Our client, a 27-year-old mother of two, experienced one of the most harrowing ordeals of medical misdiagnosis imaginable. She presented to Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY, with severe back pain. Blood and urine tests revealed elevated white blood cells, and imaging studies confirmed the presence of a kidney stone. She was discharged with pain medication.

The next day, with worsening symptoms including numbness in her feet and legs, our client sought a second opinion at hospital in Utica, New York. Again, bloodwork and imaging confirmed a kidney stone. Despite neurologic symptoms, she was discharged without further investigation.

2 days later, she returned to the emergency department at a hospital in Syracuse, New York, where she was denied an MRI—even after reporting numbness from the waist down. She was discharged with a diagnosis of muscle spasm and prescriptions for hydrocodone and valium.

3 days later, our client was unable to walk or feel her legs. Back at Bassett Hospital, an MRI was finally performed and revealed a spinal epidural abscess. Emergency surgery followed, and she remained hospitalized for nearly a week. Cultures revealed a rare infection: Cellulomonas.

Although the infection was eventually treated, the delay resulted in neurological damage. Her case highlights a classic failure of differential diagnosis: multiple providers missed red flags of spinal infection. If an MRI had been performed when she first reported numbness, this life-altering injury could have been avoided.