Went here for cervical spine C2-8 issues including spinal stenosis, nerve damage, arthritis, and…read moredegenerative disc disease. At first I was pleased because this doctor doled out meds like candy. I ended up on 7 different meds per day including Fentanyl patch that made me go into respiratory distress and then oxycodone.
During my time under his care, on my own I learned about alternative pain relief methods such as low-dose nalrexone therapy which would cut back dramatically on the amount of narcotics one would need to take. I printed out an article from a medical journal and took it to him, only to be told he had just attended a conference and "no one was talking about it." My confidence was beginning to waver.
My left leg began to go numb last year, and after several instances, I knew I needed both a cervical and lumbar MRI. Upon receiving the results, I asked for a copy of the lumbar MRI to take to my neurosurgeon, to which I was told, "You don't need to see anyone but me. I can take care of anything you need right here." Alarm bells, red flags and complete bafflement. By this time I was hopelessly addicted, depressed, in more pain and sometimes could not even finish a sentence.
Having had L5-S1 surgery in 1999, I knew there was a bigger problem that would not be solved by taking more drugs or injections. I took the results to Dr. James Bonnen and while my cervical issues had not changed much, my L4-5 disc was over 80% blown. Of course, by this time I was on so much high dose medication that I knew I would not get adequate pain relief after disc replacement surgery.
I canceled a procedure appointment with Aggarwal, and detoxed myself off of all medications except oxycodone for about 2 weeks, then checked into a detox/rehab to get medically-assisted taper off help with the oxy for another 2 weeks. I learned I had opioid-induced hyperalgesia, which is where the neurotransmitters for pain relief are so damaged that the brain tells the body that the pain is actually greater and thus more drugs are needed.
My disc replacement took place Nov. 22 with great success, and between hydrocodone and kratom, I got relief (actually better, longer lasting relief with kratom, a plant related to the coffee that has been used for thousands of years in the East).
Just as I was putting the awful experience and suffering from being over-medicated behind me (despite the overwhelming belief I had been damaged from overmedication), I began receiving bills dated from my last appointment with Aggarwal wanting payment for an arthrocentesis aspiration of joint or bursa, which never happened (a needle is stuck in the joint and synovial fluid is removed-- pretty sure I'd recall that!). It's been 4 months and despite my refuting the charge, it has now gone to collections. I have filed fraud with my insurance company.
If all you want is to be strung out and spend a lot of money not being in pain, this is your guy. The temporary fix he will provide you might help for awhile. But realize that pain is your body telling you that something is wrong and covering up the pain does not solve the problem. It's easy to get caught up in the vicious cycle, and Dr. Aggarwal won't tell you the irreparable damage his "care" will do to your body and brain. Take heed. I discovered in the end that Dr. Aggarwal is not much more than a legal pusher, a liar, and cares more about lining his pockets than truly caring for his patients. Plus his eyes look two different ways so you can never tell which one to look at, which should have been my first warning.
