The patient eventually suffered an injury and presented to the hospital complaining of back pain. She was still ambulatory and walked into the ER on her own after driving herself there. The patient was worked up for her pain and a CT scan revealed no new pathology outside of her pre-existing conditions. The ER physicians prescribed some pain medication and she was not admitted. Although her back pain was persisting, she was discharged again in stable condition. The patient was eventually able to return to work.
She presented to the hospital some time after her initial visit complaining of tingling in her lower extremities. The physicians decided that the patient needed an emergent MRI in addition to the original scans that were done during her last visit. During these scans, the patient had difficulty lying flat; however, the physician decided that the patient should be given analgesia and forced to lay flat. There were no significant findings on the imaging. Another MRI was ordered, during which the patient was medicated to tolerate lying flat, while also being held still during the scan. During the MRI, the patient began experiencing numbness in her legs. While the patient was still in the MRI, it was reported that she appeared to have several injuries that would require immediate treatment. Emergent surgery was ordered, however, the patient is now permanently injured.
