED WITH A RADIOLOGIST WHO BELIEVED THAT THE HARDWARE WAS IN THE CORRECT POSITION. A PELVIC MRI DONE ON (B)(6) 2025 SUGGESTED THAT THE SI FUSION SCREW WAS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE NERVE ROOT. AS OF THIS DATE (B)(6) 2025, THE NUMBNESS HAS ALMOST COMPLETELY RESOLVED; MY RIGHT FOOT IS EXTERNALLY ROTATED APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREES; THERE IS PERSISTENT SWELLING IN THE RIGHT KNEE, WHICH MEASURES 4CM GREATER THAN THE LEFT; THERE IS PERSISTENT PAIN IN THE RIGHT SI AREA AND JUST ABOVE THE RIGHT KNEE. NEUROSURGEON: I AM STILL UNABLE TO FULLY STRAIGHTEN THE RIGHT LEG, AND HAVE DIFFICULTY SITTING, STANDING AND WALKING. NEUROSURGEON (B)(6), OPINED ON CONSULT ON (B)(6) 2026 THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED A NERVE INJURY IN THE COURSE OF THE RIGHT SI FUSION PROCEDURE.